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.

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A symbol for the town

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A prominent church

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Feasting in Palazzolo

The wall comes to life

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

Discovering the mother church

A half-Baroque church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The interior and its masterpieces

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The Staircase of Angels

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feast days

One city, two sites

The colours of the cathedral

Prominent façade

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new site for a new city

The city of museums

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Some prestigious works

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The theatre of taste

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A colourful floor

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The internal colours

The chocolate of Modica

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The two churches

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Norman apses

Two illustrious patron saints

A new site for a new church

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

A hall for the feasts

Some masterpieces

A talking palace

The Baroque town by the sea

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

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A square as the heart of the city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Searching for colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The Burgos crucifix

A city in colour

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A miniature city

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

The church of Carmine

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A long reconstruction

A majestic and luminous church

The Maiolica of the staircase

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

New roads for Catania

Many owners, one palace

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

An eagle-shaped city

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

One city, three sites

A triumph of colour

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo