Modica

Modica môˈdēkä [key], city (1991 pop. 50,529), SE Sicily, Italy. It is the center of an agricultural region where livestock is raised. Known in ancient times as Motyca, it was a feudal county in the 12th cent. and enjoyed a high degree of independence from the 14th to 18th cent. Nearby are the Cava d'Ispica (a series of limestone grottoes containing cave dwellings) and prehistoric and early Christian tombs.

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