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.

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A feast only for Scicli

A museum to save a tradition

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new site for a new city

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The Burgos crucifix

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A long reconstruction

New roads for Catania

A prominent church

A talking palace

Norman apses

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

From International Gothic to present day

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A square as the heart of the city

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

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Maiolica of the staircase

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Searching for colour

A symbol for the town

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Baroque town by the sea

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The chocolate of Modica

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

The colours of the cathedral

An eagle-shaped city

A hall for the feasts

Many owners, one palace

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A colourful floor

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A miniature city

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

Discovering the mother church

The internal colours

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The theatre of taste

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

Some prestigious works

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A city in colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

One city, two sites

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The disastrous earthquake

Prominent façade

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feast days

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The wall comes to life

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The church of Carmine

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

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new site for a new church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A small room with a golden entrance

Feasting in Palazzolo

The two churches

A half-Baroque church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A triumph of colour

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Two illustrious patron saints

Some masterpieces

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso