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.

Between white and black

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A prominent church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The wall comes to life

Feast days

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

Searching for colour

The Staircase of Angels

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The city of museums

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A feast only for Scicli

A talking palace

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The internal colours

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The church of Carmine

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Many owners, one palace

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

New roads for Catania

An eagle-shaped city

Two illustrious patron saints

A city in colour

A new site for a new city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Discovering the mother church

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

A square as the heart of the city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The colours of the cathedral

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

Some prestigious works

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A colourful floor

The Maiolica of the staircase

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The two churches

Prominent façade

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

From International Gothic to present day

A majestic and luminous church

A small room with a golden entrance

A triumph of colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A half-Baroque church

A hall for the feasts

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

One city, two sites

A museum to save a tradition

A symbol for the town

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The chocolate of Modica

The disastrous earthquake

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A long reconstruction

One city, three sites

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A miniature city

A new site for a new church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento