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.

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The theatre of taste

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Wonderful quick decorations

Discovering the mother church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Searching for colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

Feast days

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The wall comes to life

Some prestigious works

The church of Carmine

The disastrous earthquake

The interior and its masterpieces

A majestic and luminous church

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A prominent church

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Maiolica of the staircase

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The internal colours

New roads for Catania

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A feast only for Scicli

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A city in colour

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

One city, three sites

A half-Baroque church

The chocolate of Modica

A symbol for the town

The Staircase of Angels

An eagle-shaped city

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new site for a new city

A square as the heart of the city

The two churches

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Burgos crucifix

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

Many owners, one palace

Norman apses

From International Gothic to present day

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A talking palace

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A hall for the feasts

Between white and black

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A museum to save a tradition

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

A triumph of colour

Some masterpieces

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras