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.

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

Many owners, one palace

A hall for the feasts

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Burgos crucifix

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Wonderful quick decorations

Prominent façade

The chocolate of Modica

A triumph of colour

Norman apses

A new site for a new church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The city of museums

The Baroque town by the sea

A feast only for Scicli

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The internal colours

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

A long reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A symbol for the town

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new site for a new city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A city in colour

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

An eagle-shaped city

A half-Baroque church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Some prestigious works

The church of Carmine

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Feast days

The Maiolica of the staircase

A majestic and luminous church

One city, two sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The wall comes to life

The two churches

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Staircase of Angels

The colours of the cathedral

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Some masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Between white and black

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Two illustrious patron saints

Discovering the mother church

A square as the heart of the city

A prominent church

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

A miniature city

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

From International Gothic to present day

A small room with a golden entrance

A talking palace

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A colourful floor

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

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

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

The theatre of taste

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

One city, three sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The character of Badia Sant’Agata