Modica ... Churches and Chocolate

When visiting Sicily a trip to the South East corner is a must do, the landscape is very much different from the rest of the island yet this small corner is rich in sights. The towns of Syracuse, Caltagirone, Ragusa, Noto, Palazzolo Acreide, Scicli and Modica have all been declared as UNESCO World Heritage sites on the merits of their Baroque architecture and town planning, the result of the rebuilding after the destruction of the 1693 earthquake.

A wonderful city of late Baroque period in the heart of the Noto valley Modica dominates with its opulent architecture from a historic era of palaces and ancient churches such as the Duomo of San Giorgio which dates back to 1300.

Modica rises in the middle of three valleys assuming a Y shape and it can be easily seen from the Guerrieri bridge which is over 1300 metres high and as a result is one of the highest bridges in Europe. You may recognise the city from the opening titles of the popular television series Inspector Montalbano shot from an aerial view.

Taking a walk along the main street Corso Umberto you will be excited at the sight of pastry shops with their windows displaying their cakes and in particular chocolate which is considered to be the best in Europe.

The towns famous chocolate production has been crafted in Modica since the 1600's and follows an Aztec recipe. Chocolate can be eaten at the height of summer without it melting in your hands!!!!! This is possible thanks to the cold processing of the cocoa solids that does not blend with the sugar. The look and taste of this chocolate is recognised internationally.

I follow a Blog called Sicily Scene which is written by a lovely Welsh lady Pat Eggleton who writes about her Sicilian life and her views on Sicily. Pat is a language school teacher who fell in love with Sicily and now lives in a town very close to Modica with her cute little dog Bertie. She runs a little English school called London Town Modica. I vowed that if we ever visited the area that I would drop her a message and arrange to meet up. A date was set and on an overcast day in October last year we set off for Modica with our English friend Teresa who lives in our town and our rescue dog Daisy.

We met Pat at her school and she showed us around. London Town Modica is a language and learning centre offering courses at all levels and Pat is a qualified and experienced teacher, she also offers Italian courses for English speakers. She is a delightful fun character and her dog Bertie is adorable and her and Daisy made friends. After a tour of the school we headed for lunch at nearby Cicara Caffetteria where we enjoyed an amazing platter of antipasto. After saying our goodbyes to Pat and Bertie we headed for Modica.

The large town of Modica is divided into two different levels, Modica Bassa and Modica Alta (Lower and Upper). It is a city founded in ancient times, its origins are probably Greek and Sicel (the first settlers in Sicily), in Roman times it was the prosperous Motyka and was thereafter called Mohac by the Arabs who won possession of it in the ninth century.

Modica is also known as the town of one hundred churches.

We headed first for lower Modica (Bassa) and found the local tourist information centre where a lovely lady gave us a map and spent a very long time telling us where to visit, highlighting with a neon yellow pen a route we should follow by foot. But before we started to explore the town being the chocoholics we are we were desperate to visit a chocolate shop. Antica Dolceria Bonajuto is Sicily's oldest chocolate manufacturer who have been producing chocolate since 1880. But hold your taste buds because chocolate tasting in Modica is worthy of its own Blog post so you will have to wait until next week to find out more ..........

After our sugar rush of chocolate we began a energetic walk of Modica.

As I mentioned there are approximately one hundred churches in the area, but the three you really should see are the Church of San Giorgio, the Church of San Pietro and the Church of San Giovanni.

Modica Bassa and Modica Alta are connected by a long winding road Corso Umberto I, this busy road was originally a river but after a flood in 1902 the town decided to cover it over. But the best way to discover Modica is to explore its alleys and stairways that climb up towards upper Modica.

Located in the lower part of town the Church of San Pietro originated in the fourteenth century but has eighteenth century characteristics which is the result of reconstruction after two earthquakes during the seventeenth century. The exquisite two tiered baroque façade stands at the top of a spectacular flight of steps which is bordered by an iron fence and with life sized statues of the Twelve Apostles. The aisles inside are divided from the nave by majestic columns with splendid artwork of Corinthian style.

Next we began our ascent towards our next destination the Church of San Giorgio up warren like alleys and steps where every now and again we started to get stunning glimpses between quaint flower adorned houses across the town and its rooftops.

The spectacular Church of San Giorgio is actually a cathedral and was constructed in the first half of the seventeenth century but was entirely rebuilt in the eighteenth century. The magnificent three tiered façade overlooks an imposing flight of steps that seem endless. Its splendid baroque design inside and out resembles the church of the same name in the nearby town of Ragusa. The church was completed entirely in the first half of the nineteenth century and the interior boasts a Latin cross plan which is divided into a nave and four aisles. On the day we visited there was a team of florists busy decorating the church with an abundance of beautiful flowers for a wedding and I could not think of a more ideal church to be married in and could just imagine the bride climbing the impressive stairs outside, her dress and cathedral length veil billowing out in the light breeze. The façade of the church is topped with a belfry which for a small fee you can climb up some tight winding stairs and visit. The views from the church are breath taking looking over roofs and across the whole valley where Modica is located.

We descended from the terrace outside the church down the countless steps back down to Modica Bassa where we rewarded our climb with a chocolate gelato (made with Modica chocolate of course). Thereafter we drove up winding Corso Umberto to view the Church of San Giovanni.

The location of the Church of San Giovanni is spectacular and it is built in a similar style of San Giorgio with a wide staircase and in its position it literally stands proud overlooking the whole of Modica. A short walk away you will find a terrace named Belvedere which also boasts impressive views sure to create Insta-envy with your Instagram followers.

Modica is an amazing city full of wonderful architectural sites, why not combine your visit with a stop at the nearby UNESCO towns of Ragusa, Noto and Scicli.

Modica is approximately a two hours drive from Taormina but why not treat yourself to the luxury of a private driver with local inside knowledge to create the perfect day out.

Next Blog post: Chocolate Heaven in Modica

You can follow Pat on her Blog at www.sicilyscene.blogspot.com

If you loved this Blog post search my archive for my previous posts;
Ragusa, Noto, Syracuse, Scicli and Caltagirone

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Modica