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 Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Between white and black

One city, three sites

The disastrous earthquake

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Many owners, one palace

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Prominent façade

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A half-Baroque church

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

The theatre of taste

The Burgos crucifix

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A city in colour

One city, two sites

A symbol for the town

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A feast only for Scicli

A miniature city

Norman apses

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Discovering the mother church

A small room with a golden entrance

A majestic and luminous church

A triumph of colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

A talking palace

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

A new site for a new church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A colourful floor

A hall for the feasts

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The church of Carmine

Feast days

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

A long reconstruction

An eagle-shaped city

The Maiolica of the staircase

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The two churches

Two illustrious patron saints

A museum to save a tradition

Searching for colour

The wall comes to life

New roads for Catania

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feasting in Palazzolo

The chocolate of Modica

Wonderful quick decorations

A square as the heart of the city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new city

A prominent church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Baroque town by the sea

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Some prestigious works

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some masterpieces

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public