Things to do in Modica
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Scicli
Scicli is full of wonderful baroque architecture - in particular Palazzo Beneventano and Palazzo Fava - and framed by rocky cliffs. It is well off the beaten track and there is seldom another tourist in sight. From here you can head down to Modica Marina (around €2.20, six buses daily) and Sampieri (around €2.50, three buses daily) on the southern coast for long sandy beaches, as well as rocky coves.
Both are popular with the town's youth, with bars and loungers (bed & umbrella for two around €10) on the sand, though there are vast unpopulated areas if you walk along the beaches, where you can be undisturbed by the crowds.
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I Baccanti
This little-sister restaurant to Taverna Nicastro offers the chance to try all the delicious food served in the big restaurant, but at deflated prices. The fresh pasta is excellent, and you can get meaty dishes like rabbit here, as well as fish and seafood. Try some wine too, and if you can't choose for yourself, ask the friendly sommelier.
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Cava d'Ispica
The town of Ispica, about 12km southeast of Modica, is located at the head of the 13km-long gorge known as Cava d'Ispica. Long used as a Neolithic burial site, the caves were later transformed into cave dwellings in the Middle Ages. The gorge is tranquil and verdant and you can follow an overgrown path along the whole length of the valley.
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Fattoria delle Torri
Worth going to only if you're wanting to splash out, this very upmarket restaurant offers food that is exquisite, but small of portion and high on eye-pleasing presentation. The seafood is gorgeous, wonderful when combined with a crisp, dry white wine such as Cerasuolo di Vittoria, and heart-warming broad-bean-and-ricotta ravioli.
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Taverna Nicastro
With over 60 years of history and a Slow Food recommendation, this is one of the upper town’s most authentic and atmospheric restaurants; the nightly tourist menu is a bargain at €15 including antipasti, wine and dessert.
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Hemingway
This is Modica's coolest bar, with books and cushioned outdoor seating, where everyone gathers after 23:00 to drink beer and chat away to friends, and where you're likely to find a DJ party several times a month.
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Osteria dei Sapori Perduti
On Modica’s main drag, this attractive restaurant mixes rustic decor, elegantly dressed waiters, and very reasonable prices on Sicilian specialities like cunigghju à stimpirata (sweet and sour rabbit).
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Chiesa Santa Maria delle Grazie
The convent (Palazzo dei Mercedari) of the Chiesa Santa Maria delle Grazie, has since been converted into the Museo Civico, with a well-ordered display of finds from Modica and Cava d'Ispica.
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Dolceria Bonajuto
To taste some sweet crunchiness – flavoured with cinnamon, vanilla and orange peel – head for Sicily’s oldest chocolate factory, Dolceria Bonajuto.
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Chiesa di San Giorgio
This church, Gagliardi’s masterpiece, is a vision of pure rococo splendour, a butter-coloured confection perched on a majestic 250-step staircase.
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Cattedrale di San Pietro
Cattedrale di San Pietro is an impressive church atop a rippling staircase lined with life-sized statues of the Apostles.
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Chiesa di Santa Maria di Betlem
Another noteworthy church is Chiesa di Santa Maria di Betlem, where a marker points out the highest point of the 1902 flood.
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