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.

Connections with other UNESCO sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

From International Gothic to present day

A small room with a golden entrance

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A square as the heart of the city

Prominent façade

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

An eagle-shaped city

A new site for a new church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The church of Carmine

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Discovering the mother church

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

Between white and black

The colours of the cathedral

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

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

A majestic and luminous church

Some masterpieces

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

A long reconstruction

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

Some prestigious works

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The two churches

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Wonderful quick decorations

Many owners, one palace

One city, three sites

A colourful floor

The Maiolica of the staircase

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Staircase of Angels

A feast only for Scicli

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A museum to save a tradition

Norman apses

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A triumph of colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The theatre of taste

A talking palace

The Burgos crucifix

A half-Baroque church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A miniature city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Searching for colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

A hall for the feasts

A new site for a new city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The chocolate of Modica

A prominent church

A symbol for the town

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The internal colours

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The wall comes to life

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Baroque town by the sea

The disastrous earthquake

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Two illustrious patron saints

The interior and its masterpieces

A city in colour

New roads for Catania

A Nobel Prize in Modica