Modica

The senses tell the story of the church of Santa Maria del Carmelo

hearing
A small monumental organ

Organo santa maria del carmeloSongs and notes accompany the celebrations as they did centuries ago.
The organ is made of wood, small in size, and placed above the entrance. Made in the second half of the 18th century, it is one of the few still working.
The music of those who still know how to play the instrument enchants and accompanies the worshippers as they experience the moment of prayer more intensely, just like in the past.

touch
Watch what you paint on

Different materials, different techniques!
In order to paint on a canvas, panel or wall, an artist must master every technique. Painting on canvas means using a soft media with a fairly smooth surface.
Panels, like the one of St. Albert, are hard, made of wood and very irregular, and can have higher and lower sections. Finally, in order to fresco a wall, an artist must lay out an even base to achieve a smooth surface on which to place the colour.
For any painting to be successful, an artist must, therefore, have excellent knowledge of the technique and materials.

sight
A beautiful rose window

The church of Carmine is an example of medieval architecture where the central rose window is still intact.
The only one of its kind, it has a very unusual decoration.
Instead of the usual floral elements, the stonemason created mini-columns surmounted by small capitals, each one different from the other and ready to converge in the centre.
It is a wonderful piece of craftsmanship that demonstrates the skill of its unknown artist.

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A long reconstruction

Church of San Giuliano (St. Julian) on Via dei Crociferi: reconstruction

The colours of the cathedral

Some prestigious works

The disastrous earthquake

A colourful floor

A symbol for the town

One city, two sites

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the Benedictine Monastery and San NicoIò l’Arena

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Giuliano ai Crociferi

The theatre of taste

The Burgos crucifix

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Staircase of Angels

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A square as the heart of the city

An eagle-shaped city

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Baroque town by the sea

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The chocolate of Modica

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Badia di Sant’Agata

The wall comes to life

Feasting in Palazzolo

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the Mother Church of San Nicolò and of the Santissimo Salvatore

The senses tell the story of the staircase of Santa Maria del Monte

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Freedom of worship and the role of the Catholic Church in the diffusion of Baroque

Discovering the mother church

Prominent façade

From International Gothic to present day

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The two churches

Between white and black

A new site for a new church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The city of museums

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new site for a new city

Searching for colour

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the church of Santa Maria del Carmelo

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Norman apses

From the contrast of the exterior to the internal jubilation of colours

The role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

Two illustrious patron saints

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A miniature city

Feast days

A feast only for Scicli

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

New roads for Catania

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giovanni Battista

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A half-Baroque church

A hall for the feasts

The Maiolica of the staircase

A small room with a golden entrance

Wonderful quick decorations

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The internal colours

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A prominent church

A talking palace

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The interior and its masterpieces