MODICA

Modica is the historical capital of the territory almost corresponding to the Libero municipal consortium of Ragusa. Until the nineteenth century it was the capital of a county that has exerted a wide political, economic and cultural influence, so much so that it has been counted among the most powerful feuds of the south. Modica boasts a rich repertoire of gastronomic specialties, the result of the contamination of the different cultures that have dominated it; It is known above all for the production of the typical Aztec-derived chocolate. Its historic center, rebuilt following the devastating earthquake of 1693, is one of the most significant examples of late Baroque architecture and for its masterpieces the city was included in 2002, together with the Val di Noto, in the list of UNESCO Humanity. Many houses in the old part of the city, leaning on each other, are often the extension of the ancient caves, inhabited since prehistoric times. Approximately 700 caves have been surveyed that were once inhabited, or in any case used for some use, among those visible and those "incorporated" in new buildings. Of great historical importance is the excellent state of conservation, in the historic center, of the Quartiriccio necropolis.