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.