Val di Noto

I've stayed in all three and would vote for staying on Ortygia, hands down.

We stayed in Ortigia (old section of Siracusa) for 3 nights and Ragusa for two. I would say that one reason to pick Ortigia is there is more to do without a car. We could have used a third night in Ragusa but that is because at that point we had a car and had explored the surrounding area. Noto is very small. We didn’t make it there, choosing to spent the time instead in Ortigia.

I'll join the Ortygia chorus. There's plenty to do that is completely non-touristy, unless you consider museums, churches and cathedrals, strolling the back streets, and eating touristy. It's well worth a significant chunk of time on its own and can be used as a base for visiting the smaller towns like Noto. To me, Noto is highly overrated, but it was a nice enough for one afternoon. It's basically one street with a few interesting stops and some appealing architecture. I would not underestimate Ragusa Ibla. There are no major sites or museums, and the cathedral was an "eh" for me, but it was a relaxing and interesting few days. The walk from Superiore to Ibla is well worth the time. Be sure to see Cinabro Carrettieri to see the construction and decoration of the traditional folk art of horse-drawn carts. Depending on the pace of your entire trip, if two or even three nights is an option, I'd take it. There are several trip reports here that include Modica and people seem to like it. We did a surgical strike for chocolate and the cathedral and were happy with that, although with reading trip reports when we got back, I think now that maybe we shortchanged it. Trying to visit Ragusa and Modica in one day, I fear, will be disappointing. It's too much, too quickly. Parking alone near Ibla and walking in and searching for parking in Modica will take more time than you expect. You won't get much out of the day. Scicli was originally on our itinerary, but, in the end, it did not make the cut. Vittoria was never considered.

Thanks Wanderlust for the extremely detailed post, that's exactly what I was looking for. I'll probably switch then to Ortygia and dedicate a day to Ragusa and maybe hit Noto and Modica in a day.

Adding my agreement with the previous responses. Ortygia is a great spot for a base. We went from there to Noto by bus just for a day which was perfect. Stayed overnight in Ragusa Ibla - a day trip from Ortygia would have been better!