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 Baroque town by the sea

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Maiolica of the staircase

Two illustrious patron saints

A square as the heart of the city

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A small room with a golden entrance

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A majestic and luminous church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A city in colour

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

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

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

A museum to save a tradition

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new site for a new church

A prominent church

The chocolate of Modica

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Staircase of Angels

A feast only for Scicli

A talking palace

Feast days

Discovering the mother church

Wonderful quick decorations

Some prestigious works

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Prominent façade

The wall comes to life

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

Norman apses

The colours of the cathedral

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

New roads for Catania

Some masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Burgos crucifix

A long reconstruction

The disastrous earthquake

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

The internal colours

A new site for a new city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A half-Baroque church

A miniature city

A symbol for the town

Searching for colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A triumph of colour

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Between white and black

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The theatre of taste

A colourful floor

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

From International Gothic to present day

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Many owners, one palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

An eagle-shaped city

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

One city, two sites

One city, three sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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