Eventually we all boarded a minibus, driven by a driver who might have been chosen as ideal for a tour based on the Italian TV series "Inspector Montalbano". Not quite a look-alike but the same physical type. No photo as yet, but possibly later this week.
And off we went to Modica, where we settled into a very nice little hotel, right in the heart of the “centro storico”, in a street too narrow for the minibus to enter. We all had to lug our bags up steps and steep slopes to reach the hotel. Our room is very picturesque; called “il soffione”, it has a huge painting of a dandelion clock on the ceiling, complete with what my granddaughter calls “wishes” floating away from it. 
Last night it looked as though the tour was turning more gastronomic than anything else as we dined in a restaurant called, I believe, “Osteria dei Sapori Perduti” – the Inn of the Lost Flavours. The menu is written in dialect, accompanied by a book of photos of the various dishes, all sounding interesting and delicious. We all shared a mixed antipasto and then Phil and I ate rabbit. 
Others ate concoctions of ricotta cheese and vegetables, 
beans and pasta,
cauliflower and I’m not sure what and aubergine and tomatoes. And all for a total of around 15 euros each, including wine!!!! Very good value!!!
This morning I went up to the roof terrace of our hotel to admire the view of Modica and its rooftops. The city was destroyed by earthquakes in 1613 and 1693. Amazingly, it was rebuilt and in more recent times has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A very good way of preserving the buildings, I suspect.
After breakfast we had a guided visit, led by a charming and well informed guide called Sabrina. She took us to the Cattedrale di San Pietro, which appears at first sight to be the big wow-factor church of the city with its statues of the apostles on the steps leading up to the entrance and its Spanish-influenced colourful interior.
But then she took us to the Cattedrale di San Giorgio, equally impressive! 
Apparently there was considerable rivalry as to which church should be the mother church of the city. The “supporters” of each faction even came to blows. Both became “mother churches” but there is a stone marking the border between the two zones. (Our guide declared herself to be on the side of San Giorgio, to the extent that her daughter is called Giorgia. Enough said!!) Add to this the fact that there is some rivalry between Modica itself, which believes it should be the regional capital, and Ragusa, which IS the regional capital and you get the impression of some very determined people around here. 
We stopped for refreshment after visiting San Giorgio. It was at the top of impressive flights of steps and we felt we deserved a reward. Some of our party treated themselves to “grenata di cioccolato”, a kind of chocolate slush drink. All of us were treated to free samples of Modica chocolate, about which more later. Before saying arrivederci, Sabrina delighted us by quoting poetry by Salvatore Quasimodo, born here in Modica: something we found most impressive!!
After our very cultural morning we got back to the important Montalbano / gastronomic aspects of the visit by eating “arancini”, rice concoctions which come in various flavours and are a favourite food of he Inspector. This was just a light lunch, as we were visiting a chocolate factory later in the day. Modica is, after all, famous for its chocolate, and the place we were visiting is the oldest in town, the Dolceria Bonajuto, established in 1880. Reports on this to follow in the next post I hope.
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