Sicily Guide: What to do in Modica and Ragusa

Where I stayed, ate and visited in Modica, Ragusa and Southeastern Sicily

From my experience last summer, I know how much time goes into planning a trip to Sicily. There are so many places to see on the island that it’s hard to choose where to spend your limited time. But over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing about my tips for visiting Southeastern Sicily, including what to do in Modica and Ragusa.

Since Edoardo and I spent our summer holidays on Sicily last August, I’ve been talking to everyone who will listen to me about how amazing it is. My post about Ortigia, Syracuse where I give you the breakdown on all there is to do, see, and eat on this tiny island is proof of that. There are some things I’d do differently if I had known, but all-in-all it was one of my favorite trips I’ve done in Italy, with fantastic food, scenery, and cities to explore, with locals who were so welcoming.

Where to stay near Modica

We stayed in two lovely agriturismi in this part of the island, which worked out best for us because they were at a lower price point and we had a rental car to drive around in. If you plan on flying into Sicily and want to stay in one of the larger cities, an apartment rental or hotel room might fit your needs better.

Our first location we stayed in was about 20 minutes outside of Modica and was our favorite spot we found during the 12-night trip. The rooms at Agriturismo Serrafiori were all clean, recently renovated and the surroundings were isolated. The pool and lounging area was a huge plus for us when we chose to skip the beach one day and take it easy by staying at the agriturismo.

The second, Agriturismo B&B Tenuta Cappello, was a 10-minute drive from Modica and located on a cute farm outside the city. I’m not sure if it’s still open or not (there may be many closures following the corona virus economic crisis in Italy) but it’s worth a shot if you can book.

Where to eat in Modica

We had the best experiences at the small, family-run places we stumbled into. II know this seems obvious, and I hear it from people visiting Rome all the time. They ALWAYS have the best meal of their life at a random restaurant that they found by walking in the street. It goes completely against my nature to leave food and restaurants up to chance, because it’s something that’s so important to me. Most of the fun I get out of traveling through Italy is trying all of the amazing regional food, but sometimes that only happens when you’re willing to let go of expectations and see where you end up.

Now this isn’t to say that I’ve only had good experiences doing this (our first night in Modica we didn’t reserve early enough and were left with an interesting experience at a tiny family-run restaurant where I ended up having to hide my dessert in my napkin (we’ve all done it right??)

I knew I needed to give the town a second chance and not just because our agriturismo was 10 minutes away. So many of the people I love to follow for Italy content have expressed their love for Modica, so I knew that I just needed to find the piece of it that spoke to me. Our second night there, it all clicked. First, we found a parking spot right away, which felt like a sign from above because parking during the week of Ferragosto in popular Sicilian towns is no joke. And second, I swear the light there is special because for that hour before sunset, we walked around in awe of everything we were looking at. Dinner was from our agriturismo owner’s recommendation, a small fish shop-turned-restaurant run by 3 young men who base the daily menu off of what they find at the docks that morning. Down a small alleyway and illuminated only by a few small lights, I Lupini was incredibly romantic and felt special. The food was, of course, incredible, and we basically ended up ordering everything our waiter suggested. The stewed octopus was my favorite, but the assorted grilled and fried fish were super fresh and delicious. I loved that they were serving local craft beer and natural wines as well from the island.

We ended the night the way we started it, with a granita and gelato from a small shop where we could sit and enjoy the buzz of everyone having their post-dinner passeggiata. Some other places to check out:

Antica Dolceria Bonajuto: visit Italy’s oldest chocolate factory (opened in 1880) still making chocolate the authentic, artisanal way
Caffe dell’Arte: visit this bar with streetside tables and try their granita (chocolate because #Modica) or a cannolo.
Trattoria Il Girasole: this was another recommendation from our host, a great place to grab an authentic Sicilian meal

Where to eat in Ragusa

I really loved Ragusa for a quick stop. It’s gorgeous, with that classic Sicilian Baroque architecture that makes your eyes go big, and a lovely park with panoramic views. But it does feel a bit like a theme park in a way. Everything was almost *too* clean, and we didn’t see many locals in the historic center. But we did try one of my favorite arancine of the trip at Cantunera Ilba, which lived up to expectations.

Despite a rocky start where we ended up waiting for an hour, the arancine were delicious and the cannolo I took to go was incredible. The rice balls I tried, saffron, “all norma” with eggplant and tomato sauce, classic ragu and radicchio and sausage, were all interesting and super flavorful.

I loved the whole atmosphere, the way that you need to eat your food outdoors in the gorgeous piazza, and how they have a limited number of arancine a day and once they’re gone, the store shuts down. It makes me want to move to Sicily and open my own food truck selling delicious fried food, cannoli, and granita, spending every afternoon on the beach or sharing aperitivo with friends at my local bar. But I digress…

What to do in Ragusa

Aside from some great savory and sweet snacks, Ragusa has so much going for it in terms of art, architecture and overall atmosphere. Giardino Ibleo is such a slice of paradise, with fountains, palm tree-lined boulevards and a small, charming church.

There are many 18 and 19th-century churches scattered throughout the old and newer areas of Ragusa, including the town’s cathedral, Cattedrale di San Giovanni Battista. If you’re interested in art history/architecture, it’s a goldmine. It is, however, one of the most popular towns in Sicily for tourists, right up there with Noto, Modica and many others that we also visited during our 2-week stay. I’d recommend visiting in lower season if possible and considering booking a tour of the historic center.

Why you need to visit Rosolini

Finally, a tiny piece of paradise in what is undoubtedly a gorgeous part of the island but very overrun with people visiting it in summer, Rosolini.

I don’t think this particular town is necessarily special, because there were many other “no-name”, small towns in Sicily that would most likely give you the same experience. But it was in this small town and others that I finally got to see a glimpse of what life is actually like for locals here. We visited Rosolini twice, the first on August 15th to visit their sagra, or food festival, and celebrate the holiday. It turned out to be a huge party, with everyone from the town and the surrounding area coming out to join. The next morning, we somehow ended up back there and had, without a doubt, the best brioche and granite of our lives.

The signs pointing us in the direction of this pasticceria were unmistakable. A smell of warm pastries wafting through the air, a line of grumpy locals out the door. We got a spot inside and were told to wait for the newest batch of brioche coming out hot from the oven. Pasticceria Lao was everything I could’ve wished for and more. Give me a hot brioche, a chocolate granita and a bustling Italian bar and I will die a happy woman.

Get more of my Sicily recommendations here:

Sicily Guide: Everything you need to know about Ortigia, Syracuse