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 city of museums

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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 Sebastiano

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Searching for colour

A half-Baroque church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The disastrous earthquake

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

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A feast only for Scicli

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Feast days

From International Gothic to present day

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

Between white and black

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Prominent façade

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A small room with a golden entrance

A new site for a new church

A new site for a new city

A city in colour

The Baroque town by the sea

The wall comes to life

A hall for the feasts

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

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

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

A square as the heart of the city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The theatre of taste

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A majestic and luminous church

Many owners, one palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Discovering the mother church

The interior and its masterpieces

Feasting in Palazzolo

One city, two sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

New roads for Catania

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The two churches

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The internal colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Some prestigious works

The Burgos crucifix

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Norman apses

Two illustrious patron saints

A museum to save a tradition

The Staircase of Angels

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Wonderful quick decorations

A symbol for the town

The colours of the cathedral

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Maiolica of the staircase

The chocolate of Modica

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A colourful floor

Some masterpieces

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A triumph of colour

One city, three sites