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 senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Some prestigious works

A triumph of colour

The internal colours

Prominent façade

The Baroque town by the sea

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

Feast days

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Burgos crucifix

Some masterpieces

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A city in colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

The theatre of taste

A long reconstruction

The city of museums

Norman apses

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

An eagle-shaped city

A square as the heart of the city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A museum to save a tradition

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A feast only for Scicli

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

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A hall for the feasts

The façade used as a puppet theatre

New roads for Catania

Wonderful quick decorations

A talking palace

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

A prominent church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The disastrous earthquake

Between white and black

A majestic and luminous church

The wall comes to life

One city, three sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Many owners, one palace

One city, two sites

The Staircase of Angels

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Searching for colour

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new site for a new city

A colourful floor

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The church of Carmine

Discovering the mother church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A small room with a golden entrance

The chocolate of Modica

A miniature city

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A symbol for the town

A new site for a new church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A half-Baroque church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento