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 church of Carmine

Many owners, one palace

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

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

One city, three sites

The wall comes to life

The city of museums

Searching for colour

A hall for the feasts

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A colourful floor

A square as the heart of the city

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

From International Gothic to present day

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The two churches

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Discovering the mother church

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

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Burgos crucifix

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The theatre of taste

A new site for a new city

A miniature city

Between white and black

A small room with a golden entrance

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Wonderful quick decorations

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

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

A feast only for Scicli

A majestic and luminous church

A museum to save a tradition

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Feast days

The colours of the cathedral

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The internal colours

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Some prestigious works

The chocolate of Modica

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new site for a new church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A symbol for the town

Two illustrious patron saints

A prominent church

An eagle-shaped city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, two sites

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A triumph of colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A city in colour

Some masterpieces

Prominent façade

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Norman apses