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 Maiolica of the staircase

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A city in colour

The wall comes to life

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From International Gothic to present day

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Feast days

A square as the heart of the city

A new site for a new church

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

The colours of the cathedral

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A small room with a golden entrance

The theatre of taste

A prominent church

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

A hall for the feasts

A long reconstruction

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The internal colours

One city, two sites

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Between white and black

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Searching for colour

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The church of Carmine

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Staircase of Angels

The Baroque town by the sea

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, three sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A museum to save a tradition

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

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

A new site for a new city

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

A half-Baroque church

Feasting in Palazzolo

The chocolate of Modica

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Norman apses

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Two illustrious patron saints

New roads for Catania

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The two churches

The disastrous earthquake

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A colourful floor

Wonderful quick decorations

Prominent façade

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The city of museums

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Some prestigious works

A talking palace

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Many owners, one palace

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

An eagle-shaped city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Discovering the mother church

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Some masterpieces

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A miniature city

A majestic and luminous church