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 senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The internal colours

Two illustrious patron saints

Searching for colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From International Gothic to present day

The disastrous earthquake

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Prominent façade

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The city of museums

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

Some masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

A symbol for the town

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The theatre of taste

A miniature city

A long reconstruction

The Staircase of Angels

A museum to save a tradition

A small room with a golden entrance

A colourful floor

Feasting in Palazzolo

A square as the heart of the city

A hall for the feasts

A prominent church

The Maiolica of the staircase

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

New roads for Catania

The church of Carmine

Some prestigious works

The two churches

Discovering the mother church

A talking palace

A new site for a new city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

A new site for a new church

The Burgos crucifix

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A majestic and luminous church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

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

A feast only for Scicli

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A city in colour

Norman apses

Between white and black

A triumph of colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Baroque town by the sea

A half-Baroque church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

An eagle-shaped city

Feast days

One city, two sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Wonderful quick decorations

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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