Casa Talia

Looking out to the baroque town of Modica, this is a small hotel with a refreshing mixture of modern design and local materials – an invitation to a gentle, unhurried way of life.

At a Glance

• Slow Living Philosophy
• 10 guest rooms
• Garden where breakfast is served in good weather
• Communal breakfast room
• Indoors grotto for relaxing and reading
• Short walk to the main street of Modica

Location

The word “talia” means “look or to admire” in the Sicilian dialect, very apt for this hidden gem that boasts outstanding views of Modica.

Modica’s main street is only a 10-minute walk that you can reach by walking down some steps from Casa Talia. It is one of southern Sicily‘s most atmospheric towns. But unlike some of the other Unesco-listed cities in the area, it doesn’t package its treasures into a single easy-to-see street or central piazza – rather, they are spread around the town and take some discovering. It can take a little while to orientate yourself in Modica, but once you’ve got the measure of the bustling streets and steep staircases, you’ll find a warm, genuine town with a welcoming vibe.

Layout

The cluster of old houses comprising the hotel is now a carefully restored collection of rooms that follow the natural levels of the hill. The materials used are earthy and faithful to the Sicilian tradition like natural stone and original tiles that sit comfortably with flat screen TV’s and electronic key cards. All rooms have their own little terraces with a fetching view of Modica.

The heart and meeting place of this little hotel is the garden, shaded by a wealth of fruit trees and fragrant jasmine vines. Here you will be served breakfast of fresh fruit juice, yogurt, local cakes, fresh bread and homemade jams.

The hotel’s 10 rooms differ in size and decor and are divided in 4 categories: Superior Suite, Suite, Superior room and Standard room.

Superior Suites are on two levels with separate living area that can sleep up to 4 people. They have a private garden and/or terrace.

The Suites have a separate living area where you could accommodate a 3rd and a 4th person if required. The terraces overlook the garden and the cathedral.

Each Superior room has a terrace or a balcony with a view of the Baroque Modica and its cathedral. You can add a third bed or a cot on request.

Standard rooms are for no more than two people. Two of these rooms share a small garden and one has a balcony.

Special features

• The hotel owners, Marco and Viviana, are both architects and have chosen a slower lifestyle than what they were used to in Milan. Their search for harmony and living is abundantly clear in every detail of their design. They have artfully developed the philosophy Slow Living.
• At Sicily a la carte, we have heartily embraced the notions of slow travel, where the essence is in less tangible forms of luxury, such as space and time. At Casa Talia, Marco Giunta’s philosophy “vivre doucement” inspires us to get off the grid, open our senses and be in the moment of experience be it visual, vintage, olfactory or organic.
• You may also adopt the slow Sicilian pace and interrupt your relaxing time on the terrace with a meander through art and history or along deserted beaches.

Distances

• Closest airport: Catania, 1h35 by car
• Closest beach: Donnalucata beaches, 30 minutes by car
• Closest towns: Scicli, 20 minutes by car; Ragusa, 30 minutes by car; Noto, 40 minutes by car; Syracuse: 1h10 minutes by car

Prices in euros