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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hearing

The mermaids’ song and the instruments’ music

The characteristic corbels of these balconies feature depictions of mermaids, musicians and musical instruments, including maracas, a flute and a trumpet. Staring at us playfully from above, this small orchestra seems to draw our attention and invite us to enter the evocative building. ...
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touch

Pietra pece, a rock from Ragusa with multiple uses

Pietra pece is one of the most commonly used materials in the Hyblaean landscape. Also called bituminous rock, this stone takes on different shades of grey and brown and is characterised by veins and surface irregularities. Touching the stone is the best way to appreciate its nature....
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sight

Portals as front curtains

The entrance portal to the Palazzo della Cancelleria stands out from the façade, occupying a large part of it. It unravels like a front curtain, ready to welcome an equally admirable scene inside. It is animated by the mixtilinear trabeation that surmounts it....
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The limestone of the Gagini altarpiece

The Gagini altarpiece is made entirely of limestone, the most widespread stone in the territory of Ragusa and Modica, extracted from the Hyblaean quarries. Touching this work would allow us to understand the consistency of the soft limestone, which, thanks to the skilful work of the sculptors, beco...
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sight

The Feast of St. George

On the occasion of the feast of St. George, the Mother Church becomes even more lively and scenic thanks to festive decorations made with old red drapes and flower arrangements. During the feast the statue of St. George and the Holy Ark are taken out of the niches above the side doors and transport...
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hearing

The ancient depictions for San Giorgio

The scenic staircase of the church of San Giorgio hosted performances of plays about the patron saint until the 18th century. The stories performed on the staircase, used as an open-air stage, told of the chivalrous deeds of "Giorgio di Capocci" who freed the Queen of Berito from the Dragon, but th...
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sight

An asymmetrical element on the façade

As you look at the façade of the Church of San Francesco d’Assisi all’Immacolata, you will notice an interesting curved element similar to an apse that creates an asymmetric effect, the Chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento Ritrovato. The interior of the chapel is equally scenic, enriched by stu...
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Sandstone

Sandstone, also called pietra pece because of its shades of very dark grey, is a very ancient sedimentary rock. It dates back to the Cenozoic Era, which ranges from 65 million to around 2 million years ago. The colour of this sedimentary rock is given by the percentage of bitumen varying from 4% to...
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