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 Barresi-Branciforte lords

New roads for Catania

The theatre of taste

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A feast only for Scicli

Wonderful quick decorations

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The internal colours

The two churches

The colours of the cathedral

The church of Carmine

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

A long reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The wall comes to life

A miniature city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new site for a new city

A prominent church

A hall for the feasts

Searching for colour

A symbol for the town

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

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

Some masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Between white and black

The Maiolica of the staircase

A square as the heart of the city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Some prestigious works

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

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

A new site for a new church

Feast days

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A city in colour

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Norman apses

A half-Baroque church

From International Gothic to present day

Discovering the mother church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

A colourful floor

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

One city, two sites

A triumph of colour

The disastrous earthquake

A majestic and luminous church

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

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Burgos crucifix

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

An eagle-shaped city

The chocolate of Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The city of museums

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

Prominent façade

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, three sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The interior and its masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Two illustrious patron saints

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Many owners, one palace

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction