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.

A prominent church

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

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A museum to save a tradition

Norman apses

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A miniature city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A long reconstruction

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

One city, three sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Two illustrious patron saints

The theatre of taste

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Between white and black

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The church of Carmine

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A feast only for Scicli

A colourful floor

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The two churches

A small room with a golden entrance

One city, two sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From International Gothic to present day

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The internal colours

Many owners, one palace

The chocolate of Modica

Searching for colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Prominent façade

A new site for a new church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A triumph of colour

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

A majestic and luminous church

An eagle-shaped city

A half-Baroque church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Maiolica of the staircase

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Staircase of Angels

Discovering the mother church

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

New roads for Catania

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The city of museums

Feast days

The Baroque town by the sea

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A talking palace

The Burgos crucifix

A hall for the feasts

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

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

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

The wall comes to life

The colours of the cathedral

Some masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The interior and its masterpieces

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A city in colour