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.

Feasting in Palazzolo

The interior and its masterpieces

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A colourful floor

A small room with a golden entrance

Many owners, one palace

Some prestigious works

Between white and black

Feast days

A new site for a new city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Discovering the mother church

From International Gothic to present day

An eagle-shaped city

New roads for Catania

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The wall comes to life

A prominent church

One city, two sites

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A square as the heart of the city

The Baroque town by the sea

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The chocolate of Modica

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A half-Baroque church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Searching for colour

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Wonderful quick decorations

A triumph of colour

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

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

The colours of the cathedral

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Some masterpieces

A city in colour

The disastrous earthquake

The Staircase of Angels

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A feast only for Scicli

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Burgos crucifix

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Norman apses

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

One city, three sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The church of Carmine

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The two churches

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A hall for the feasts

A new site for a new church

A museum to save a tradition

The city of museums

A symbol for the town

The internal colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A long reconstruction

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A talking palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Prominent façade

A majestic and luminous church