Seduced by Modica

What life is like in Modica?

We’ve put together some special houses, a handful of local neighborhoods and authentic Sicilian towns to offer you a lovely concept of holiday.

Indulge a few days in this amazing corner of Sicily to savor the place slowly and soak up in the atmosphere of small towns built in honey-coloured stone and listed as UNESCO heritage for the beauty of their late Baroque architecture.

SEDUCED BY MODICA

You’ll stay in Modica, a small, lovely and authentic town nestled on the sides of two valleys in an intrigue of little houses, alleys and stairs. We handpicked some unique self catering homes, where you can get a real feel of local life and maybe prepare your own meals on your way back from the grocery store. Most of them have a terrace or a secret garden which is a unique characteristic of the houses here.

Whether you arrive by rental car or with our private driver we’ll meet you at your place of stay and take you on a walk to introduce you the town and your neighborhood. Your guide is first of all a resident and you’ll get lots of insider knowledge and tips from him.

Think of an urban trek through old districts strolling up and down the maze of narrow alleys and stairways that connect the town and pointing out the bars, the trattorias and his favourite spots to taste the best scacce, for you to go while in Modica.

On your very first night you’ll see that when the street lights lit up, the magic in Modica begins.   

YOUR TIME IN MODICA

We’ll not pack everyday with activities as you should linger for hours at a bar, sitting at an outdoor table with a glass of almond milk  just watching the world go by. Go to neighborhood spots, get lost in the city, eat where regular folks eat, savor the rhythms of daily life and have the afternoon siesta.

We’ll give you plenty of suggestions and your itinerary will be planned and detailed as much as you want.

Start your morning off with an espresso at the café on the street corner and get to know Ragusa on a private guided tour. Ragusa Ibla is a crib town and a jewel of Baroque architecture. “Exuberant genius” says the UNESCO committee and they were probably thinking of the grotesque masks and the fantastic animals that adorn the balconies here.

This afternoon we’ll arrange for a local mama to your home to learn right away some local recipes and get the secrets of the perfect macco di fave.

The bells of the town’s churches will probably wake you up. Head off to the elegant town of Noto for the apotheosis of the Sicilian Baroque and while you’re there taste Corrado Assenza’s unique pastries and granite; ”the legendary chef from Caffè Sicilia in Noto” asserts the New York Times.

Drive the short distance to the coast to have lunch in the pretty fishing village of Marzamemi. This is the place to buy all sort of tuna products and the Pachino tomatoes, the best in Sicily, for your dinner at home.

NOT ONLY BAROQUE ! BEACH TIME

This wonderful region has becoming pretty popular as the Baroque area, but there’s so much more!

It offers 50 miles of unspoilt coastline, pristinebeaches and sand dunes. Ask your driver to take you to Vendicari Nature Reserve for an amazing nature walk or a day on its wild beaches in summertime.

Spend another day of Sicilian life by the beach at a historical lido founded in the 50’s and lunch on sensational seafood dishes “pieds dans l’eau”.

Return home after a day out and this evening relax and enjoy a private al fresco dinner prepared by our chef.

The next morning will be a biking across quiet country roads. We’ll take you to a cheese farm to taste delicious ricotta and learn how to work the almonds to make the famous Sicilian almond milk. The tour will finish at a wine cellar sampling Nero d’Avola and Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOC wines.

Once back home, with a glass in hand, there’s no better place than your terrace to take in the view over lower Modica.

HIKING BETWEEN ARCHAEOLOGY AND NATURE

After a few days at a leisurely pace, take the adventurous side of Southern-east Sicily which offers the opportunity of unique hikes combining archaeology and nature. You’ll explore with our expert guide, natural reserves of incomparable beauty, deep gorges excavated in the course of millenniums by the rivers forming little lakes where bathing is possible and wonderful in summer.

Take the beautiful paths amid oak trees and waterfalls to go in search of the 5,000 tombs of the necropolis of Pantalica, cave dwellings and shrines, all dug out of the steep rock which plunges into the waters of the Anapo.

Or take a spectacular circle route across the Hyblaean Mountains, a limestone plateau cut by numerous river valleys called “cave”.The cave has an immense network of trails made of stairs, dirt roads, mule tracks and passages between farms. Our trail is a treasure trove of historical and archaeological cave structures in a lush Mediterranean vegetation. The caves dating back to the Bronze age, were inhabited through Greek, Roman and the Middle Ages right through to the 1950’s.  You’ll break for sweets and coffee at our guide’s own house, a refuge right in the hearth of the valley.

Tonight, as the perfect end to this adventurous day, dine at Accursio’s, one of our favourite restaurants in all Sicily.

A great thing about spending a few days in Modica is that you’ll have the unique privilege of sampling a different chocolate factory each day before you choose your favourite one! And if you want to try your hands at doing the famous grainy texture of Modica’s chocolate just ask, our friend is the best teacher ever. 

Do you still think a week is enough?

Your final day will be at your own leisure, strolling once again the Corso Umberto, and saying goodbyes at the cafè where you have become a regular and from day three they call you by your name.

This is just to give you an idea of what your customised trip may look like. Get in touch to design together your very own trip to Sicily.