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 new site for a new church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A majestic and luminous church

The city of museums

The internal colours

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

A colourful floor

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A city in colour

The interior and its masterpieces

A long reconstruction

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Some masterpieces

New roads for Catania

Many owners, one palace

A square as the heart of the city

Feast days

A talking palace

A half-Baroque church

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A triumph of colour

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The disastrous earthquake

The Burgos crucifix

A feast only for Scicli

The colours of the cathedral

An eagle-shaped city

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Prominent façade

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The wall comes to life

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

One city, two sites

The two churches

The chocolate of Modica

Between white and black

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The theatre of taste

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

The Staircase of Angels

Two illustrious patron saints

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Some prestigious works

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A prominent church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A hall for the feasts

Connections with other UNESCO sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Searching for colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The church of Carmine

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

Wonderful quick decorations

A symbol for the town

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Norman apses

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Baroque town by the sea

A museum to save a tradition

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

One city, three sites