Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TRAIN
There's frequent service to Syracuse (€3.45, 30 minutes, eight daily except Sunday), but
Noto's station is inconveniently located 1km downhill from the centre.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Modica
POP 54,700 / ELEV 296M
A powerhouse in Grecian times, Modica may have lost its pre-eminent position to Ragusa,
but it remains a superbly atmospheric town with its ancient medieval buildings climbing
steeply up either side of a deep gorge.
The multilayered town is divided into Modica Alta (Upper Modica) and Modica Bassa
(Lower Modica). A devastating flood in 1902 resulted in the wide avenues of Corso Um-
berto and Via Giarrantana (the river was dammed and diverted), which remain the main
axes of the town, lined by
palazzi
and tiled stone houses.
Sights
Aside from simply wandering the streets and absorbing the atmosphere, a visit to the ex-
traordinary
Chiesa di San Giorgio
( 9am-noon & 4-7pm)
is a highlight. This church, Gagliardi's
masterpiece, is a vision of pure rococo splendour, a butter-coloured confection perched on
a majestic 250-step staircase. Its counterpoint in Modica Bassa is the
Cattedrale di San Pietro
(Corso Umberto I)
, another impressive church atop a rippling staircase lined with life-sized
statues of the Apostles.
Sleeping
Modica's quality-to-price ratio tends to be excellent, making this a top destination for dis-
cerning travellers.
Villa Quartarella
( 360 65 48 29;
www.quartarella.com
; Contrada Quartarella; s €40, d €75-80)
Spacious rooms and wel-
coming hosts set the tone at this converted villa in the countryside south of Modica. Own-
ers Francesco and Francesca are generous in sharing their love and encyclopaedic know-
ledge of local history, flora and fauna and can suggest multiple itineraries in the surround-
AGRITURISMO
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