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.

Prominent façade

The city of museums

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The two churches

A talking palace

The Staircase of Angels

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A small room with a golden entrance

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A triumph of colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Some masterpieces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

One city, two sites

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

A hall for the feasts

Some prestigious works

New roads for Catania

The Maiolica of the staircase

An eagle-shaped city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Many owners, one palace

A miniature city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Between white and black

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A symbol for the town

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The interior and its masterpieces

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The church of Carmine

The theatre of taste

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feast days

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Searching for colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A museum to save a tradition

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Wonderful quick decorations

A square as the heart of the city

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

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

The disastrous earthquake

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A prominent church

The internal colours

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A majestic and luminous church

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, three sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Discovering the mother church

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new site for a new city

A long reconstruction

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

The wall comes to life

The colours of the cathedral

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

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A colourful floor

Norman apses

From International Gothic to present day

Connections with other UNESCO sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A half-Baroque church