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.

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A talking palace

Many owners, one palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

Discovering the mother church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The wall comes to life

A majestic and luminous church

Two illustrious patron saints

A new site for a new city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A small room with a golden entrance

Searching for colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Norman apses

The interior and its masterpieces

A feast only for Scicli

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The colours of the cathedral

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The city of museums

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

From International Gothic to present day

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

Between white and black

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

A long reconstruction

The disastrous earthquake

A triumph of colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Some masterpieces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The internal colours

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

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

The church of Carmine

Some prestigious works

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The two churches

Wonderful quick decorations

A colourful floor

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A prominent church

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

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Limestone, the colour of harmony

New roads for Catania

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Burgos crucifix

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

Feast days

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A city in colour

One city, two sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A museum to save a tradition

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The Staircase of Angels

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A square as the heart of the city

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A miniature city

An eagle-shaped city

A new site for a new church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento