Gioietta Ospitalita is a delightful bed and breakfast escape located right in the heart of historic Modica in Sicily.

A visit to Modica in Sicily is a must for any tourist wanting an authentic baroque town experience. And there is nothing more authentic than staying at Gioietta Ospitalita Sicilina, in a former historic 19^th century home, renovated by its owner, Elisa Rizza Moncada, who grew up there.

The ever-smiling Elisa, holding her grandmother’s camera.

If you have never heard of Modica, that needs to change, too. And trust us on this one: You will come for the romance and history of walking narrow streets in a baroque town, and you’ll stay for the chocolate – specialty Modica chocolate to be exact, which even has protected status.

To explore the baroque town of  Modica properly and in a most relaxed manner, you will need somewhere to stay. And there is no better place than at the Gioietta with Elisa. The bed and breakfast is located right off the main street, Corso Umberto, in old town, and nearly adjacent to the historic Church of Saint Peter.

The entrance is a non-descript door (easy to walk past as we did, twice) located off a side alley connected to the main street. Elisa provides excellent directions if you follow them precisely – we kicked ourselves for not doing so. From the street level, count 38 somewhat narrow steps up to the main entrance to Gioietta upstairs. Once inside, Elisa’s warmth and welcoming smile enveloped us. We felt like we were walking into her home, and in many ways, we were.

Gioietta was her grandmother’s childhood home, and a home Elisa herself grew up in. She offers four rooms, each numbered according to a year that is important to her family in some way for that room. Room 1913 is the year her grandmother was born and the headboard for the room’s bed is from her grandmother’s bed. Room 1934 is the year her grandmother and grandfather married, and in that room, the bed’s headboard is from their bed. Room 1940 is the year Elisa’s mother was born. And room 1973 is the year Elisa was born. Three of the rooms sleep two and the fourth sleeps three.

Room number 1913, where we stayed at Gioietta.

Therese and I were shown to room 1913 with a small balcony that overlooked the street below. It was quite entertaining to swing open the balcony doors and shutters to lean out over the street buzzing with nightlife below. And since this was during the annual Chocomodica chocolate festival, there was a LOT of buzzing! Fortunately, much, though not all, of the loud street noise that continued well into the night was muffled by thick walls and well-sealed balcony doors.

Each room, like ours, has a private bathroom, individually controlled air conditioning / heat, and a tea kettle for hot water with a small selection of teas. Our bathroom was not actually a bathroom prior to Elisa remodeling into a B&B, she told us. It was, in fact, part of her room, and the bathroom window was a place she used to sit as a child, staring out at the Modica city rooftops.

Breakfast feels like a family affair with Elisa tending warmly to all her guests. Yes, that’s me, and I’m quite sure I am eyeing the chocolate chip muffins.

We awakened after a very comfortable night and wandered down the stairs to breakfast, which was served right in the kitchen. Joining other guests already at the table, Therese and I dove into fresh fruit, coffee, juice, cereal, and muffins. The muffins were made with, what else, Modica chocolate!

Oh my … look at the size of those delicious, wonderful Modica chocolate chips.

Elisa bustled about ensuring we all had everything we wanted and needed – she waited on us but she also felt a bit like mom making sure you were eating and enjoying. And I’m quite sure I was served more than my share of chocolate muffins! As we were getting up to return to our room to pack, Elisa asked if we’d been up to the private rooftop terrace yet. She told us breakfast was often served on the terrace, weather and temperatures permitting. Unfortunately, on this morning, cool temperatures and passing showers meant dining in the kitchen, not that was a bad thing as the kitchen is super cozy. But we took Elisa’s cue and hustled upstairs to the terrace to see Modica rooftops in the daylight.

View from the private terrace at Gioietta. Here looking down at the alley below. The cover shot is the rooftops of Modica, also shot from the terrace.

The view from Gioietta’s private terrace is spectacular and left us agape as we gazed across the rooftops and up the steeply terraced hillsides of Modica, enjoying the view of the fortress and church as well as city streets.. We learned we could also arrange aperitifs and dinner on the terrace, again weather permitting, and sadly it was not permitting for us. We could imagine sitting peacefully on the terrace, watching the sun set behind the Modica rooftops while sipping a lovely (adult) beverage. But sadly, that would have to wait until another visit. One night in Modica at Gioietta was simply not long enough!