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 disastrous earthquake

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

Feast days

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A small room with a golden entrance

Many owners, one palace

A feast only for Scicli

A square as the heart of the city

From International Gothic to present day

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Prominent façade

A colourful floor

A symbol for the town

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

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

One city, two sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The Staircase of Angels

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new site for a new city

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

A talking palace

A majestic and luminous church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Searching for colour

New roads for Catania

A museum to save a tradition

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

A prominent church

A new site for a new church

Discovering the mother church

The theatre of taste

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

The Burgos crucifix

Between white and black

A half-Baroque church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The chocolate of Modica

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Two illustrious patron saints

The interior and its masterpieces

The city of museums

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Feasting in Palazzolo

The wall comes to life

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Some masterpieces

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The church of Carmine

The Baroque town by the sea

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The colours of the cathedral

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

A miniature city

A hall for the feasts

Some prestigious works

Norman apses

An eagle-shaped city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Wonderful quick decorations