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.

Some masterpieces

The church of Carmine

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A symbol for the town

A colourful floor

A new site for a new church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Prominent façade

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From International Gothic to present day

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

A hall for the feasts

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A square as the heart of the city

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A feast only for Scicli

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

The theatre of taste

A prominent church

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A miniature city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Many owners, one palace

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A majestic and luminous church

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Maiolica of the staircase

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A half-Baroque church

New roads for Catania

Between white and black

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Searching for colour

The chocolate of Modica

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The internal colours

A small room with a golden entrance

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new site for a new city

The two churches

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Norman apses

A long reconstruction

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Burgos crucifix

An eagle-shaped city

The city of museums

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Feasting in Palazzolo

Some prestigious works

The Staircase of Angels

One city, three sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The disastrous earthquake

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Discovering the mother church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Feast days

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The colours of the cathedral

The interior and its masterpieces

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A city in colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The wall comes to life