Photo Vincent et Catherine, CC BY-SA 3.0
Ragusa · Sicily
Things to see in Modica
In Modica the atlas lists 39 historic places: 15 archaeological sites, 11 historic villas and palaces, 7 museums, 4 castles, 1 abbey or monastery and 1 historic theatre.
Of these, 9 list opening hours.
Don’t miss: Castle of Modica, castle in Modica, Italy.
- 39historic places
- 53,503inhabitants
- 296 maltitude
The town
Modica is a town in the province of Ragusa in Sicily, with a population of about 55,000.
Modica is one of the eight "Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto" UNESCO world heritage sites. It's in two parts: Modica Alta, higher and older, is perched on top of the southern Ibeli hill. Modica Bassa is built lower down the slopes and in the valley below. Like the other nearby towns, Modica was smashed in the earthquake of 1693, and rebuilt in baroque style. The broad main avenue of the lower town used to be the river, but after a disastrous flood in 1902 it was diverted, and the graceful boulevard was developed.
Ufficio Turistico, Corso Umberto I, 141 (Palazzo della Cultura), ☏ +39 346 65 58 227, Mon-Fri 08:00–13:30 15:30–19:00, Sat 09:00–13:00 15:30–19:00.
Text from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA, abridged · Wikivoyage
39 places
Archaeological sites 15
Villas and palaces 11
Museums 7
Castles 4
Abbeys and monasteries 1
Historic theatres 1
Getting there
By plane: The closest airport is Comiso. It's 18 km north of Ragusa, with no public transport link. There are daily flights to Milan, and others to Rome FCO, London Stansted, Dublin, Dusseldorf and Frankfurt.
Catania Fontanarossa is further but has a bus service from Modica, and a greater range of domestic and European flights.
Palermo has a similar range of flights to Catania.
By train: Modica is on a branch line, plied by a lumbering single-coach railcar. Six trains a day M-Sa go north to Gela (80 min to 2 hrs, stops include Ragusa and Donnafugata) and south to Syracuse (90 min, stops include Scicli, Pozzallo, Ispica and Noto). From Gela there are connections to Palermo, and from Syracuse to Catania and Messina. No trains on Sunday.
Stazione di Modica. The station is at the south end of town, a short walk brings you into Lower Town. It's just a platform halt with no facilities.
By bus: Terminal Bus (Intercity bus stop). AST run buses to Syracuse, Catania, Palermo, Ragusa, Pozzallo, and Noto. It's just a bus-stand on the N edge of town, but there's a bar and small supermarket here.
By car: From Catania, take SS114 and turn for Lentini SS194. From there follow sign to Ragusa on the SS514.
From Siracusa, take the motorway A18 and then the SS115.
From Agrigento/Gela, follow the SS.115
Text from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA, abridged · Wikivoyage
What to see, according to Wikivoyage
A walk down from Modica Alta to Modica Bassa gives great views of the lower town. Either take the steps, or the zigzagging road.
Modica Alta: Duomo di San Giorgio. closed 12:30-16:00. The large Baroque cathedral, rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake, is dedicated to St George. Its roots are in the Middle Ages but the bar near the altar tracing the midday sun's annual track shows a modern enquiring spirit. Castello dei Conti (Castello di Modica). A former residence of the Counts of Modica. Re-opened in late 2017 after years of restoration, but now appears to be closed again, fenced off behind construction barriers. Palazzo Napolino-Tommasi Rosso. An elegant late Baroque palazzo. Palazzo Polara. 17th century. Chiesa di Santa Maria del Gesù. Chiesa di San Giovanni Evangelista.
Modica Bassa: Modica Chocolate Museum and Civic Museum, Corso Umberto I, 149, ☏ +39 347 461 2771. Tue-Sat 10:00–14:00, 16:00–20:00; Sun 10:00-13:00. The chocolate museum has an exhibition explaining Modica's unique way of preparing chocolate at low temperatures, which leaves sugar crystalized in the chocolate. There are sculptures and paintings on chocolate, and a huge map of Italy made of chocolate.
Text from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA, abridged · Wikivoyage · Underlined names link to our own pages.