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 senses tell the story of the church of San Giovanni Battista

From International Gothic to present day

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The theatre of taste

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A long reconstruction

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

A hall for the feasts

Two illustrious patron saints

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The city of museums

Wonderful quick decorations

A half-Baroque church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A majestic and luminous church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Many owners, one palace

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Searching for colour

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

The chocolate of Modica

The wall comes to life

The two churches

The internal colours

A prominent church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The church of Carmine

Discovering the mother church

A new site for a new church

The Staircase of Angels

A square as the heart of the city

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

One city, two sites

The disastrous earthquake

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A miniature city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A triumph of colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Between white and black

A colourful floor

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A city in colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

A new site for a new city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Burgos crucifix

Norman apses

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The interior and its masterpieces

A small room with a golden entrance

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Maiolica of the staircase

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Feast days

One city, three sites

New roads for Catania

Some prestigious works

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Prominent façade

Some masterpieces

Feasting in Palazzolo