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.

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A new site for a new church

The wall comes to life

The two churches

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

New roads for Catania

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new site for a new city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A hall for the feasts

Between white and black

A colourful floor

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A long reconstruction

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The chocolate of Modica

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A talking palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

Norman apses

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

From International Gothic to present day

A triumph of colour

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

A symbol for the town

Two illustrious patron saints

Some prestigious works

A half-Baroque church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A feast only for Scicli

The city of museums

A miniature city

Searching for colour

Discovering the mother church

The church of Carmine

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A museum to save a tradition

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The interior and its masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Wonderful quick decorations

Some masterpieces

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The colours of the cathedral

Prominent façade

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The theatre of taste

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Burgos crucifix

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

One city, two sites

A city in colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The internal colours

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

An eagle-shaped city

A prominent church

The disastrous earthquake

Feast days

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers