Modica, Sicily
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Visit Modica
The town of Modica runs down the side of a steep hill in south-eastern Sicily, a little way inland from the coast and between Ispica and Ragusa.
In common with many towns in this region, Modica was very badly affected bye arthquakes in the 17th century, in 1613 and 1693 - the second of these had a particularly devastating effect on the town. As a result, much of the town was rebuilt in the years after 1693, in the baroque style that was popular at the time - hence Modica now contains many fine examples of Sicilian baroque architecture, perhaps above all in the church reconstructions.
There are several noteworthy churches to explore in Modica, with the Church of Saint George (Chiesa San Giorgio) being the highlight - after numerous rebuildings and reconstructions over the centuries the church now has a very impressive baroque facade, very representative of the style.
Among the other churches of interest in Modica, you will see the Church of Saint Peter; the Church of Santa Maria del Soccorso; the Church of Saint Mary of Bethlehem and the Carmine church (the lower part of the facade of this church pre-dates the earthquake). The Convent of Saint Mary of Jesus is notable as a building that dates from the 15th century i.e. it survived the earthquake of 1693
An unusual feature to discover near Modica is the 'rock churches' - churches built into and in front of caves in the rock. You can see these at Santa Venera - a 14th century rock church containing some frescoes; and at Cava Ddieri, in a cave that was previously used by the ancient Romans as a necropolis.
Other examples of local architecture can be seen in the grand town houses ('palaces') such as the Grimaldi Palace (now the Modica Art Gallery), the baroque style Tommasi Rosso Palace, and the Manenti and Tedeschi Palaces. Stepping back in time, the remains of the Castle of the Modica Counts is also interesting - we can see the watchtower and the original prison.
The baroque architecture of Ragusa mean it is now listed and protected as one of the towns in the Val di Noto world heritage site.