I Dintorni di Modica

Within an eighty-kilometer radius of Modica lie some of the world's most beautiful Baroque cities, the most important Greek archaeological park in Sicily, and nearly deserted beaches.

15 km away

Ragusa Ibla — the city that rivals Modica

The ancient part of Ragusa — Ragusa Ibla — is perched on a limestone spur and for many visitors is even more spectacular than Modica. The Duomo di San Giorgio by Gagliardi, with its three-tiered facade, is one of the absolute masterpieces of Sicilian Baroque. The Giardini Iblei, with their viewpoint overlooking the valley, offer one of the most beautiful panoramas in the region.

Ragusa Ibla is also Vigàta — the fictional town of Inspector Montalbano. The Circolo di Conversazione (1868), with one of the most beautiful historic halls in Sicily, is Montalbano's "favorite bar" in the TV series. The restaurant Duomo, with two Michelin stars from chef Ciccio Sultano, is one of the best in Italy.

20 km away

Scicli — the most authentic in the Val di Noto

Scicli is perhaps the least known of the UNESCO Val di Noto sites and the most authentic. Nestled between three valleys, almost devoid of mass tourism, with Baroque churches of rare beauty and a historic center where daily life has not yet turned into a spectacle.

The Church of San Giovanni, with its "leaning" facade—it seems to fall downwards—is one of the most surprising sights in all of Sicily. Palazzo Beneventano features the most expressionistic and grotesque masks in Iblean Baroque architecture. The Palazzo Municipale of Scicli is the "Vigàta Police Station" in the Montalbano series.

55 km away

Noto — the planned city

Noto is the only city in the Val di Noto to have been abandoned after the 1693 earthquake and completely rebuilt on a new site. It is the purest example of a planned Baroque city: all of one piece, all of the same honey-colored limestone, all aligned along Corso Vittorio Emanuele with three squares scenographically placed at regular intervals.

The heart of Noto is the Cathedral of San Nicolò — rebuilt in 2007 after the dome collapsed in 1996 — which dominates Sicily's most photographed Baroque staircase. Opposite is Palazzo Ducezio, the town hall with the island's most elegant neoclassical gallery. A short walk away, Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata boasts balconies with the most elaborate corbels in all of Iblean Baroque: horses, sirens, sphinxes, and mythological figures carved from tuff stone.

In May, the Infiorata di Noto transforms Via Corrado Nicolaci into a floral composition covering hundreds of square meters — one of Sicily's most spectacular events. Summer brings concerts to the courtyard of Palazzo Ducezio and the Greek theatre festival.

→ Complete guide to Noto 2026

18 km away

Cava d'Ispica — the unknown canyon

Cava d'Ispica is one of the most important archaeological areas in Sicily — and almost no one knows about it. A thirteen-kilometer gorge carved by a stream into the Iblean limestone. The walls are dotted with prehistoric tombs, 4th–5th century Christian catacombs (around five thousand burials), medieval cave dwellings, and rock-hewn churches. It was continuously inhabited from the Neolithic period to the 16th century.

80 km away

Syracuse — the Greek city

In the 5th century BC, Syracuse was one of the largest cities in the Mediterranean world — a rival to Athens, a dominator of Carthage. Neapolis Archaeological Park is Sicily's most important archaeological site: a 5th-century BC Greek Theatre (still used for summer performances), a Roman Amphitheatre, and the Ear of Dionysius with its extraordinary echo.

The island of Ortigia — the medieval historic center on an island connected to the mainland by two bridges — is a labyrinth of Baroque alleys where the Cathedral is literally built upon the columns of a 5th-century BC Greek temple.

The beaches

The sea twenty minutes away

Modica is not on the sea — but the most beautiful beaches in southern Sicily are just a fifteen-minute drive away. Marina di Modica (12 km) is sandy and authentic. Sampieri (22 km) is a small fishing village with the ruins of a 19th-century tuna fishery. Donnalucata (25 km) has some of the clearest waters in Sicily.

25 km away

Ispica — prehistoric caves and intact Baroque

Ispica is twofold: there is the 18th-century Baroque city above ground — with the beautiful Piazza Unità d'Italia and the Mother Church of San Bartolomeo — and there is Cava d'Ispica below, a thirteen-kilometer limestone gorge with Neolithic tombs, early Christian catacombs (around five thousand burials), and medieval rock churches.

Parco Forza tells the story of the medieval cave settlement that preceded the modern city. Ispica is almost free of organized tourism — you can visit it in absolute tranquility, even during high season.

The Val di Noto itinerary

How to combine it all in 3 days

Modica is the ideal starting point for a circular itinerary that touches all the UNESCO Baroque cities of eastern Sicily. Three days are enough to see the best without rushing.