MODICA
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Modica is a town in the Province of Ragusa. The town was founded in 1360 BC or 1031 BC and was inhabited by the Sicels around the VII century BC. A typical product of this town is its particular chocolate, made with and ancient Aztec recipe. In spring, in fact, there is an event called "Eurochocolate" (like the most famous in Perugia), where the streets of Modica smell of chocolate. Modica, as other towns in Val di Noto, was rebuilt after the terrible earthquake of 1693 and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites thanks to many Late-Baroque monuments.
Sites: Church of San Giovanni Evangelista, Cathedral of San Giorgio, Palazzo Polara, Church of Santa Maria del Soccorso, Rocky Church of San Nicolò Inferiore, Cathedral of San Pietro, Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions, Castello dei Conti, Salvatore Quasimodo's Birth-House, Church of Santa Maria di Betlem, Church of the Carmine, Ispica Cave.
Church of San Giovanni Evangelista
The Church of San Giovanni Evangelista rises at the top of a beautiful flight of steps, along this there were 26 pillars and 26 statues, now there are only three. The facade is on two tiers and is enriched with two couples of columns. The bell-tower of the church reaches the highest point of Modica. Noteworthy are the operas in stucco in the vault, the lateral chapels and the presbytery. Near the Church there is the "Belvedere Pizzo" where it is possible to enjoy of a beautiful panorama.
Cathedral of San Giorgio
The Cathedral of San Giorgio is one of the most important and impressing religious monuments in all Sicily. Its origin is partly unknown. The original structure of the church dated from the early Middle Ages and was detroyed by the Arabians in 845; in the beginning of the XII century it was rebuilt and dedicated to Saint George by Roger The Norman. Highly damaged by the earthquakes of 1613 and 1693 it was rebuilt by the famous architect Rosario Gagliardi, from Syracuse, already author of the San Giorgio's in Ragusa Ibla. The church, with a nave and two aisles, was re-opened in 1738; the magnificent flight of steps, that starts down from Corso Garibaldi, pays homage to the stately front elevation; it was finished in 1818. The facade rises through three levels to a single bell-tower; a sense of sweeping movement is imparted by the projecting convex central bay, flanked to each side by twin bays that accommodate the double aisles. Inside, it contains a highly prized chased silver altar front upon which sits a fine polyptych (1513) by Bernardino Niger. The three tiers show the Holy Family between Saint George and Saint Martin, with, above the Joyful Mysteries and the Glorious Mysteries. The transept floor is inlaid with a XIX-century meridian. The aisles are richly ornamented with stuccoes and paintings, such as the 1513's Events of the Gospel and of the life of Saint George, by Girolamo Aliprandi, who was known as the "Raphael of Sicily".
Palazzo Polara
Palazzo Polara, situated in the left side of the Saint George Cathedral, is a beautiful building in Baroque style. The facade, with the coat-of-arms of the family with the Pole Star, dominates "Modica Bassa". The palace houses frequent art exhibitions.
Church of Santa Maria del Soccorso
The Church of Santa Maria del Soccorso (Saint Mary of the Help) is one of the first and few churches of new building after the earthquake. Noteworthy is, above all, the particular curvilinear facade.
Rocky Church of San Nicolò Inferiore
The Rocky Church of San Nicolò Inferiore has beautiful Byzantine frescoes over the rock, dating back between the XI and XIV century. It is an artificial grotto, in the centre of the town. In the right side of the apse there is a baptismal font carved in the rock.
Cathedral of San Pietro
The Cathedral of San Pietro, dedicated to the Patron Saint of "Modica Bassa", was erected in the XIV century. It was rebuilt after the 1693's earthquake. It has an elegant flight of steps which is flanked by statues of the twelve apostles. The inside, with a nave and two aisles, has fourteen pilasters bearing Corinthian capitals. The nave is decorated with Scenes from the Old Testament; two important works adorn the right aisle: the "Madonna di Trapani", attributed to Giovanni Pisano, and a polichrome work depicting Saint Peter and the Paralytic, by Paolo Civiletti (1893). In front of the Church, in an alley, there is the "Antica Dolceria Bonajuto", the most ancient company in Modica that produces the typical chocolate.
Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions
The Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions holds a rich display of agricultural tools and antique forniture, and some faithfully reproduced shops providing a picturesque picture of the old activities and lifestyle.
Castello dei Conti
The "Castello dei Conti di Modica" (Castle of Modica Counts) is the visual symbol of the town. In the top of a cliff, it has represented for many centuries the seat of the political and administrative power of the County of Modica. In the courtyard the medieval prisons can be visited. Noteworthy is an ancient mechanical clock, of 1725, which the complicated mechanisms are controlled and started every day.
Salvatore Quasimodo's Birth-House
The Salvatore Quasimodo's Birth-House, in which the August 20th 1901 the poet, Nobel Prize for Literature in 1959, was born, holds the bed in wrought iron where the poet was born and other pieces of furniture.
Church of Santa Maria di Betlem
The Church of Santa Maria di Betlem is a building dating back to the XV century, the portal in the right aisle is the only survived element. Inside there is a finely decorated truss roof. At the back of the right aisle is the Chapel of the Sacrament, with an octagonal dome decorated with Arabesque pendentives in Gothic style and enriched with Arabian, Norman and Catalan elements. The church preserves the tombs of noble Cabreras. The left aisle contains a beautiful terracotta Christmas Crib, made by Father Benedetto Papale in 1882.
Church of the Carmine
The Church of the Carmine, near Piazza Corrado Rizzone, was a convent of Carmelitani friars. Both the church and the convent date back to the XVI century, when the religious order first came to Sicily. The church was highly injured by the 1693's earthquake and retains of its original structure a splendid doorway and a sumptuous rose-window. The inside, with a nave, has altars on both sides, one of which holds the Annunciation, a precious sculptural group, dating from the XVI century, by Antonio Gagini.
Ispica Cave
Situated between the town of Ispica and Modica, Ispica Cave, a great fissure some 13km long, is stacked with abandoned troglodyte dwellings, small sanctuaries and necropolises. The earliest signs of human occupation in the area date from the Neolithic times. The hollows studding the walls of the gorge are a natural phenomenon in karstic rock, they came subsequently to be modified and adapted by humans according to their requirements.
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