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 role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A small room with a golden entrance

A miniature city

The disastrous earthquake

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A triumph of colour

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A talking palace

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The wall comes to life

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The colours of the cathedral

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Wonderful quick decorations

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The internal colours

Some masterpieces

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A feast only for Scicli

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

The two churches

A new site for a new city

One city, two sites

Some prestigious works

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Between white and black

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The Staircase of Angels

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The city of museums

The theatre of taste

A long reconstruction

An eagle-shaped city

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A museum to save a tradition

The Burgos crucifix

The church of Carmine

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

From International Gothic to present day

A prominent church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Feasting in Palazzolo

Norman apses

A city in colour

Prominent façade

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Many owners, one palace

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

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A symbol for the town

The chocolate of Modica

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A square as the heart of the city

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

A half-Baroque church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Maiolica of the staircase

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A colourful floor

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Baroque town by the sea

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

One city, three sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

New roads for Catania

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Searching for colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras