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 cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

A new site for a new city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The internal colours

The Burgos crucifix

A square as the heart of the city

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Prominent façade

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

An eagle-shaped city

The Staircase of Angels

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Maiolica of the staircase

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Between white and black

A new site for a new church

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A colourful floor

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The interior and its masterpieces

One city, three sites

A long reconstruction

The church of Carmine

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The city of museums

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A majestic and luminous church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Discovering the mother church

The two churches

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A museum to save a tradition

From International Gothic to present day

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

A city in colour

New roads for Catania

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

A hall for the feasts

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Norman apses

A triumph of colour

A prominent church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A talking palace

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A symbol for the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A miniature city

A feast only for Scicli

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Many owners, one palace

A small room with a golden entrance

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

Some masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The theatre of taste

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

One city, two sites

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Baroque town by the sea

Wonderful quick decorations

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

Searching for colour