Modica - Petra Ianca - Una pagina per il relax

The Greeks called the city of Modica Mòtouka, and the Romans Mothyca, initially populated by the Sicans, later by the Phoenicians and then by the Sicilians. The foundation of the sites in this part of the island dates back to 80 years of the Trojan war. Modica from the seventeenth century to the nineteenth century was called City of Hercules. Under the power of Frederick II of Aragon proclaimed King of Sicily, the County of Modica was born on 25 March 1296. Until the early 1900s, it was considered the fourth most important city in Sicily, not only for the number of inhabitants, but also for its political and cultural importance. The County of Modica, like Ragusa and Scicli, was declared in 2001 by UNESCO, a World Heritage Site and is included in the World Heritage List for a historical-architectural reality following the reconstruction of the cities of the Val di Noto after the earthquake of 1693.

In Modica the resurrection of Jesus Christ is recalled with the rite of the "Madonna Vasa Vasa"; a tradition with Spanish origins and dating back to 1645. The procession involves the encounter of the statues of Christ and the Madonna who approach each other for a kiss at midday, hence the name Vasa-Vasa. The following must be visited: the Cathedral of San Pietro included in the list of Cultural Heritage of Humanity; the church of Santa Maria del Carmelo, with its fourteenth-century portal; the Church of Santa Maria Di Betlemme dating back to the fourteenth century, one of the three ancient collegiate churches of Modica, after the earthquake of 1693 was rebuilt in neoclassical style; the Castle of the Counts of Modica and the Clock Tower which the iconographic symbols of Modica dominate it from above. It was inhabited by the Counts of Modica and subsequently by the County Governor.

Also to visit is the birthplace of the poet Quasimodo, in fact on August 20, 1901 Salvatore Quasimodo was born here who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1959. Modica, in addition to being a World Heritage Site, is also considered the city of chocolate, grainy, artisanal and very tasty, it is the first type of chocolate to receive the IGP recognition of the European Community. This particular product constitutes a significant economic activity and one of the most important sources of employment in the municipality of Modica.