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 Santa Maria del Carmelo

Feast days

Between white and black

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A hall for the feasts

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The two churches

Searching for colour

The chocolate of Modica

A miniature city

A symbol for the town

A long reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The theatre of taste

One city, three sites

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

A square as the heart of the city

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The colours of the cathedral

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The church of Carmine

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A museum to save a tradition

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A triumph of colour

A colourful floor

The wall comes to life

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A feast only for Scicli

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A half-Baroque church

The Baroque town by the sea

A prominent church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Staircase of Angels

A new site for a new city

Prominent façade

Wonderful quick decorations

A majestic and luminous church

A city in colour

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Many owners, one palace

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The internal colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new site for a new church

The Burgos crucifix

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Norman apses

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

An eagle-shaped city

Some masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Two illustrious patron saints

The interior and its masterpieces

Limestone, the colour of harmony

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The city of museums

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Some prestigious works

Discovering the mother church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From International Gothic to present day

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

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A talking palace

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara