Modica

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Modica
No coat of arms available.
Modica (Italy)
Modica
Country Italy
region Sicily
Free community consortium Ragusa  (RG)
Local name Muòrica
Coordinates 36 ° 52 '  N , 14 ° 46'  E Coordinates: 36 ° 51 '42 "  N , 14 ° 45' 39"  E
height 296  m slm
surface 290.77 km²
Residents 54,089 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density 186 inhabitants / km²
Factions Modica Alta, Modica Bassa, Modica Sorda, Marina di Modica
Post Code 97015
prefix 0932
ISTAT number 088006
Popular name Modicani
Patron saint San Giorgio
Website Modica
View of Modica

Modica is a town and municipality in the southeast of Sicily and is part of the Ragusa Free Community Consortium in Italy with 54,089 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2019). It is one of the late baroque cities of the Val di Noto that has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

geography

The city is located at an altitude of 296  m slm and 20 km southeast of Ragusa on the southern slopes of the Monti Iblei . The main districts of Modica are Modica alta, Modica bassa, Modica sorda and Marina di Modica.

The neighboring municipalities are Buscemi , Giarratana , Ispica , Noto ( SR ), Palazzolo Acreide , Pozzallo , Ragusa , Rosolini (SR) and Scicli .

economy

An important branch of the economy is agriculture with the cultivation of olives, carob trees and grain. Vegetables are grown on a large scale in greenhouses. In addition, animal husbandry (Modica cattle), dairy farming and the production of chocolate from Modica have gained importance. Tourism has also been strongly promoted for a number of years, in particular through historical events and the distribution of typical specialties such as chocolate and chocolate liqueur, which are also marketed nationwide due to the high demand.

history

The city was founded by the Sicilians under the name Motyka and was inhabited by Greeks and Romans in later times, but hardly any notable traces of their presence have survived . The Arabs conquered the city in 845 and named it Mohac. In the 11th century the Normans , led by Roger I , took over the city.

Like other towns in the Val di Noto, Modica was destroyed by the severe earthquake of January 9, 1693, which killed 60,000 people in Sicily. Rebuilt in the Sicilian Baroque style, Modica is today a quiet regional center with one of the most beautiful cityscapes in the Sicilian Baroque style despite two floods in 1833 and 1902.

Buildings

  • Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie from 1615, the construction remained unfinished
  • Church of San Pietro from the 18th century with a staircase with figures of the twelve apostles
  • Church of San Giorgio from the 12th century, rebuilt in the 17th century by Rosario Gagliardi , it is at the end of a staircase with 250 steps
  • Salvatore Quasimodo's birth house
  • Dammusi

photos

  • San Giorgio Church

  • San Giorgio - dome

  • San Giorgio - interior

  • Palace of the Tedeschi family

  • San Pietro Cathedral

  • San Pietro Cathedral, interior

  • Church of San Giovanni

  • Interior of the Church of San Giovanni

people

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Statistiche demografiche ISTAT. Monthly population statistics of the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica , as of December 31 of 2019.

Web links

Commons : Modica  - collection of images, videos and audio files