Caffetteria i Portici Review

I've been visiting Portici on average two or three times a week since I moved to Modica Bassa. It's in a really central location and is the ideal place to meet friends in the afternoon or in the evening before heading off somewhere else. I was first attracted to it because I wanted to sit underneath the stunning Modican arches and watch people passing by. It's become a favourite place, not only because of the arches and central location but because of the quality of produce and because of the friendliness of the family who own and run the business.

During the daytime, I've enjoyed excellent standards of coffee, delicious ice creams, addictive milkshakes (frappe) - seriously, some days I can't stop thinking about how much I crave one, and feasted on wonderful breakfasts of granite - a traditional crushed ice drink with various flavours, my personal favourite being gelsi (mulberry) and brioche. But the best reason to go is for aperitivo, which can be taken at pretty much any time of the day.

One of the best things about Italian life is it's wonderful café culture and with that comes the practice of taking aperitivo. This is usually taken in the early evening before a later dinner (but not exclusively) and consists of taking a glass of wine, a spritz or a cocktail, with which the bar will serve snacks. The quality of snacks produced at aperitivo o'clock varies, in some places, you will just be brought crisps and nuts, maybe a few olives but in other places you can expect a variety of treats. At Portici, you can expect crisps and nuts, along with bruschetta and other little treats to be washed down with your drink of choice. In Modica, Portici is certainly one of the better places to enjoy this joyous Italian tradition.

I usually take a prosecco or one of the local wines, all of the selections I have been served at Portici have been well received. Or if you are visiting, why not try an Aperol Spritz or a Campari and Soda, both very traditional Italian aperitivo choices and still fashionable.

The cafe is run by a couple and their two sons and, while the service can be a little on the slow side (we are still in Sicily, after all!), the family have always been extremely welcoming and friendly. I've been going for a few years and over time have developed a good rapport with them and when I have had family and friends visit from the UK, they have been so welcoming, thoughtful and enthusiastic about meeting my guests - my parents in particular were very taken with the place when they visited for the first time in June. While English is quite obviously difficult for them, they have really made an effort when I have had non-Italian speaking company with me.

The café also serves sandwiches and pasta dishes, I personally have not tried these but from what I have heard from other people, I'd suggest if you want a small snack the place is fine but for something more substantial, there are probably better places to eat.

Prices are very reasonable, for example, a glass of wine complete with the snacks served will cost €3.50 and is €3.50 well spent!

It's a real pleasure to have this place as one of my locals, I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as I (frequently) do.

Caffetteria I Portici
Piazza Principe di Napoli 1, Modica

Review - L'Orizzonte Pizzeria Ristorante

This was my second visit to L'Orizzonte since its opening a year ago. We are spoilt for choice with pizzerias in Modica, so sometimes you forget about places and there is a tendency to find a favourite and stick to it.

Yesterday evening, we were a group of eight people, a mix of locals and people, like me, who have now made Modica their home. We were greeted and seated within minutes, which was excellent given that we are still in August and there are many tourists around. We opted to sit outside given the pleasing evening temperature and had plenty of table space for our party. The inside of the restaurant is nicely decorated in a modern style, although perhaps the lighting is a little harsh (as with many restaurants in the area!).

The restaurant offers both pizza and an a la carte menu. For this particular evening, we were all about the pizzas and the menu gave us a plethora of choice. We could choose from the usual choices such as the classic Margherita, traditional Sicilian favourite Norma, Capricciosa and so on, plus a number of L'Orizzonte specials inspired and named after local places.

I opted for the Sampieri pizza, named after the nearby seaside resort. The topping for this was salt cod (baccala), potatoes, onions with mozzarella and the restaurant's tomato sauce. The thin pizza base was excellently cooked in the traditional stone oven and was a true Italian triumph. The toppings were wonderfully combined with just the right amount of each ingredient, every mouthful was a delicious reminder of how lucky I am to live in Sicily with so much fantastic food on offer. Both my Italian and British friends within the group made noises of tasting pleasure throughout, along with the standard Sicilian hand gesture of twisting the index finger into their cheeks to remark that they were very much enjoying their dinner. The group had a mix of the pizza choices on offer and there was not a single complaint or grumble.


While some of our party opted for bottled beers, a few of us shared a litre of local Inzolia wine and while it wasn't the most fantastic local I've ever tasted it went pleasingly with the fishy pizza and was all appreciated and heartily washed down by both Brits and Sicilians alike.


The restaurant was pretty quiet, which I suppose meant we had more personal and attentive service than usual but by Sicilian standards, everything came pretty quickly and the waiting staff were helpful and pleasant.


We paid just €12 per person including the beers and wines. This is a pretty average price for pizza in Modica but the standard was above average... definitely worth every centesimo.


A definite recommendation to people visiting the area who are looking for an excellent pizza away from the crowds.


8/10


Pizzeria Ristorante L'Orizzonte
Via Vittorio Veneto, 141 Modica Ragusa
+39 0932 196 1511
http://www.pizzeriaorizzonte.it/