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 internal colours

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The interior and its masterpieces

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The wall comes to life

One city, three sites

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A talking palace

From International Gothic to present day

The Staircase of Angels

Norman apses

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

A triumph of colour

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

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

One city, two sites

Between white and black

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A museum to save a tradition

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

The church of Carmine

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A feast only for Scicli

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

A city in colour

A half-Baroque church

A hall for the feasts

The Burgos crucifix

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new city

Some masterpieces

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Prominent façade

The disastrous earthquake

New roads for Catania

An eagle-shaped city

The two churches

Searching for colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Baroque town by the sea

The chocolate of Modica

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A miniature city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A long reconstruction

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A majestic and luminous church

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

The theatre of taste

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Discovering the mother church

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Wonderful quick decorations

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

The city of museums

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new site for a new church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feast days

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

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Many owners, one palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A prominent church