My favorite place for gelato in the summer or pastries in the winter! There's hundreds of gelato…read moreshops in Modica so you have to make sure you pick the best one. This is the spot you have to go to where you will have no regrets. You can get anything from amazing coffee, granita (Italian ice) served with their homemade brioche buns, ice cream cakes, regular cakes, gelato, pastries, cocktails, the list goes on and on. They have indoor and outdoor seating that is plenty for all to come. Everyone is very friendly. I was lucky enough to go on a behind the scenes tour of the bakery. They homemake everything literally everything except the ceramic plates they serve it on. When in Modica stop by and have a treat. Great shopping is nearby just down the street.

Most people have never been to Modica but I am lucky that most of my family is from here. It is so…read morenice to go back and visit. One place that is a must on your trip is Liola for a espresso, granita or some incredible Gelato (that's ice cream to you Americans)! Liola is a family run business and they are all hard workers. The owner Georgette makes all of the gelato's fresh every day...you will usually find her in the back making tiny gelato cones or amazing ice cream cakes. The tiny gelato cones are very popular and people buy them by the pound. The bad part is that once you start eating them you can not stop. Why can't our ice cream in America taste like this? I think I could live here on gelato alone. And if you are reading this there is a good chance you only speak English...so do not be shy when visiting here because Georgetta speaks great English and would love to have a conversation and show you her kitchen. I loved the tour...it was great getting to see how the gelato cakes were made. My favorite gelato that I had and I sampled most of them was the pistachio. I almost did not get it because it was green but then said, "You only live once!" Wow was I hooked. In fact, it was my favorite flavor and I could have eaten it every day. My second favorite flavor gelato was the Baci, which is chocolate and hazelnut. In past trips, Baci use to by my number one, until my summer trip to Sicily this year. Sorry Baci!!! The espresso is also amazing here to...one of the best I have ever had in Europe. There is also beer here too but I could not mix it with gelato and espresso. I also recommend you try the granita. It is like an Italian Ice but you can actually eat with out needing a shovel. When I was a kid there was one flavor...espresso and then eventually came a second flavor called lemon. I had no idea that there were advances in granita over the past few years...there was strawberry (which I loved) and many other flavors to choose from. So if you find yourself traveling through Modica, then make sure you stop by here and have a nice treat...you deserve it...your on vacation right!!!

When you come to Modica you must stop in and try an impannatighe cookie. It looks like a half moon…read morebiscuit dusted with sugar. The name may be hard to pronounce...so I have included a photo so you can just point at it, when ordering. The name comes from empanadilla which is a Spanish word for a pastry that has a filling inside. The Spanish introduced chocolate to Modica from Mexico. If you have the impannatighe in your hand, then take a bite and stop reading my review. Now when you bite in you will instantly say...yum I like chocolate...but here is the dirty little secret...there is minced beef inside of here too. I started eating these as a little kid and I just fell in love with them. It wasn't until I got older that someone told me about the beef in here. I should have never told my wife because she can not eat them...which is a blessing for me because I do not have to share them with her. Modica is my Dad's hometown and I have been eating these pastries for as long as I can remember. My Dad told me a story that one person started making these pastries and all of the bakers in town tried copying it, until they got it right. When you come to Modica you will be able to find this pastry in almost every bakery or Gelato place. So you must try one for yourself because it is unique to the region. It is great to embrace the culture and traditions of the country you are visiting.