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 feast only for Scicli

A symbol for the town

The disastrous earthquake

New roads for Catania

Norman apses

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

The wall comes to life

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A hall for the feasts

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

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

The interior and its masterpieces

From International Gothic to present day

One city, three sites

Searching for colour

Between white and black

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A miniature city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

One city, two sites

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The colours of the cathedral

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Prominent façade

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A majestic and luminous church

The two churches

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A triumph of colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The chocolate of Modica

A museum to save a tradition

The Burgos crucifix

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Baroque town by the sea

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

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

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Maiolica of the staircase

A talking palace

The theatre of taste

The Staircase of Angels

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Wonderful quick decorations

A new site for a new church

A prominent church

A half-Baroque church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Two illustrious patron saints

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

Many owners, one palace

The internal colours

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A square as the heart of the city

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new city

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A city in colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The church of Carmine

An eagle-shaped city

Feast days

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A long reconstruction

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)