Modica is a unique baroque town south of Syracuse, a relaxed city where it is possible to spend a day among the wonders of the Sicilian Baroque, tasting the marvellous local specialities among which the superb chocolate.
Can be reached easily from Syracuse in 55 minutes by car (highway-Noto-Avola Rosolini take the Rosolini exit and follow the signs to Modica) or train (1 hour and 35) or AST bus (2 hours and 20). All trains and buses depart from the station 50 meters from the hostel.
The two most important monuments are The Church of San Pietro in Modica Bassa and San Giorgio in Modica Alta, from June 2002 in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. The ideal route may start from the Church of San Pietro, dedicated to the patron saint of the city, in late Baroque style with three aisles on whose steps are statues of the twelve apostles. Next to the church in a charming street stands the rupestral Church of San Nicolò, dating from the twelfth century. Walking up Via Posterla you come to the birthplace of Salvatore Quasimodo, Nobel Prize for Literature in 1959. Continuing along Via Castello you come to the Castle of the Counts of Modica, now under restoration.
Close by he imposing Cathedral of San Giorgio with its monumental stairway of 250 steps. Inside the church, with 5 aisles, are housed valuable works as the altarpiece of the fifteenth century. In Modica Alta (upper town) is the church of St. John, built in the twelfth century and from the nearby streets can be reached the “Pizzo”, the highest point of the City. Not far from there stands the Church of Santa Maria del Gesù, one of the finest examples of Gothic from Chiaramonte. In the lower part there are the Teatro Garibaldi, the Church of St. Mary of Bethlehem, and the Museum "Franco Libero Belgiorn".
Finally, it cannot be missed a visit to Cava d'Ispica Archeological Park, a monumental rupestral site of the richest and largest in Europe. The virtual tour proceeds with the already mentioned two major churches, St. Peter and St. George, then the Castle of the Counts and the late Baroque style buildings overlooking the streets and squares of the city: Tommasi Rosso Palace, Palace Ascenzo, Palazzo Rosso-Cannizzaro, Grimaldi Palace, Palace of Culture, home of the city's museums.
Certainly the most important among the local production is that of the chocolate for which the City has become famous all over the world. On the main street is located the ancient and famous Cioccolateria Bonaiuto, where you can tastee the many delicious varieties of chocolate, including the famous chilli chocolate, and chocolate liquor. The events are related to different types of tourism. The religious feast of the "Madonna Vasa Vasa" held for centuries in Easter Day with the Holy Mother kissing her son resurrected with a performance set in the historic city. Then the feast of St. George and St. Peter's and Our Lady of Grace. Food and wine tourism is based on "Chocobarocco", which attracts hundreds of thousands of people every year.