Modica. And Why It Might Just Be One Of The Most Unique Cities In Sicily
You might have heard us say this already before, but on the south-east coast of Sicily, Modica is one of our absolute favourite cities. Mostly because of how unique it is.
Though every single time we come here, the atmosphere feels slightly different.
A different atmosphere every time you visit
The first time we visited Modica was during winter and the city felt very quiet. I wouldn't call it dead, absolutely not. But it surely was calm, let's call it that, and now, once we have seen it in summer as well, I can confidently say that the contrast is quite noticeable. So, I would say that the winter almost felt like the entire place was taking a deep breath after the tourist season.
Summer though, that's when Modica gets busy.
People sitting outside late into the evening, bars full, conversations echoing through the streets and that specific summer feeling you get in Sicily where everybody suddenly seems to stay outside for half the night.
What makes Modica feel special to me is that despite how historical it looks (and is), it never feels frozen. There is history everywhere around you, but at the same time the city still feels alive and lived in.
Plus visually, it really is one of the most unique places we have seen in Sicily.
The houses stacked on top of each other, entire neighbourhoods climbing up the hills around the valley and streets constantly pulling you either uphill or downhill somewhere.
And you feel this quite soon in your visit... your legs will remember Modica forever.
Baroque beauty everywhere
Another thing that makes Modica stand out is its architecture. After the massive earthquake in 1693 (we have mentioned it quite a few times already, e.g. in posts about Noto, Catania), most of this area had to be rebuilt and today Modica is part of the UNESCO-listed Baroque towns of south-east Sicily.
And honestly, you notice it constantly while walking around. Huge churches appearing between narrow streets, balconies, old facades and details that make even random corners of the city feel magical and intentional.
At times, the city almost does not look real from above. Especially around sunset.
The chocolate
And of course, we have to talk about the chocolate... again.
We already wrote an entire blog post about our experience in Antica Dolceria Bonajuto, which you can read here: https://www.sparkofsicily.com/blog/the-oldest-chocolate-factory-in-sicily-and-the-aztec-secret-of-modica/
But honestly, Modica chocolate deserves another mention anyway, because it really is phenomenal.
One thing that stayed with me from our visit was the conversation about flavours and ingredients. Sometimes people expect extremely strong flavours in chocolate (e.g. coconut, pineapple etc.), because nowadays we are used to artificial flavourings, added sweeteners and who knows what else.
But here, the ingredients are absolutely natural. So the coconut tastes like coconut (the real kind), pineapple, you guessed it, like pineapple and sometimes the real tastes are way more subtle than you would expect.
Honestly, it made us realise how disconnected we sometimes are from how things are actually supposed to taste. The flavour is way more subtle, real and somehow much more enjoyable because of it.
So it is not only the chocolate making process alone that makes Modica chocolate truly unique. What stands out is also the natural ingredients it is made from, and I truly respect that every shop here stands behind these same standards.
But if you want to try something truly unique, try the Nero d’Avola wine chocolate. Nero d’Avola is one of the most famous grape varieties in Sicily and somehow it works unbelievably well in chocolate form too.
For me, it officially joined the cinnamon chocolate as a new favourite.
Modicas' stairs will humble you
Friends, please do not think this is sponsored in any way, but we stayed in La Dimora di Don Pietro during this visit and I genuinely need to mention it because it was easily one of the best accommodations we have stayed in in Europe.
And I do not say that lightly. The view alone was to die for. Though honestly, everything about the stay felt thoughtful and beautifully done. Plus the location was perfect too. Just a short walk from everything. Well... a climb rather, technically.
At this point I think that the stairs were the only reason we managed to somewhat balance out the amount of chocolate we ate during this trip. Because Modica really does make you climb constantly.
You go down stairs, then uphill again, then through another small street and suddenly there is somehow another staircase waiting for you. It has that strange kind of magic where you are somehow going up... always. Regardless if you are trying to get up or down, somehow you keep climbing the stairs. I do not know how it happens, truly, but even when you think that now for sure you will go only down... there will be some stairs up. Every. Single. Time.
Still completely worth it though.
Modica vs Ragusa
You might notice a bit more enthusiasm in my writing here and honestly, that is probably because Modica has been one of our favourites for a very long time now.
Although after this trip, I must admit something unexpected happened. Ragusa quietly climbed into first place for me personally on the south-east coast.
Modica is now an extremely close second. For Lukas though, nothing changed and Modica stayed firmly in first place, Ragusa being in close second.
So I really think it depends on the person. Either way, both of them are absolutely not ones to miss while visiting Sicily.
No worries, friends, a post and a video about Ragusa are coming soon!
If you wish to see the magic of Ragusa in video, you can find it on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/8vimx1NJX6E?si=ffFZYXbXEhdFYO4Y
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Thank you for reading, and see you in the next one.
Ciao.