RAGUSA | SICILY

Discover Ragusa

Ragusa is the southernmost province in Italy. Ragusa is located at the southern foot of the Iblei Mountains and is called the ‘City of Bridges’. The Capuccini Bridge, 114 metres long and 40 metres high, is the oldest and spans the Valley of San Domenico. The second bridge is the Ponte Nuovo, and the third dates from the Sixties.
Ragusa is divided into Ragusa Superiore and Ragusa Ibla, with splendid eighteenth-century buildings in Sicilian Baroque style. In the new part of Ragusa is a beautiful, eighteenth-century cathedral, built between 1738 and 1775 and dedicated to S. George. Ragusa is one of the cities in the Noto Valley, designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Donnafugata Castle lies twenty kilometres from Ragusa. It is not a genuine medieval castle but a sumptuous stately home from the late 1800s. Wine from the Cantina di Donnafugata is world famous.
The church in Modica is also dedicated to S. George. Modica is one of the most beautiful examples of Sicilian Baroque style. The town was the birthplace of Salvatore Quasimodo, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958. Visit the Cava Ispica caves situated eight kilometres from Modica and of great importance from an archaeological point of view. Necropoleis can be found throughout the area. An interesting visit can be made to the Forza Archaeological Park, located at Cava Ispica’s southeast opening.

The Ragusa province offers enthusiasts of ancient traditions the chance to meet and stay on masserie farmsteads where the buildings are arranged around a central space that once served as a threshing floor. The various buildings were the head farmer’s house, the field overseer’s house, and the owner’s house, which was only occupied during the harvest. Today, many masserie farmsteads are still owner-occupied, while others provide accommodation for holidaymakers who enjoy experiencing local traditions.
Ragusa’s special delicacies are Ragusa honey and caciocavallo cheese.