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.

One city, two sites

A city in colour

A symbol for the town

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The theatre of taste

A small room with a golden entrance

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A miniature city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Baroque town by the sea

A hall for the feasts

The church of Carmine

A new site for a new church

A long reconstruction

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Many owners, one palace

The interior and its masterpieces

Some prestigious works

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

The two churches

Feast days

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Two illustrious patron saints

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

An eagle-shaped city

One city, three sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A feast only for Scicli

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Searching for colour

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The colours of the cathedral

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Staircase of Angels

The wall comes to life

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The internal colours

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A square as the heart of the city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The disastrous earthquake

From International Gothic to present day

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

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Norman apses

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A majestic and luminous church

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

Between white and black

A triumph of colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A half-Baroque church

New roads for Catania

Prominent façade

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A prominent church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A colourful floor

A talking palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

A new site for a new city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The chocolate of Modica