Casa Talia is an island on the island, where harmony is the main protagonist. The Sicilian word Talìa means "Look! Admire!". And admiring is what one does as soon as he enters the garden of the facility: it is impossible to be indifferent to the beautiful view of the historical town. The word Talìa has though other meanings: it comes from the Greek verb Thallo, which means to flourish, to to prosper, to be luxuriant. In the ancient Greece, Talìa was one of the nine Muses, Apollo’s followers, the one of comedy and burlesque poetry. 

The project of restoration has been inspired by the intimate feature of the Arabic houses in the Medina, which are peacefull places even though they are in the center of a busy town. Like in a Moroccan riad, rooms in Talìa are indipendent and do not comunicate, but they all face the central garden, which is an important element of the facility and is the place of encounters.
Great attention has been given to the choise of materials, which are natural, ecological, and, above all, typical of the Sicilian tradition: stone walls, lime plasters, cane roof, stone and polychrom tiled floors. 

Breakfast Room

Restored small houses guest the rooms, which are on different natural levels of the ground. Each room has the entrance from the garden and a private terrace which overviews the historical center of Modica. The restoration complitely respected the preexistences and the interiors has been furnished with simplicity and good taste, using pieces of furniture which tell the "Sicilianity” and their background. All rooms, with their colours and atmospheres, refer to Mediterranean places and to the different cultures that marked the Sicilian history. 

Il Mediterraneo

La Meridiana

 The countryside near Modica is characterized by stone walls, olive trees and carobs. Nearby there are Ragusa, Caltagirone, Scicli, Ispica, Noto, Siracusa, the seashores of Sampieri, Marina di Modica, Marina di Ragusa, the Natural Reserve of Vendicari, Marzamemi, Kamarina.

From the nearby harbour of Pozzallo it is possibile to reach Malta by hydrofoil. 

There are as well many oenological and gastronomic specialities in this area: the wine Nero d’Avola, the cheese Ragusano DOP, the oil of Frigintini, the tomatoes of Pachino, the famous chocolate of Modica.

So just slow down, open your eyes and feel! Ciao! 

All photos Courtesy of Andrea Ferrari

Casa Talia, Via Exaudinos, 1/9 - 97015 Modica (RG), www.casatalia.it