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 story of the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista

A city in colour

The Baroque town by the sea

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A long reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A museum to save a tradition

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

The disastrous earthquake

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A triumph of colour

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

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A half-Baroque church

The colours of the cathedral

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

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

The two churches

A small room with a golden entrance

The wall comes to life

An eagle-shaped city

Discovering the mother church

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

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

A new site for a new city

A square as the heart of the city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A talking palace

The chocolate of Modica

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

New roads for Catania

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Between white and black

The theatre of taste

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, three sites

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

Wonderful quick decorations

The internal colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Norman apses

The interior and its masterpieces

From International Gothic to present day

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Staircase of Angels

The city of museums

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

A hall for the feasts

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Searching for colour

A colourful floor

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Burgos crucifix

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Feast days

Prominent façade

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The church of Carmine

A feast only for Scicli

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

A prominent church

Some masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase