sight

Stuccoes, floors and geometric decorations

The interior of the church is defined by numerous decorations featuring a geometric design. For example, the floor is made with two-tone tiles and is inscribed within the elliptical plan. The apsidal vault is decorated with small octagons, and the frescoes on the vault are divided by bands that ec...
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touch

Plaster and stone

The two materials that make up the façade of the Palazzo Beneventano have very different characteristics. Touch them and you will notice the smooth texture of the plaster used to cover the wall face, and the roughness of the stone. Thanks to the skill of the craftspeople, the stone takes on bol...
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sight

Light and shadow

The masks and balconies on the façade cast very deep and marked shadows on the smooth plaster, giving the palace an even more spectacular appearance, aimed at rousing amazement and wonder. If you look carefully at some of the expressive masks, their petrified screaming and violent looks carved in...
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taste

Teste di turco

Teste di turco (Turkish heads) are typical desserts from Scicli. These large cream puffs are filled with ricotta cheese or custard. The shape is reminiscent of the turban of the Saracens from which the Scicli people freed themselves in 1091, after a difficult battle that is remembered each year ...
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sight

Colourful lights

The interior of the church of San Giovanni Evangelista is a joy to behold. The perception of colours in the oval space is enhanced by the colourful lights coming from the upper windows at the base of the large vault. Visitors are enveloped by rich interior decorations including stuccoes, frescoe...
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sight

The Madonna Vasa

On the feast of the Madonna Vasa, the statue of the Madonna meets the statue of the Risen Christ at the foot of the steps of the Cathedral of San Pietro. On Easter, between sacred performances and music, a rather scenic and sacred moment is celebrated and enjoyed by the community....
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taste

Modica chocolate, a famous earthly pleasure

Located just a few metres from the church is the oldest chocolate shop on the island. The original chocolate recipe is from Aztec, the land of origin of cocoa beans, and was imported by the Spanish in the early 16th century. In Modica, the chocolate shop was opened in 1880 by Francesco Bonajuto an...
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touch

The tactile experience of materials

As you walk through the side naves of the church you will realise that the columns placed between the altars are made of different materials: some are marble, some are finished with stucco, some are fluted, some are smooth and some are Solomonic. The use of different materials and finishes not only...
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hearing

Melodies from the church

On a visit to the Cathedral of San Giorgio you can still appreciate the notes from the four keyboards, eighty stops and three thousand pipes of the monumental church organ designed by Casimiro Allieri, which still works today and is used for the most important liturgical celebrations. It is an instr...
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sight

Staircases and panoramas

The staircase of San Giorgio, besides being an important link between the upper and lower cities of Modica, is one of the best panoramic places where you can fully appreciate the city's urban structure. A scenographic point that establishes a visual union between the two ridges where the city stands...
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