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.

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A square as the heart of the city

A hall for the feasts

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

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A prominent church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Many owners, one palace

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

An eagle-shaped city

The wall comes to life

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Searching for colour

A talking palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Two illustrious patron saints

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Some masterpieces

A long reconstruction

A new site for a new church

A museum to save a tradition

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A feast only for Scicli

The chocolate of Modica

A city in colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Discovering the mother church

Feasting in Palazzolo

A triumph of colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The colours of the cathedral

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The two churches

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A colourful floor

One city, three sites

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

A majestic and luminous church

A symbol for the town

A half-Baroque church

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A small room with a golden entrance

The disastrous earthquake

A miniature city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From International Gothic to present day

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some prestigious works

The city of museums

Between white and black

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The church of Carmine

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A Nobel Prize in Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Burgos crucifix

Prominent façade

The Baroque town by the sea

New roads for Catania

One city, two sites

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Wonderful quick decorations