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 Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A city in colour

The Burgos crucifix

Many owners, one palace

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

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, three sites

Searching for colour

A majestic and luminous church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A Nobel Prize in Modica

From International Gothic to present day

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

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

A symbol for the town

The city of museums

Between white and black

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The theatre of taste

A colourful floor

Limestone, the colour of harmony

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The interior and its masterpieces

A new site for a new church

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The two churches

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A half-Baroque church

Some prestigious works

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some masterpieces

A miniature city

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The wall comes to life

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The chocolate of Modica

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A square as the heart of the city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A prominent church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, two sites

Feast days

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

The church of Carmine

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A triumph of colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

Prominent façade

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A long reconstruction

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A feast only for Scicli

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new city

A hall for the feasts

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The disastrous earthquake

The Staircase of Angels

An eagle-shaped city

Norman apses

The colours of the cathedral

The Maiolica of the staircase