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Visit Ragusa

Ragusa is located in the south-eastern part of Sicily just west of Syracuse, and is a provincial capital, apart from being an architectural wonder.

Ragusa has been carved on a wide limestone hill, which has earned it the status, along with seven other Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto including Catania and Scicli, as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In common with many towns in Sicily Ragusa has its roots in antiquity.

The town has been altered from what it looked like originally when a considerable portion was destroyed in an earthquake in 1693. The rebuilding added a lot of new structures to the town, and the pattern of the rebuilding has divided the town into an internal old part called the Ragusa Ibla, while the outer newer part is known as the Ragusa Superiore.

However, the rebuilding has not reduced the importance of the town a bit. In fact, it has added even more reason to come and visit the architectural variation of Ragusa, which is one of a kind in the world, making it a popular tourist attraction.

The division of the town in two parts also gave rise to the building of two cathedrals, that is, the rebuilt Cathedral of San Giorgio by Gagliardi in 1738, with an elaborate façade, and the Cathedral of San Giovanni Baptista built and improved after the Ragusa Superiore was started to be built.

In the Ragusa Superiore, an archaeological museum is an important tourist attraction. Built on a narrow street connecting the upper city with the lower one is an interesting church of Santa Maria delle Scale, which was partially destroyed during the 1693 earthquake. One half of the church is rebuilt in the Baroque architecture style, while the older Gothic half has been kept in tact. The same difference in the architecture style prevails among the two cathedrals of the town.

Other important landmarks of Ragusa, which are found in the Ragusa Ibisa, are the Church of the Souls of the Purgatory, which could be an attraction for Knights Templar fanatics, the church of Sant’Antonio and the Hybean Garden, which offers a good view of the town, which anyone would find spectacular.

Apart from that, Ragusa can always offer you easy access to the spectacular sandy beaches of the southern coast.