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.

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Some prestigious works

A hall for the feasts

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

Many owners, one palace

Feast days

A symbol for the town

A small room with a golden entrance

The disastrous earthquake

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

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

Wonderful quick decorations

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

An eagle-shaped city

The church of Carmine

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The Burgos crucifix

One city, three sites

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A triumph of colour

A square as the heart of the city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Searching for colour

A new site for a new church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A long reconstruction

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

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

Discovering the mother church

From International Gothic to present day

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A feast only for Scicli

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

Prominent façade

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The two churches

The colours of the cathedral

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The wall comes to life

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

New roads for Catania

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A prominent church

Norman apses

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The theatre of taste

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A half-Baroque church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A talking palace

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A museum to save a tradition

A colourful floor

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A miniature city

One city, two sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Staircase of Angels

Two illustrious patron saints

The city of museums