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.

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

An eagle-shaped city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A small room with a golden entrance

The two churches

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new site for a new city

A triumph of colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A museum to save a tradition

One city, three sites

Some prestigious works

New roads for Catania

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A hall for the feasts

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Between white and black

The church of Carmine

A talking palace

A long reconstruction

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

A new site for a new church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

A feast only for Scicli

The chocolate of Modica

The Maiolica of the staircase

A half-Baroque church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The disastrous earthquake

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Some masterpieces

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

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

Norman apses

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A square as the heart of the city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Discovering the mother church

Feast days

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Staircase of Angels

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A miniature city

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The theatre of taste

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

From International Gothic to present day

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Prominent façade

The wall comes to life

The Baroque town by the sea

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A city in colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

Searching for colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The city of museums

Feasting in Palazzolo

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A prominent church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A colourful floor

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Burgos crucifix

A majestic and luminous church

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 Benedetto

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Many owners, one palace

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The internal colours

One city, two sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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