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 majestic and luminous church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A square as the heart of the city

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A hall for the feasts

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Wonderful quick decorations

The Burgos crucifix

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Norman apses

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The colours of the cathedral

The chocolate of Modica

A triumph of colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Some prestigious works

A new site for a new city

Some masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

Many owners, one palace

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A museum to save a tradition

Two illustrious patron saints

Feast days

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A prominent church

The city of museums

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

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A half-Baroque church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A long reconstruction

The internal colours

The two churches

New roads for Catania

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The interior and its masterpieces

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

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

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

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The church of Carmine

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The theatre of taste

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A feast only for Scicli

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Feasting in Palazzolo

Searching for colour

A new site for a new church

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A talking palace

A miniature city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, three sites

From International Gothic to present day

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

A colourful floor

An eagle-shaped city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A symbol for the town

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Staircase of Angels

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The disastrous earthquake

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A city in colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A small room with a golden entrance

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church