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.

A majestic and luminous church

The Baroque town by the sea

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feast days

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

The chocolate of Modica

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Some prestigious works

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

Some masterpieces

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The colours of the cathedral

A miniature city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Discovering the mother church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Prominent façade

A talking palace

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Many owners, one palace

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The city of museums

A colourful floor

An eagle-shaped city

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A hall for the feasts

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A small room with a golden entrance

A triumph of colour

A museum to save a tradition

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The church of Carmine

A half-Baroque church

A square as the heart of the city

One city, two sites

A new site for a new city

Wonderful quick decorations

Norman apses

New roads for Catania

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Two illustrious patron saints

The wall comes to life

The Burgos crucifix

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A long reconstruction

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Searching for colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new site for a new church

One city, three sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A symbol for the town

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The disastrous earthquake

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Staircase of Angels

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feasting in Palazzolo

The internal colours

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A feast only for Scicli

Between white and black

The two churches

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A city in colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A prominent church