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.

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Some prestigious works

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The chocolate of Modica

A colourful floor

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A feast only for Scicli

A city in colour

The Burgos crucifix

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

A majestic and luminous church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Norman apses

A new site for a new church

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

An eagle-shaped city

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Wonderful quick decorations

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A small room with a golden entrance

Searching for colour

Feast days

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A square as the heart of the city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A talking palace

A long reconstruction

A prominent church

Discovering the mother church

The city of museums

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A miniature city

The Maiolica of the staircase

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The theatre of taste

The internal colours

A new site for a new city

Some masterpieces

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The disastrous earthquake

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Two illustrious patron saints

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A symbol for the town

Between white and black

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

New roads for Catania

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A triumph of colour

The colours of the cathedral

One city, two sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The church of Carmine

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The wall comes to life

A half-Baroque church

The Staircase of Angels

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A hall for the feasts

One city, three sites

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

From International Gothic to present day