Modica - Modica

Modica (Die in Sicilian) is a city of Sicily.

To know

Modica is one of the eight late Baroque towns of the Val di Noto world heritage ofUNESCO since 2002. The writer of ComisoGesualdo Bufalino described it in the novel Argo the blind like a split pomegranate, perhaps the best way to picture it in the mind of someone who has never seen it:

«... a town in the shape of a split pomegranate; near the sea but rural; half confined to a spur of rock, half scattered at his feet; with many stairs between the two halves, to act as peacemakers, and clouds in the sky from one bell tower to another, breathless like relay races of the Cavalleggeri del Re ... "

Modica is the birthplace of the Nobel Prize-winning poet of literature Salvatore Quasimodo which saw the light in a house in low Modica in 1901.

Geographical notes

The city of Modica is located on the southern slopes of the Iblei Mountains. It's divided in two parts: Modica Alta, taller and older, perched on the top of the Iblei mountains southerners. Modica Bassa it is built further down the slopes and in the valley below.

When to go

Modica can be visited all year round. In summer the temperatures can be quite high while in the middle of winter there may be occasional snowfalls.

Background

The region was inhabited in prehistoric times by the Sicilians of which the typical tombs carved into the rock remain visible.

After a period under Byzantine rule, the first evidence of Christian culture can be found, among other things, in the nearby Cava d'Ispica, after Modica it underwent the Arab domination. With the entry of the Normans after 1090 under Ruggero I de Hauteville, the city of Modica became a fief. Around 1270, the regency passed to the house of Anjou, after the battles of the Sicilian Vespers to the Lords of Aragon, and in 1296 it was declared a county. For years, the counts of Chiaramonte had dominated the richest and most powerful county in southern Sicily. They were replaced by Count Bernardo Cabrera who took over with the support of the Catalan royal family, after the last Count of Chiaramonte was beheaded on charges of high treason.

A severe blow to the thriving city were the earthquakes of 1542 and 1613, and the severe earthquake of 1693, which led to the reconstruction in the Baroque style.

In 1860 Modica was part of the newborn Italian nation.

The broad main boulevard of the lower city was a river, but after a disastrous flood in 1902 it was diverted and the pretty boulevard was developed.

How to orient yourself

The most important distinction for this city is between upper and lower Modica. The distinction is quite simple because the "lower" part is located in the basin of a former river and along the walls the houses develop up to the plateau above, identified as the "upper" part.

Fractions

• 36.9195714.824161 Frigintini - Rural hamlet of the plateau, 11 km from the historic center.
• 36.78768814.8040462 Zappulla - Rural hamlet, halfway between the center and the seaside village of Marina di Modica.
• 36.85233914.837563 Cava d'Ispica - In addition to being an archaeological site, it is a rural district halfway between Modica and Rosolini.
• 36.71361214.7790724 Marina of Modica - Hamlet and seaside resort, about 20 km from the historic center of Modica.
• 36.71442814.7583815 Pisciotto - Coastal district located halfway between the hamlet of Sampieri of the Municipality of Scicli, and Marina di Modica.
• 36.71697614.810626 Maganuco - Fraction and seaside resort, in strong development and expansion, halfway between Pozzallo and Marina di Modica.

Neighborhoods

The city is divided into multiple districts

How to get

By plane

• Comiso Airport (Pio La Torre Airport, IATA: CIY) (44 km from Modica), ☎ 39 0932 961467, @[email protected]. Airport opened in 2007. There are daily flights to Milan, and others for Rome FCO, London Stansted, Dublin, Dusseldorf is Frankfurt.  
• Catania airport (Catania Fontanarossa Airport "Vincenzo Bellini". IATA: CTA), Via Fontanarossa, 20, Fontanarossa (120 km from Modica.), ☎ 39 0957239111. 00:00-24:00. Catania Fontanarossa is further away, but has a bus service from Modica, and a wider range of domestic and European flights.  

By car

• From Catania, take the and turn to Lentini for the . From there follow the signs for Ragusa on .
• From Syracuse, take the highway and then the .
• From Agrigento is Gela, follow the .

On the train

• 36.85314.75417 Modica station (The station is located at the south end of the city, a short walk takes you to the lower city.). Modica is located on a non-electrified and low traffic branch, the station is small and without services. Six trains a day from Monday to Saturday go to Gela (80 minutes to 2 hours, stops include Ragusa is Donnafugata) or Syracuse (90 minutes, stops include Scicli, Pozzallo, Ispica is Known). From Gela there are connections with Palermo, and from Syracuse to Catania is Messina. There are no trains on Sunday.

Traveling by train is certainly more inconvenient than the bus but still retains its charm. To be evaluated according to the trains and times available.  

By bus

• 36.86714114.7567258 Bus stop. AST operates buses to Syracuse, Catania, Palermo, Ragusa, Pozzallo and Noto. It's just a bus stop on the edge of town, but there's a bar and a small supermarket here. 

How to get around

Surely the best way to get around Modica is to walk, but you must also consider the fact that you have to face many climbs and get to Modica Alta could be tiring.

By public transport

Relying on public transport is a question because there is never certainty that the urban bus passes on time, if not that it does not pass at all.

By car

Modica can be a problematic city for getting around by car. At peak times, the main street is very crowded and finding a seat is almost impossible. Even in the streets leading to Modica Alta the situation does not improve, since the streets are narrow and there are very few parking spaces. However, it is possible to identify some parking lots that allow you not to have to walk a long way between the two Modiche.

What see

Modica Alta

• 36.8640914.761671 Cathedral of San Giorgio, Corso S. Giorgio, ☎ 39 0932 941279. The great Baroque cathedral, rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693, is dedicated to San Giorgio. Located at the top of a splendid staircase, the church is visible from many parts of the city. Inside you can admire a splendid example of a sundial with a sundial running diagonally along the nave of the church. Don't miss the chance to see the ray of sunshine indicating local time.  

• 36.86180614.7616842 Modica Castle (Castle of the Counts), via Catena (From Corso Crispi turn into via Catena). A former residence of the Counts of Modica. The castle dates back to the 13th century. Reopened at the end of 2017 after years of restoration. Inside there are the rooms without furniture, and the various outdoor areas from which you can enjoy a splendid view of the city. In the lower part there are also some caves and in one of them a secret passage. From low Modica stands the imposing clock.  

• 36.87212914.7586213 Church of Santa Maria del Gesù, Piazza del Gesù. 3€. This 15th-century late Gothic church also has a convent with a splendid cloister. The complex has been closed for centuries and recently reopened after a long restoration.  
• 36.86375114.7622134 Palazzo Napolino-Tommasi Rosso, Corso Francesco Crispi, 38 (Behind the Cathedral of San Giorgio and near the entrance to the Castello dei Conti). This building is among the most significant examples of the late Baroque architecture of Modica. Its construction dates back to the second half of the 18th century. Its façade includes a beautiful entrance portal, whose columns on the sides let down elegant curtains carved in stone, and emerging from the mouth of two lions. The portal is surmounted by an elegant wrought iron balcony, supported by corbels decorated with masks. Two other balconies are placed symmetrically on the sides of the central one. It was built by the Lorefice family, then passed to the Napolins and finally to the Tommasi Rosso, for this reason it includes several names. 

• 36.86424714.7613685 Polara Palace, Via Polara, 91 (Next to the Cathedral of Modica). Palazzo Polara, is a late Baroque style construction of the seventeenth century, introduced by an elegant staircase. On the entrance pediment the family coat of arms with the North Star stands out. 

• 36.86817914.7602956 Church of San Giovanni Evangelista, Piazza S. Giovanni. The church has a facade rebuilt after 1839, and completed between 1893 and 1901. The place of worship has been on this site since 1150 (Pope Eugene III's bull). The last church was destroyed in the earthquake of 1693 and rebuilt much later, that is the current one.  
• 36.86504614.7632087 Church of Santa Teresa d'Avila, Corso Santa Teresa. 

Low Modica

• 36.86071414.7607258 Cathedral of San Pietro, Corso Umberto I, 159A, ☎ 39 0932 941074. This church too has undergone various hardships linked to the many earthquakes that have changed its structure. What you see is the baroque church from 1780 with a beautiful staircase on which the statues of various saints stand out.  
• 36.85476714.7585889 ^{[link previously not working]}Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie, Str. Mercè, 531. It is a seventeenth-century church located in the lower part of Modica. The construction of the sanctuary was decided following the discovery on site of a slate tablet depicting the Madonna with the Child in her arms; the narration reports that the tablet burned incessantly for three days, inside a bush of brambles, without being consumed, for which a miracle was shouted and for this reason the sanctuary was then erected.  

• 36.86048414.76242310 Church of Santa Maria di Betlem, Via Marchesa Tedeschi, 1, ☎ 39 0932 941470. In this church, rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693, there is a late Gothic chapel, the Palatine Chapel or Cabrera Chapel (1474-1520). The arched entrance to the chapel is richly decorated in the Chiaramontano Gothic style with elements of Arab, Norman and Catalan influence. It is considered one of the most beautiful monuments that architecture has produced in Sicily between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. In the church there is also a Monumental Nativity Scene (1881/82), with 62 terracotta statuettes made in Caltagirone.  

• 36.85744514.76125411 Church of the Carmine, Giacomo Matteotti Square, 4. This church of the fifteenth century managed to survive various earthquakes including that of 1693. A Chiaramontano Gothic style is reported as well as a sculptural group of the Annunciation by Antonello Gagini of interest inside.  

• 36.86006814.7607312 Rock church of San Nicolò Inferiore, Piazzetta Grimaldi. €2. Tue-Sun 10: 00-13: 00 16: 00-19: 00. This church was carved into the rock and was only discovered in 1987. It is famous for the rare late Byzantine style bare rock frescoes dating from the 12th to 16th centuries. Subsequent excavations have unearthed other crypts and tombs. 
• 36.8605214.76163313 Birthplace of Salvatore Quasimodo, Via Posterla, 781, ☎ 39 331 587 6218. 10:00-20:00. During the visit some of the objects used by the poet and the recording of his voice are visible. 
• 36.8580914.7603214 De Leva portal, Via De Leva, 8-24. The portal of Palazzo De Leva is a fine example of the Chiaramonte Gothic style dated to the 14th century. The portal was probably an entrance to the church which was destroyed by an earthquake. It was later incorporated into the palace. 
• 36.85975514.76059315 Grimaldi Palace, Corso Umberto I, 106. An interesting example of a Neo-Renaissance building. It now belongs to the Grimaldi Foundation which has opened a picture gallery and a gallery. 

• 36.86206414.76049416 Palace of Studies (former Convent of the Jesuit Fathers), Corso Umberto I, 178. The Palazzo degli Studi (1610 - 1630) was actually the convent of the Jesuits, who made it a college for the offspring of the aristocracy of Modica. The College was annexed to the church of SS. Gesù e Maria, or the Collegio, whose baroque façade was rebuilt in 1714 on a project by Rosario Gagliardi, while the convent, resisting the earthquake of 1693, determined the choice of the Jesuits and the people of Modica not to move the city to the neighboring highlands. Now it houses, maintaining the tradition of use, a Liceo Classico. 
• 36.85993114.76014317 Palace of Culture (former. Benedictine Monastery), Corso Umberto I, 149. 2€. Winter: Tue-Sun 09.00-13.00 15.30-19.30; Summer: Tue-Sun 10.00–13.00 17.00–20.00. Built in the 16th-19th centuries, it currently houses the Civic Museum with archaeological finds. 

• 36.85895214.7611418 San Domenico Palace (city ​​Hall). The current seat of the town hall is a former Dominican convent and former seat of the Spanish Inquisition in Sicily. In the hall, there is a 17th-century entrance into an underground crypt, discovered in the mid-20th century, containing the bones of some friars. Traces of frescoes can be seen on the walls. Adjacent to the "palace" there is the "Church of San Domenico". 

• 36.85942514.76116219 Salemi Palace, Piazza Principe di Napoli, 3 (In front of the Town Hall). Built between 1631-1640. This building was the former "Town Hall". On the ground floor it has a portico with six arches, surmounted on the upper floor by a long continuous balcony. 

• 36.86307714.75969720 Rubino-Trombadore Palace, Corso Umberto I. Palace built between the end of the eighteenth century and the early nineteenth century. The façade is late Baroque, with masks and decorations that testify to the persistence of the Rococo taste in the middle of the nineteenth century. 
• 36.85443714.75787321 Mercedari Palace (ex Convent of the Mercedari Fathers), Via Merce ', @[email protected]. Mon-Sun 10: 00-13: 00 16: 00-19: 00. Today it houses the Municipal Library and the Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions. 
• 36.8616414.7601722 Church of Santa Maria del Soccorso, Corso Umberto I.  
• 36.8591414.7613923 Church of San Domenico, Via S. Domenico.  
• 36.86099514.7599824 Tommasi Rosso Tedeschi Palace, Corso Umberto I, 146. 
• Cannizzaro Palace. 
• Manenti Palace. 

Events and parties

• Our Lady Vasa-Vasa. Easter morning. The festival dates back to at least 1645 and represents the meeting between the Madonna and the Risen Christ. 
• Feast of St. George. April 23. The simulacrum of the saint killing the dragon is carried on his shoulders along the entire historic center of the city, first in Modica Alta, then in Modica Bassa, starting from the early afternoon, and ending with the festive tours inside the Cathedral from 11 pm : 00 approximately. 

What to do

Admire the panorama of the city from different points. The privileged hours are those of sunset when the color of the stone of the buildings of Modica stands out and the first lights illuminate the city like a nativity scene. There are some suggested points:

• 36.86661514.7597761 Pizzo Belvedere (not far from the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista). You can admire the same panorama of the main image of Modica in this article. With a view, therefore, from the side of the cathedral. 
• 36.86359114.7576152 Front panorama, Via S. Benedetto da Norcia (Exit Modica passing the station and then take the road that leads to the nearby mountain.). From this position you can clearly see the two Modiche and embrace almost the whole city. 
• 36.86399614.7612663 Panorama from the steps of the cathedral of San Giorgio. From this point you can admire a minority portion of the city. 

Shopping

In Modica the Modica chocolate, you will find it for sale everywhere. The peculiarity of this chocolate consists in its processing according to an ancient Inca method that makes it different from common chocolate. The flavor is grainy and is often prepared with multiple variations such as citrus or fruit.

• 36.86376714.7596751 Antica Dolceria Rizza, Corso Umberto I, 268, ☎ 39 0932 943868. Sale of local products including Modica chocolate. 

• 36.83213814.7900342 La Fortezza Shopping Center, Via Nazionale Modica Ispica, ☎ 39 0932 187 4142. Mon-Sat 9: 30-23: 00, Sun 10: 00-23: 00. A large commercial counter with several shops. 

How to have fun

Shows

• 36.86231714.7597391 Garibaldi Theater, Corso Umberto I, 207, ☎ 39 0932 946991, @[email protected]. The theater offers an interesting season of performances. 

Where to eat

Moderate prices

• 36.86012214.7596331 Antica Dolceria Bonajuto, Corso Umberto I, 159, ☎ 39 0932 941 225. 09:00-20:30. A patisserie famous for their Modica chocolate. They also sell their products in other stores in nearby towns, including Ragusa. You will notice, upon entering all the special mentions on the most important newspapers in the world, even the Japan! 
• 36.86185414.7600242 Putia Del Coppo Street Food, Corso Umberto I, 197, ☎ 39 339 489 5672. Tue-Sun 12: 30-15: 30 and 19: 30-24: 00. 
• 36.85980314.7616793 Adam coffee, Via Marchesa Tedeschi, 17, ☎ 39 0932 197 2546. Mon-Sun 05: 00-24: 00. 
• 36.91510614.8198094 Sweet Art, Via Sant'Angelo, 30/4, Frigintini, ☎ 39 0932 908173. Tue-Sun 6: 00-21: 30, Mon 6: 00-13: 30. Bar, well-stocked and elegant pastry shop, just outside Frigintini. 

Average prices

• 36.8687514.7625375 Trattoria Taverna Nicastro, Via S Antonino 30, ☎ 39 0932 945 884. Tue-Sat 19: 00-22: 00. Traditional Sicilian cuisine. 
• 36.86677914.7621526 Sips and Bites, Via Guglielmo Marconi, n 13 (Modica Alta), ☎ 39 375 637 0761. Thu-Mar 19: 30-24: 00. This restaurant and pizzeria offers local dishes with excellent quality of ingredients. 
• 36.85655114.7599637 Egopizza, Via Santa Elisabetta, 7, ☎ 39 0932 763166. Mon-Sun 17: 00-24: 00. Pizzeria with an excellent selection of pizzas and the possibility of choosing wholemeal and timilia grains 

Where stay

High prices

• 36.85953414.7604971 Hotel Grana Barocco, Corso Umberto I, 133, ☎ 39 0932 754704. € 87 (Sep 2018). 

Safety

• 36.83969414.7657999 Major Hospital of Modica, Via Partisan Resistance, ☎ 39 0932 448111. 
• 36.86147914.76285110 Iaconinoto Pharmacy, Strada Giarratana, 16, ☎ 39 0932 943746. 

How to keep in touch

Keep informed

• Ragusa newspaper
• Ragusa news
• 0932.it - Events in the city

Around

• 36.88202814.56405611 Donnafugata Castle, Contrada Donnafugata (At 400 meters there is the train station that allows you to reach the site also from Modica or Ragusa. By bus through the Tumino company, timetables are available here. By car there is also a paid parking in front of the entrance.), ☎ 39 0932 619333, @[email protected]. € 6 full, € 3 reduced. Tue-Sun 9: 00-13: 00 and 14: 00-17: 00 (in summer the opening hours are extended). Improperly defined as a castle, this nineteenth-century building is actually a sumptuous residence that belonged to the rich family of Arezzo De Spuches. The interiors are well decorated and furnished and best reconstruct the atmosphere of the Sicilian nobility whose reference to the "Leopard" seems inevitable. Outside you can also visit the garden with a masonry labyrinth. Donnafugata Castle has often been used as a film set for both the Inspector Montalbano series and other films and is certainly one of the attractions not to be missed.  

• 36.94447914.83952812 Quarry of the servants (From take one 36.9484214.8391613 Dead-end road and follow it to the end.). This splendid natural canyon was carved out by the erosion of the Tellesimo stream which in its course creates pools of water and luxuriant vegetation. The quarry is easily accessible, however the exploration path is short due to the lack of marked paths that are lost in the dense vegetation. However, there are non-drinking fountains and some picnic tables. Next to the point of arrival, on the hill there is a rare (for Sicily) 36.9467314.8380425 semicircular dolmen datable between 2200 and 1600 BC  
• Necropolis of Bellamagna.  
• Ragusa
• Syracuse
• Known
• Scicli
• Cava d'Ispica

Itineraries

• Inspector Montalbano's itinerary - The whole area of ​​the Ragusano, including Modica, are the location for the episodes of the Inspector Montalbano.

Useful information

• 36.85969914.76028714 Tourism Office (Palace of Culture), Corso Umberto I, 141, ☎ 39 346 65 58 227, @[email protected]. Mon-Fri 08: 00-13: 30 and 15: 30-19: 00, Sat 09: 00-13: 00 and 15: 30-19: 00. 

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Modica
• Commons contains images or other files on Modica
• Wikiquote contains quotes from or about Modica

Usable : the article respects the characteristics of a draft but in addition it contains enough information to allow a short visit to the city. Use i correctly listing (the right type in the right sections).