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 Sebastiano

The two churches

Feast days

A colourful floor

One city, three sites

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A hall for the feasts

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The interior and its masterpieces

A city in colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new church

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

An eagle-shaped city

New roads for Catania

The Maiolica of the staircase

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Discovering the mother church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The colours of the cathedral

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Norman apses

Between white and black

Many owners, one palace

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Burgos crucifix

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A miniature city

Two illustrious patron saints

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The disastrous earthquake

A square as the heart of the city

A symbol for the town

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The internal colours

A prominent church

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

From International Gothic to present day

A talking palace

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The Staircase of Angels

A triumph of colour

A majestic and luminous church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The theatre of taste

The church of Carmine

A museum to save a tradition

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Prominent façade

Searching for colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The wall comes to life

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The city of museums

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The chocolate of Modica

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A feast only for Scicli

A new site for a new city

Some masterpieces

Some prestigious works

Feasting in Palazzolo

A long reconstruction