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.

Many owners, one palace

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

One city, two sites

A miniature city

The city of museums

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A prominent church

One city, three sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Maiolica of the staircase

Feast days

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Staircase of Angels

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Between white and black

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Burgos crucifix

A long reconstruction

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

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Modica, a city with ancient origins

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new site for a new church

Searching for colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Wonderful quick decorations

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Some masterpieces

A new site for a new city

The internal colours

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From International Gothic to present day

New roads for Catania

A square as the heart of the city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

A majestic and luminous church

The theatre of taste

Discovering the mother church

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

A talking palace

The two churches

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The disastrous earthquake

The church of Carmine

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The chocolate of Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A feast only for Scicli

A half-Baroque church

The wall comes to life

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A triumph of colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A hall for the feasts

An eagle-shaped city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The colours of the cathedral

A city in colour

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

Some prestigious works

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

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

A colourful floor