A drive to Modica... and parking tickets... not what you think...

A couple of days ago we took the short but beautiful drive to Modica, which is known for it's chocolate.  It was a warm, sunny day, and it seemed like everyone was out.  We drove down the long, busy main street through town, looking for a place to park.  We finally found a spot, but were concerned about whether or not we would have to pay.  We asked an old lady who was waiting for the bus, and she said something about the "bar" across the street.  We went into the bar, and asked about parking.  The lady pulled out two different biglietti (tickets) that looked like scratch-off lottery tickets.  She helped us scratch off the year, month, day, time, etc., on each one.  They were then placed on the dashboard for all to see.  What a crazy system...

This is what they look like....

And on the dash, on top of our Ragusa parking pass...

Modica, and its sister cities of Ragusa, Scicli, Caltagirone, Noto and a couple others were wiped out in the 1693 earthquake and rebuilt in the Baroque style.  This makes them quite different in style from most other Italian cities, and has earned the "Val di Noto" UNESCO World Heritage status.  If you like baroque....

The balconies with wrought iron and elaborate corbels are amazing...

This palazzo overlooking Corso Italia in Ragusa has three head sculptures above the second story windows... one looking up the street, one down the street, and one straight ahead.  Pigeons were roosting on the heads, so they had to be boxed in...

We mentioned that Modica is known for chocolate.  Could we leave without buying something... ?  Not a chance!

Cannella is cinnamon...

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