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 the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A symbol for the town

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

An eagle-shaped city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A talking palace

The theatre of taste

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Staircase of Angels

Searching for colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

Feast days

A colourful floor

The church of Carmine

A small room with a golden entrance

One city, two sites

One city, three sites

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

A feast only for Scicli

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The two churches

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A half-Baroque church

A triumph of colour

The colours of the cathedral

Discovering the mother church

A majestic and luminous church

A new site for a new city

The internal colours

Many owners, one palace

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The disastrous earthquake

From International Gothic to present day

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

New roads for Catania

A hall for the feasts

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A city in colour

The Burgos crucifix

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Some masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The chocolate of Modica

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A miniature city

Prominent façade

A long reconstruction

Two illustrious patron saints

The interior and its masterpieces

Between white and black

The city of museums

A prominent church

Wonderful quick decorations

A square as the heart of the city

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A museum to save a tradition