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.

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Many owners, one palace

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Maiolica of the staircase

An eagle-shaped city

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

A museum to save a tradition

Searching for colour

A long reconstruction

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A hall for the feasts

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A square as the heart of the city

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Some masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A miniature city

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, three sites

The Baroque town by the sea

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

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

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

A half-Baroque church

A majestic and luminous church

A prominent church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A symbol for the town

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The chocolate of Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

The wall comes to life

The disastrous earthquake

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Some prestigious works

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

From International Gothic to present day

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

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A city in colour

The city of museums

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Wonderful quick decorations

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The internal colours

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Discovering the mother church

The Staircase of Angels

The Burgos crucifix

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A talking palace

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Between white and black

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Feast days

The two churches

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

A new site for a new city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

New roads for Catania

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A colourful floor

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

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