Marina di Modica

This small seaside village close to the town of Modica is inhabited by just 400 privileged souls in the winter. It is a quiet and sunny place the population of which climbs slowly through the spring and summer with a peak during the months of July and August, which can surely be put down to the fact that Italians, even on their holidays, are incapable of separating from one another.

Autumn, winter and spring are in our opinion the most beautiful and agreeable times to visit. Less time may be spent swimming in the sea, but long walks on the beach or along the coast are ideal for restoring your body and mind to perfect health.

The natural gifts of the village, its long beach, the sea and the low cliffs, are the main attraction.

The village’s services provided for residents and visitors alike include:
the Giunta bar and newsagents, the Conad supermarket, a post office and a chemists open in the mornings on weekdays, the family-run pizzeria and restaurant La Tavernetta, the Pizzeria Casiraro, Beatrice’s family-run fish restaurant, the butcher Giannone and the baker Tirella in C.so Mediterraneo, Nino and Salvatore’s bar and ice cream parlour in the Piazza Mediterraneo, the Bar Sud and the first beach restaurant for many years, Solemare.
The famous Fiore ice cream parlour opens on Sundays and at the back of the village there is the l’Oasi dei Re restaurant next to a small airfield;
There are beds for rent in tourist houses, bed and breakfasts and small holiday chalets.
There is an ATM in the municipal auditorium with its primary school and social-cultural centre.
The parish of S. Maria di Portosalvo and a police station.

The bay of Marina di Modica is held in high regard by windsurfers because of the excellent wind, which nearly always blows onshore.
In the autumn and spring, the village is frequented by numerous campers, mostly from Northern Europe, looking for a break from colder climes and to soak up the sun and clean sea air.
During the summer, the medical post is opened, there is a municipal police office, and the number of pizzerias and restaurants increases, as do the swimming establishments, bakeries, newsagents, and everything else including varied social activities.

nei dintorni lungo la costa

Relaxing day trips can be made from the house to the UNESCO world heritage sites in the towns of Modica, Scicli, Ragusa, Noto and Syracuse and to the island of Ortigia, the Palazzolo Acreide, the archaeological sites of Kamarina and Piazza Armerina, the necropolis of Cava d'Ispica and Pantalica, the nature reserve at the mouth of the river Irminio, the great cave of Cassibile known as the "laghetti di Avola” and Vendicari.

And eastwards

Leaving home, following the coast eastwards, you encounter the Maganuco beach, the town of Pozzallo, with a blue flag for several years now, known for its seafood restaurants and the tourist port from which you can easily reach the island of Malta.

Beyond the beach of Santa Maria del Focallo you arrive on the promontory of Ciriga, from which you can pass between old fishermen's houses to admire the small coves and enjoy a totally relaxing swim.
The port of Ulisse is next along the coast, which carries us on into the area of marshes of c.da Longarini, where rare wildlife can be observed during migration periods.

Continuing on you reach the Isola delle Correnti cape, the south easternmost tip of Sicily, where the seas of the Straits of Sicily meet Ionian waters, and you can always swim in a calm sea and enjoy invigorating mud baths from the sulphurous rock found on the islet.
After crossing Portopalo di Capo Passero you reach Marzamemi, a fantastic example of an ancient fishing village, and if you carry on further you can visit and take a swim in the Vendicari nature reserve.

Westwards

About 1 km westwards from home on the left is the Penna furnace, known as the “the burnt establishment” or “il Pisciotto”, an old factory intentionally burnt down early last century and now a rare example of abandoned industrial archaeology. The beach links it to the seaside village of Sampieri, a delightful small fishing port, where every morning you can buy truly fresh fish.

There follows a stretch of wild and romantic coast, the ‘lovers’ beach and the Costa di Carro, soon to be turned into a nature reserve. Then comes the Cava d'Aliga, the Bruca beach, and on to Donnalucata where there is a small fish market every morning. After Playa Grande, you will encounter the nature reserve at the mouth of the Irminio, the river that runs through the province of Ragusa and ends its slow journey here.

Moving on you reach Marina di Ragusa with its huge tourist port, the Punta Secca with its lighthouse made famous by Commissario Montalbano and before arriving in Scoglitti to eat a excellent dish of fish we recommend a visit to the museum and archaeological park of Kamarina to understand what made this area of the south-east so well-known and important in ancient times.