"...like a pomegranate cut in two; close to the sea but with an air of the countryside; half of it crammed onto a rocky spur, half spread out at its feet; with many steps serving as peacemaker between the two halves, and clouds in the sky between one bell-tower and another, as breathless as a dispatch rider for the King's Cavalrymen...". This is how Gesualdo Bufalino describes Modica, jewel of Sicilian Baroque, crossroads of culture, today one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites and famous for its ancient recipe for chocolate. Modica, birthplace of Salvatore Quasimodo, Nobel Prize in Literature, the "city of lace" as it has been called, is divided into Upper Modica and Lower Modica and is picturesquely spread out over the two sides of a wide rocky gorge. To stay in Modica means rediscovering forgotten emotions, walking slowly through the cobbled lanes, going up and down the ancient steps, catching glimpses of fine nobles' houses with elaborate stone and wrought iron balconies, hidden artisan workshops, picturesque views of churches and rooftops, secret gardens with grottoes and prickly pear plants