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 Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The chocolate of Modica

Feast days

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

Prominent façade

An eagle-shaped city

Discovering the mother church

Two illustrious patron saints

A symbol for the town

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

New roads for Catania

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The colours of the cathedral

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A hall for the feasts

A talking palace

The interior and its masterpieces

Some masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

Between white and black

The internal colours

The disastrous earthquake

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The city of museums

The theatre of taste

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new site for a new city

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The two churches

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A museum to save a tradition

The Staircase of Angels

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A long reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A small room with a golden entrance

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A majestic and luminous church

Some prestigious works

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A square as the heart of the city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new site for a new church

Searching for colour

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The wall comes to life

A miniature city

Norman apses

A colourful floor

The Burgos crucifix

The Maiolica of the staircase

From International Gothic to present day

One city, two sites

A half-Baroque church

A triumph of colour

A prominent church

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The church of Carmine

Wonderful quick decorations

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

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

A feast only for Scicli

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church