Discovering Sicily ~ 5 Things You MUST Do In Modica

There is something quite perfect about a light strung across the main street...

For me discovering Modica was like that very first minute of discovering San Gimignano a lifetime ago. 

That completely breath-taking, wonderous, can't-quite-believe-what-you're-seeing, God-is-this-even-real moment that on some level inexplicably changes your life.

Modica is in the Ragusa province of south eastern Sicily, flanked by the towns of Ragusa and Noto. All three towns were destroyed by the devastating earthquake of 1693, and as Sicily was ruled at the time by Spain, all three towns were rebuilt in the exuberant and flowering Baroque style that the Spanish were famous for.
Modica along with Noto and Ragusa are all UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

5 Things You MUST Do In Modica

1. Walk.

Get up early, knock back an espresso, and hit the streets before the world wakes up. 

Early morning in Modica

Wander aimlessly through the streets downtown, take in the architecture, photograph the gargoyles while no one is around to get in the way.

Breathe in the air and try to wrap your head around what you are seeing. This town absolutely must be walked to be truly experienced.

2. Experience Bonajuto

Antico Dolceria Bonajuto is the oldest chocolate factory in Sicily. Its has always been family run, their chocolate has always been handmade, in the kitchen at the back of the store.

The factory of Bonajuto

But this is not any ordinary chocolate. Bonajuto chocolate is made in the Aztec style. Cocoa, sugar and spices are the only ingredients. The cocoa still contains it's cocoa butter and is heated just enough to make it fluid. The sugar is added but not allowed to melt, giving the chocolate a gritty texture. 

Originally the Bonajuto chocolate was an energy food, not a dessert or treat, It came in little blocks, and is still made and served in the same fashion today.

When you visit Antica Dolceria Bonajuto there are an array of flavors for you to sample, and once you've made your choices they will box them for you to take away or will ship them home for you.

3. Visit the Cathedral of San Giorgio

The walk up to the cathedral is just gorgeous. Art historian Andrew Graham Dixon has likened the cathedral to the Madonna standing watch over the town, sweeping open her cloak to encompass the people of Modica.

I had this description rolling around in my mind as I approached the cathedral, and the image seared into my brain. It was perfect.

Looking up at the cathedral will take your breath away. Turning around and looking down at the town of Modica will take your breath away. It is majestic.

4. Eat at Terrazze Campaille

This is easily one of the greatest dining experience of my life, anywhere in the world. 
If you are anywhere near Modica, a meal at Terrazze Campaille is essential. To start with you will just die over the location. The restaurant in is an old palazzo, with multiple rooms and terraces to dine in and on. They can beautifully accommodate large parties, small parties, couples' romantic evenings, groups of friends, and can separate everyone into different areas, so that your experience remains unique. 

We were seated on a terrace with a gorgeous view, surrounded by flowers and foliage in an environment that could not have been more romantic, and were completely unaware that there was a large party on the other side of the palazzo.

You can read my TripAdvisor review here
The food at Terrazze Campaille is spectacular. The service is wonderful. After dinner our waiter took us on a tour of the palazzo, told us the stories of the palazzo, told us about growing up in Modica, pointed out his home and his family's home across the hill. The entire experience was just magnificent.
But don't take my word for it - go there yourself!

5. Enjoy Modica by night.

Evenings in Modica are lovely. Everyone is out strolling and socializing. Saturday night in Modica is wonderful. The cafes and restaurants downtown are spilling onto the streets. Children and grandparents, teens and parents - the entire town is out having fun and you get absorbed into it. There is a very strong sense of community and you feel incredibly safe.

 Modica is a super artsy little place. On the Saturday night that we were there street musicians were playing sensational jazz, art galleries were hosting events, an orchestra was playing at another event - it was just magic.

The palazzi and churches are all lit up at night. It is just beautiful.

Terazze Campaille is up these steps behind the church of San Pietro.

There are statues of saints lining the steps. St Peter's halo glowing in the evening light.


If you are planning a trip to Sicily, Modica is not far from Siracusa. Your closest airport is Catania, and you are in close driving distance to Noto, Ragusa and Marzamemi, 3 hours drive from Taormina. There are also plenty of beaches within a 20 minute (ish) drive, as well as ferries to Malta if you are in the mood for a day trip. 

The Magic Of Marzamemi

Sicily is my favorite place on earth.

Endlessly fascinating, she is an island that offers so much, from incredible wines, sensational food, history, art, architecture, and then there are those views. Views to die for. The oceans, the beaches, the volcano. There is just so much!

Last year my Glam Italia Tour spent time in Baroque Sicily. 

One place that we went to that was supposed to be a couple of hours visit, but that turned into almost daily trips back was a teeny tiny speck of a fishing town called Marzamemi.

Marzamemi is divine.

Harkening back to the islands Arab rule in the 9th century, Marzamemi is thought to possibly mean bay of the turtle doves (Marsa al hamen) or from Memi, which means small port.

Marzamemi has the palace of the prince, who in his time ran the place from its terrace, 

a now closed tuna factory, (which was built during the Arab rule of Sicily, and was one of the most important on the island) 2 baroque churches, and the houses of the fishermen.

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It's harbor is full of small boats.

We took a day trip in a boat, exploring the coastline from the point where the Mediterranean meets the Ionian and the rip tides will churn you up and take you away, down past the nature preserve of the Vendicari, stopping and swimming in the bluest sea you can possibly imagine, and floating off the coastline just lying around enjoying the sun.

One of the reasons we kept going back to Marzamemi was to visit the restaurants. They are phenomenal.

You can sit around for hours, eating the incredible Sicilian cuisine of fresh fish, fresh fruit and vegetables, local breads, and washing it down with glasses of the local Nero d'Avola. 

Sicilians are so friendly, they will talk to you forever. 

When you are finally ready to move on you need a couple of espressos to give you the strength to wander down to the beach either at Marzamemi or at nearby San Lorenzo. 

I can't imagine living a life that didn't let me go back to Marzamemi.

I wouldn't necessarily stay there - we stayed in nearby Avola as well as in Modica, and I would love to stay a few nights in Noto next time, but I know that whenever I am in the southeast of Sicily my days will be peppered with visits to this ancient fishing village.

Marzamemi is in the province of Siracusa, easily accessible by car from Catania, Siracusa, the baroque towns of Ragusa, Modica and Noto.

The Bikini Girls Of Sicily

Villa Romana Del Casale

I dream about Sicily.

If you have been following this blog then you already know that I am obsessed with this spectacular island.

If I could spend every day for the rest of my life exploring Sicily I still wouldn’t get to see it all.

People are always asking me about things to do in Sicily, so I decided to do some posts about random fascinating things to see and do when you are there.

 One completely intriguing spot to visit away from all the tourists is the incredible Villa Romana del Casale.

Piazza Armerina, Sicily

Located about 5km from a picturesque little town in central Sicily called Piazza Armerina, the villa is not only one of the very best preserved villas from anywhere in the Roman Empire, it also has much of it’s decoration still intact, most famously the extensive mosaics.

aerial view of Villa Romana del Casale

The villa which is assumed to have been a hunting lodge, was built in the early 4^th Century AD, at one time it was thought for the emperor Maximian, but now it is thought to have been built for a senatorial aristocrat. 
(At that time marble was the flooring of choice for Roman emperors, and Villa Romana del Casale only has marble for the floor of the basilica, which suggests that the owner did not belong to imperial Roman society.)

It’s hard to believe that the mosaics we value so highly now were at the time considered second rate!

But back to the mosaics. This is the single greatest collection of Roman era mosaics anywhere in the world, and they are essentially completely intact. Covering 38 000 square feet, vibrant and brilliant they depict mythological scenes, scenes of daily life, and the famous “bikini girls”.

The famous Bikini Girls

The Bikini Girls are a group of 10 young women dressed in shorts and a bandeau, performing various acts of athleticism such as discus throwing, long jump with weights in their hands, running and playing some form of handball. 
And you thought the bikini was invented in the 20th century? Not quite - it was alive and well in the early 300's AD, and probably long before that.

There is a girl wearing a transparent golden dress holding a crown over the head of an athlete, presenting her with a victory palm. Creating a dress and making it look transparent by using little stones and pieces of colored glass is nothing short of miraculous.

The Corridor Of The Hunt is a walkway that runs the width of the villa, and is a mosaic explosion of hunting scenes, featuring animals, fruit and flowers, fish and cupids, everyday scenes and mythology.
It takes your breath away.

The floora were probably created by North African craftsmen who were known for their incredible skill with mosaics. The mosaics themselves are still incredibly vivid, especially when you consider the villa was inhabited or in use for 8 centuries (from the 4th century until the 12th century), by the Romans, the Byzantines, the Arabs and the Normans.

A mosaic scene from the master bedroom

A landslide in the 12^th Century almost completely covered the villa, and it was only partly discovered in the 19^th Century, but it wasn’t until the 20^th Century that excavations revealed the magnitude of what lay beneath and the absolute magnificence of the villa.

Villa Romana del Casale is approximately an hour and a half drive from Catania, 2 hours drive from Siracusa, and 45 minutes drive from Enna.

Check out these amazing videos of Villa Romana del Casale.
Remember all 42 of these floors are made of mosaics, hand-laid by artisans somewhere between 310 and 340 AD, with no machines or modern technology to help them to perfection.

Sicily takes my breath away.

Disclaimer: these images are not my own