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 Chiara

A symbol for the town

A triumph of colour

The disastrous earthquake

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A talking palace

A long reconstruction

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

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

A new site for a new church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Searching for colour

A small room with a golden entrance

The wall comes to life

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Prominent façade

The colours of the cathedral

A hall for the feasts

Between white and black

Discovering the mother church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A majestic and luminous church

A museum to save a tradition

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

Two illustrious patron saints

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The chocolate of Modica

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Connections with other UNESCO sites

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

From International Gothic to present day

An eagle-shaped city

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, two sites

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A colourful floor

Norman apses

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A miniature city

The internal colours

A prominent church

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Many owners, one palace

The city of museums

The church of Carmine

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Some masterpieces

A square as the heart of the city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A city in colour

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Staircase of Angels

The Burgos crucifix

One city, three sites

The theatre of taste

Wonderful quick decorations

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Feast days

A feast only for Scicli

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

A Nobel Prize in Modica