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.

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Discovering the mother church

A majestic and luminous church

A feast only for Scicli

A museum to save a tradition

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A hall for the feasts

The Burgos crucifix

The theatre of taste

The Baroque town by the sea

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A long reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

An eagle-shaped city

New roads for Catania

A new site for a new city

The city of museums

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new site for a new church

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

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The internal colours

Norman apses

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A colourful floor

Limestone, the colour of harmony

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The interior and its masterpieces

Feast days

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

A half-Baroque church

One city, two sites

The two churches

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A city in colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A miniature city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Staircase of Angels

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

The colours of the cathedral

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

Two illustrious patron saints

Between white and black

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, three sites

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Some prestigious works

Some masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

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

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

Searching for colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Wonderful quick decorations

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Maiolica of the staircase

The disastrous earthquake

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Prominent façade

A prominent church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The chocolate of Modica

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The church of Carmine