48 Hours in the Baroque Towns of Sicily

There are eight UNSECO world heritage towns in Southern-Eastern Sicily – Noto, Ragusa, Modica, Caltagirone, Militello Val di Catania, Catania, Palazzolo, and Scicli. Each of these towns was rebuilt after the devastating earthquake in the region in 1693, creating a unique architectural style known as Sicilian Baroque. Unless you’re blessed with unlimited vacation time, you may not be able to make it to all of them. Here’s our itinerary for forty eight hours in three of the best-known: Noto, Ragusa, and Modica.

48 Hours In: Ragusa & Modica

Ragusa is a city split into two parts – the ancient and the modern. Another city rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693, I found it interesting that the rebuild was split in this way. Most of the popular sites are in the old, where this itinerary begins: Ragusa Ibla. Begin your day with a take away panini from Semplice Bistrobottega, steps away from the Giardino Ibleo, which is worth a morning stroll. On the way, take a quick look at the Portale di San Giorgio, the only existing portion of the ancient Church of San Giorgio built in the first half of the 13th century. Most of the sites on today’s itinerary were built post-earthquake with this notable exception to serve as a reminder of how old the city has been around for. In your stroll around the park, take a look at the Chiesa di San Giacomo Apostolo (and take a peek inside at the beautiful ceiling inside).

Next, spend some time wandering through Ragusa Ibla. I’ll be honest, you don’t really need a guide to lose yourself in the winding streets, beautiful architecture, and decorated churches. However, as you make the wander west from Ibla to Superiore, I’d recommend trying to seek out some of the following spots. Stop at the Chiesa di San Giuseppe for a stunning example of Baroque architecture and some internal frescos. If restored Palazzos are up your alley, consider a tour through the Palazzo Arezzo di Trifiletti for five euro for some decorated rooms, church views and history of the family who’s lived there for centuries. Next, the Duomo di San Giorgio. Possibly my favorite Duomo in all of Sicily (a tall order, with the number of Duomos we saw on our trip), it’s set high above the square with a giant iron fence and gate, is domed, and is absolutely gorgeous. Built in the 18th century by one of the leading architects of Sicilian Baroque, Rosario Gagliardi, this was the main cathedral in Ragusa until the construction of Cathedral di San Giovanni Battista in Ragusa Superiore. The square itself is beautiful and great for people watching as well.

Along the way, stop for lunch at one of the city’s great restaurants. We considered Trattoria La Bettola, Cucina & Vino Osteria, A’Rusticana, and Ai Lumi in Ibla.

The main tourist pilgrimage of the city is the staircase walk connecting Ragusa Ibla to its modern and taller relative, Ragusa Superiore via the Via Scale. The views along the way are great, but the iconic view is the one from the Chiesa della Scale overlooking Ragusa Ibla, framed by the bell tower. We chose (and recommend in this itinerary) to walk to the staircase from Ibla up to Superiore, and then walk back along the same path to get to your car after exploring a few stops in Superiore. However, this can be done in either direction, and only really needs to be done in one direction to appreciate the views (you can find a taxi to get you back to your starting point if you don’t want to do the walk both ways). The staircase connecting the two cities is around 340 steps, but is achievable for the motivated and view-seeking. (Add links to google maps from here: https://www.alongdustyroads.com/posts/things-to-do-in-ragusa-sicily)

The church itself is worth a stop inside as well. First built in the 14th century, and rebuilt again after the same earthquake that left the rest of the city shattered, it had a unique look that differed from many of the other honey-colored churches we saw in Ragusa.

Ragusa Superiore feels like a more modern city than its counterpart, however, there are still stunning buildings to be explored here and it’s definitely worth a walk to check it out . Famously, the Cattedrale di San Giovanni Battista, the city’s main Cathedral, is another mainstay built by Gagliardi in the 18th century and is beautiful externally and internally. Go up the bell tour for 2 euros for more city views. The plaza it sits on also hosts a number of caffes and eateries.

Spend any remaining time you have simply wandering around and losing yourself in the streets of the city. We enjoyed a granita in front of the Duomo, a fabulous people watching spot.

For dinner, consider Ittico Restaurant, La Taverna Del Lupo, Cenobio, Orfeo Cucina in Superiore or LoSteri or Osteria U cruscenti in Ibla.

We got to Ragusa and Modica in one day due to time constraints, pivoting in the afternoon to drive over to Modica. However, if you have more time, this itinerary could be stretched to two. We found more to do in Ragusa, and that took up two-thirds of our day but for those with longer schedules, these can be stretched to two.

Day 2: Modica

Similar to Ragusa, Modica is a city split in half as well – this time, between the lower and the upper sections of the city. Bit of background about Modica Alta? Notes of the chocolate city.

Begin your excursion along Corso Umberto, a lively street teeming with restaurants, boutiques, chocolate shops, and spend some time admiring the atmosphere and décor of the surrounding buildings.

Stop into the Museo Civico, a free museum that provides a brief history of the city that you can keep in mind throughout your wanders – the statues of Hercules and Jupiter along with preserved Greek vases are worth a sight.

The Duomo di San Giorgio shouldn’t be missed while in Modica – this was my favorite stop of the city. Another masterpiece by Garibaldi, the architect we let met in Ragusa, it’s a domed Sicilian Baroque church with free entry and a bell tower for two euro and a superb view of the city that can’t be seen from the streets below.

Depending how how much you want to climb (Modica is steep!) or if you want to take public transportation to get to Modica Alta, this is a good time to explore, as the Duomo is generally thought of as the barrier between the upper and lower potions of the city.

Like any good Sicilian city, there are a number of churches worth a stop in upper Modica, including the Chiesa di San Giovanni Evangelista, the Chiesa di San Giuseppe, and the Chiesa di S. Teodoro. For a break from the stairs before arriving at Chiesa di San Giovanni Evangelista, stop into the Belvedere Pizzo, for some awesome views of the city and Modica Basso.

Lunch!

Head back down to Modica Basso and focus on what the city’s famous for – chocolate! The Chocolate Museum of Modica provides a modest history of chocolate in Modica for a 3 euro entry price, explaining how they went about making chocolate in the city and gained inspiration from the Aztecs. Next door, the Antica Dolceria Bonajuto is the oldest chocolate factory in 1880. Tours are available on reservation, and the shop holds a wide variety of chocolate flavors that are great souvenirs to take home.

On to Hemingway, a wine bar, for an aperitivo before heading over to the Teatro Garibaldi, a 20th century addition to the city that still holds shows and performance. You can check their website here to see if anything’s playing while youre visiting.

Dinner!