After lunch, it’s time to step out into the open and to experience Modica with your eyes and nose. There’s an area of Modica where the stones tell ancient stories, silent yet vivid: it’s the old Cartellone neighborhood, where the Jewish community lived until the second half of the 15th century. Today, it’s one of the city’s most charming neighborhoods: every curve offers a glimpse, like a surprise that suddenly opens up over the city, houses facing one another, rooftops that touch the hill. Continue climbing, following the steps until you reach Via Rosso and Via Exaudinos: from there, you reach the Belvedere. Stop. Breathe. Before you, San Giorgio stands majestically. It’s one of the most beautiful views in all of Modica, so much so that you wish you were an angel to fly above it. And it’s from here that the city looks like “a split pomegranate,” as Bufalino described it, full of narrow streets and houses embroidered in ochre-colored stone, which at sunset light up with a pink glow. Incomparable.

If you like, you can end your second day like this, in front of this wonder. But if you still have energy, continue to lose yourself. You can head towards Monserrato hill, behind the Madonna delle Grazie: a jasmine-scented kingdom, where the houses suddenly merge with the pine forest. Or you can explore the San Paolo neighborhood, behind the Carmine church, where you find yourself walking through narrow, quiet alleys and, before you know it, you’re already in the countryside, passing from baroque palaces to dry-stone walls and olive trees. It’s here that the city gives way to its rural past, still alive. If you’re lucky, you might stumble upon small, hidden churches, like the delightful little church of San Girolamo: it opens onto a clearing that the residents tend like a secret garden, with bougainvillea and jasmine enveloping you in their scent. It’s Modica speaking to you softly, with every step. It’s up to you to listen.

Modica is unique, but also dual. Now you can begin to delve into the veins of the city’s other heart: Modica Alta, less exposed to the tourist spotlight but no less charming and authentic. Indeed, because among quiet alleys and winding stairways, you can still see old men sitting outside their homes, with chairs on the street, enjoying an almond milk latte, chatting, or “spicciare,” that is, peeling broad beans. Stroll to the church of Santa Teresa – with the adjoining convent, now an elementary school – overlooking a small, tree-lined square still frequented by children and their games. Further up is the city’s only cinema, while going back down—after a bend to the right—you can visit the church of San Nicolò ed Erasmo, where the choir loft is hidden behind latticework. Finally, head up Via Regina Margherita, a street branching off into narrow alleys, open spaces, and characteristic streets. The 19th-century Palazzo Floridia, the neoclassical Palazzo Salonia-Floridia, the Palazzo Salonia-Di Lorenzo-Minardo (with mid-18th-century decorations and coats of arms), and the former Albergo dei Poveri, poorhouse, a structure steeped in history and charm, overlook this street. Before reaching the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista, you’ll also encounter the mid-19th-century Church of San Ciro and the 18th-century Church of San Martino, with its adjoining convent, which first served as a hospital and then as an academic building. Overlooking Piazza San Giovanni is Palazzo Napolino De Naro Papa, one of the most significant examples of Modica’s late Baroque style, with an entrance portal framed by arches supporting a balcony with a wrought-iron railing. On the left side of the Church of San Giovanni, you can continue along Via Pizzo. Walk along it and reach another picture-perfect spot: from here, the view opens up over the entire lower city, the Cartellone neighborhood, and the Itria hill. Ideal at sunset or in the evening, when the lights cast a magical light on the rooftops, domes, and stairways climbing the hills. A contemplative, romantic, and photographic “nativity scene.”

You can spend the afternoon exploring the lush countryside of Modica, which, like the city’s buildings, has shaped the County’s identity. This is thanks to the presence of numerous fortified farmhouses and its green expanses, punctuated by dry stone walls and dotted with olive and carob trees. You’ll need a vehicle to head towards the Quartarella or Mauto districts, along the roads that descend from Modica towards the sea or climb towards the hamlet of Frigintini. The dry stone walls here are a true feat of peasant engineering and have helped shape the rural landscape, creating a balance between man and nature. The art of dry stone walls has been recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Their function, known for centuries, is multifaceted: in addition to clearing the land of stones, they serve to delimit properties, create terraces, and, with the gaps left in the stonework, allow water to flow in the event of flooding.

Now you can sit, or lie down, under a carob tree: especially in summer, you’ll immediately notice the cooler microclimate. This is where the cows and other animals take refuge; it’s where the farmers would find refreshment, eating bread and tumazzu (our aged caciocavallo cheese) and black olives, resting from their work in the fields. If you continue toward Frigintini, you’ll glimpse some of the 19th-century villas where Modica’s nobility once vacationed. One in particular: Torre Trigona, a perfect example of a fortified and noble masseria, with elegant battlements, terraces overlooking the courtyard, and all the charm of yesteryear.