Modica is the place where my dream of Sicily came true. It is the first thing that comes to my mind when thinking back to our trip to the island and, together with Palermo, it will most probably be the reason we will return one day.

May 17th, 2018
Modica

This is our second day in Sicily, the island I have been dreaming to see. So far, we’ve been to Syracuse, where we saw a tragedy at the Greek Theatre, we’ve briefly visited Noto and tried our best to hide from the crowds descending from the couches parked along the streets, and we’ve even had lunch on the beach at San Lorenzo. To move from one place to the other, we’ve been driving in our rental Fiat Panda.

Yet, it is only now, as I am sitting at this table in our beautiful baroque house in Modica Alta (High Modica), a cup of tea at hand and a crystal chandelier hanging from the high, vaulted ceiling above my head, that I am finally starting to feel I am in Sicily. Tom is lounging in a reading chair, a book about the island’s history in his hands, and through the window, the amber coloured façades are glowing in the dark.

It is hard to put into words the atmosphere of this house and this majestic old town. Walking back home after a late dinner, I felt as if in the Middle Ages, passing beneath stone arches and historical street lights, step after step, up the hill. There is hardly anyone on the streets and we cannot understand why. Modica is an architectural masterpiece, yet no couches in sight. Perhaps people prefer Noto and Ragusa. We don’t know. We don’t care. We love it here.

We stay for three nights only and this is the first one. We have no other plans than to relax in the garden, eat, drink wine, read, and enjoy the sun. The sweet life.