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 wall comes to life

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A colourful floor

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The theatre of taste

A new site for a new city

A feast only for Scicli

Norman apses

A miniature city

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A small room with a golden entrance

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Some masterpieces

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

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Prominent façade

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A hall for the feasts

From International Gothic to present day

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Discovering the mother church

The church of Carmine

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Searching for colour

The internal colours

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A triumph of colour

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

A long reconstruction

A majestic and luminous church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Two illustrious patron saints

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A city in colour

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, two sites

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

The disastrous earthquake

The interior and its masterpieces

Between white and black

The two churches

The Burgos crucifix

An eagle-shaped city

A prominent church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A new site for a new church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, three sites

A museum to save a tradition

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The chocolate of Modica

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A half-Baroque church

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

The Staircase of Angels

A talking palace

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The colours of the cathedral

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A symbol for the town

A square as the heart of the city

The city of museums

Some prestigious works

New roads for Catania

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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