{"id":3225,"date":"2014-07-07T09:41:23","date_gmt":"2014-07-07T07:41:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rickzullo.com\/?p=3225"},"modified":"2021-09-11T23:22:11","modified_gmt":"2021-09-11T21:22:11","slug":"modica-final-official-stop-blog-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/modica-final-official-stop-blog-tour\/","title":{"rendered":"Modica: The Final (official) Stop on my Blog Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"visiting<\/a>Our arrival into\u00a0Modica was as inglorious as it could have been.\u00a0 An outdated iPhone app and my questionable sense of direction conspired to get us trapped within the ancient city walls.\u00a0 Literally.<\/p>\n

Our little FIAT Panda was firmly lodged between a church and an apartment building, with no conceivable way to turn around.\u00a0 Even the nonna<\/em> watching from her balcony could only shake her head in disbelief.\u00a0 After inching back down the tortuous trail, we eventually righted our course and found our hotel in Modica Alta.<\/p>\n

Yes, Modica has two city centers; a high one, and a low one (Modica Bassa, appropriately).\u00a0 And therein lies the problem: relying on a two-dimensional map to solve a three dimensional navigation problem. I come from the Florida, the flattest state in the Union, where our only mountain is Space Mountain at Disney.\u00a0 We don\u2019t have these types of geographical dilemmas, so I was ill-prepared for the challenge.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Our friend Angela grew up in Modica and couldn\u2019t have possibly imagined that her town\u2019s layout could so easily confound a seasoned American traveler like me (ha!).\u00a0 She had connected with us on Facebook and kindly offered to be our guide during our brief visit to her hometown.\u00a0 She handled everything from restaurant selections, to gelato advice, to museum suggestions, to introducing us to the wonderful family who runs the historical hotel, Palazzo Failla<\/a>, where we stayed during our visit.<\/p>\n

How to describe Palazzo Failla<\/a>?\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t exactly sure, so asked the owner, Signor Failla himself.\u00a0 He looked around the lobby space, took a deep breath, as said with modest pride, \u201cThis place?\u00a0 This is my home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"staying<\/a><\/p>\n

He meant it literally, and frankly it didn\u2019t surprise me.\u00a0 The way it\u2019s decorated, the way it\u2019s cared for, the family members working at the front desk\u2026it does, indeed, feel like you\u2019ve walked into someone\u2019s home.\u00a0 Especially on the upper floors, where common areas display portraits and keepsakes.\u00a0 Dark wood furnishings and plush, comfortable fabrics give it a cozy feel.\u00a0 And it\u2019s actually easy to find if you know how to read a map (unlike me).<\/p>\n

As homey as the ten guestrooms are, this is indeed a full-service four-star hotel, with all the amenities including a Michelin-rated restaurant called, \u201cLa Gazza Ladra<\/em><\/a>;\u201d a must for any serious foodie.\u00a0 With our nine-month old in tow, we didn\u2019t feel comfortable having dinner there (while their wine selection is top-notch, Demetra informed me that their \u201cmilk list\u201d is sorely lacking).\u00a0 However, we were lucky enough to have breakfast in their dining room, which like the rest of the property, is intimate and detailed.\u00a0 The breakfast was delicious, only adding further to my disappointment that we didn\u2019t join them for dinner.<\/p>\n

The fact that La Gazza Ladra<\/em><\/a> stands out in Modica is really saying something, as this town might have the highest concentration of great places to eat in all of Sicily.\u00a0 The next day we met Angela and some of her friends at a very casual, but delicious osteria along the main street called, \u201cOsteria dei Sapori Perduti<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0 Simple food, but classic Sicilian recipes like: i cavatieddi \u2018mpastizzati cc\u00f4 chjuri\u00e8tti, sa\u00fbsizza e ricotta<\/em> (I\u2019ll tell you what\u2019s in it if you don\u2019t ask me to pronounce it\u2014cavatelli pasta with onions, sausage and ricotta cheese).\u00a0 Incredibly, all their pasta dishes were only \u20ac 6.30 and their second courses were from \u20ac6.30 \u2013 8.80, and a liter of wine was \u20ac6.00.\u00a0 This made me feel slightly less guilty when one of Angela\u2019s friends picked up the check for the whole table. \u00a0(Grazie ancora, Giuseppe e Elvira!<\/em>)<\/p>\n

\"osteria<\/a><\/p>\n

In the near future, I\u2019m going to write another article on just the food of Modica, including that famous (Mexican?) chocolate!<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a Dog\u2019s Life<\/h2>\n

This is the story of a dog–but not just any dog. \u00a0At first glance, Italo Barocco<\/a> might have looked like your average stray; a little dirty, his posture a bit slouched, but with those pleading eyes that pull at your heartstrings.\u00a0 You might give him a whistle as you pass, or if you\u2019re more bold, a pat on the head.\u00a0 And for Italo, that would have been enough.\u00a0 He craved human companionship above all.<\/p>\n

A resident of the neighboring town of Scicli, he belonged to everybody in town.\u00a0 And nobody.\u00a0 In the mornings he\u2019d follow the older folks to church, and quietly sit through Mass until the priest dismissed the congregation.\u00a0 Later, he\u2019d meet up with a few tourists that were sight-seeing for the day, and he\u2019d be their private tour guide, leading them around from one baroque masterpiece to the next. Then in the afternoon, he\u2019d arrive at the local primary school and accompany the children to their homes.\u00a0 He went to every soccer game and participated in every religious festival.<\/p>\n

Then in 2009, there was a terrible tragedy in Scicli.\u00a0 A pack of wild dogs attacked and killed a young boy while playing with his friends.\u00a0 The local council panicked, and quickly approved a law to dispose of all stray animals within the city limits.\u00a0 Italo was brought in to be euthanized along with the rest of them.<\/p>\n

\"the<\/a><\/p>\n

The town folks were conflicted; at once grieving for the little boy, while at the same time distraught over the fate of their beloved mascot.\u00a0 The mayor of Scicli stepped in and solved the problem.\u00a0 He adopted Italo and brought him to live at his house.<\/p>\n

Italo died in 2011, but his legacy lives on thanks to film director Alessia Scarso, herself a Modica native.\u00a0 Later this year her film, \u201cItalo Barocco<\/a>\u201d will be released throughout Italy, with hopes of an international release next year.\u00a0 (Any film promoters out there?)\u00a0 Initial screenings of the film have won her (and Italo) rave reviews, including this one from the Taormina Film Festival<\/a>.\u00a0 It\u2019s a story for the whole family, and one that I personal look forward to watching.<\/p>\n

Emergency Exit<\/h2>\n

This little Baroque corner of the island was the last stop on the Sicily segment of my summer blog tour. \u00a0Both my (Sicilian) wife Jessica and I agreed that it\u2019s our favorite area.\u00a0 There\u2019s much to enjoy all over the island (and the country), but if pressed to pick one spot that offers the best of everything, I think it would have to be here.\u00a0 Food, history, art, architecture, natural beauty, and warm people.\u00a0 Yes, these things are found all over Italy, but the Southeast corner of Sicily seems to really bring it all together nicely.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a><\/p>\n

Our time in Modica was largely arranged by our friend, Angela.\u00a0 A very friendly, intelligent, energetic woman, who, like too many young Italians today, is over-qualified and underpaid at her job, and dreams of the bella vita<\/em> in the United States.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that ironic?\u00a0 So many Americans wish they could come live in Italy, and so many young Italians would like nothing more than to leave their country for the Land of Opportunity.\u00a0 Such is the color of other people\u2019s lawns. (Here is the trailer of the film Emergency Exit<\/a>)<\/p>\n

By the way, Angela is a very qualified attorne<\/a>y, so any of my American friends who have connections in the law field, please send me an email and I\u2019ll pass it on to Angela. \u00a0Grazie!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our arrival into\u00a0Modica was as inglorious as it could have been.\u00a0 An outdated iPhone app and my questionable sense of direction conspired to get us trapped within the ancient city walls.\u00a0 Literally. Our little FIAT Panda was firmly lodged between a church and an apartment building, with no conceivable way to turn around.\u00a0 Even the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3230,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[211,10,42,95,94],"tags":[256,61,191,254,98,255,195],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3225"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3225"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3225\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}