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Ragusa

Set amid the rocky peaks northwest of Modica, Ragusa is a town of two faces. Sitting on the top of the hill is Ragusa Superiore, a busy workaday town with sensible grid-pattern streets and all the trappings of a modern provincial capital, while etched into the hillside further down is Ragusa Ibla. This sloping area of tangled alleyways, grey stone houses and baroque palazzi on handsome squares is effectively Ragusa's historic centre and it's quite magnificent.

Like every other town in the region, Ragusa Ibla (the old town) collapsed after the 1693 earthquake and a new town, Ragusa Superiore, was built on a high plateau above. But the old aristocracy was loath to leave the tottering palazzi and rebuilt Ragusa Ibla on exactly the same spot. The two towns were merged in 1927, becoming the provincial capital at Modica’s expense.

Explore Ragusa

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Ragusa Ibla
Ragusa Ibla is a joy to wander, its labyrinthine lanes weaving through rock-grey palazzi to open onto beautiful, sun-drenched piazzas. It's easy to get…
C
Castello di Donnafugata
Located 18km southwest of Ragusa, this sumptuous neo-Gothic palace houses the Collezione Gabriele Arezzo di Trifiletti, an extraordinary fashion and…
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Palazzo Arezzo di Trifiletti
If you fancy snooping around the private digs of an aristocratic family, Domenico Arezzo offers guided tours of his family's palazzo, built between the…
T
Teatro Donnafugata
Built in the bassi (working-class abodes) of a noble family's palazzo, this jewel-box theatre looks like a grand Italian opera house in miniature form…
D
Duomo di San Giorgio
At the top end of the sloping Piazza Duomo is the town's pride and joy, the mid-18th-century cathedral with a magnificent neoclassical dome and stained…
C
Cinabro Carrettieri
Biagio Castilletti and Damiano Rotella are two of only a handful of master artisans still making carretti siciliani (traditional Sicilian carts) the…
C
Chiesa delle Santissime Anime del Purgatorio
Consecrated in 1658, the Chiesa del Purgatorio miraculously survived the earthquake of 1693 before being tweaked and expanded the following century. These…
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Guido Van Helten Mural
Channelling the classical iconography of Charity, this powerful depiction of a Sicilian mother tending to two infants was executed by Australian street…
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Museo Archeologico Ibleo
South of the cathedral, off Via Roma, is the Museo Archeologico Ibleo, an important if somewhat forlorn archaeological museum housing finds from…

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Ragusa Ibla
Ragusa Ibla is a joy to wander, its labyrinthine lanes weaving through rock-grey palazzi to open onto beautiful, sun-drenched piazzas. It's easy to get…
C
Castello di Donnafugata
Located 18km southwest of Ragusa, this sumptuous neo-Gothic palace houses the Collezione Gabriele Arezzo di Trifiletti, an extraordinary fashion and…
P
Palazzo Arezzo di Trifiletti
If you fancy snooping around the private digs of an aristocratic family, Domenico Arezzo offers guided tours of his family's palazzo, built between the…
T
Teatro Donnafugata
Built in the bassi (working-class abodes) of a noble family's palazzo, this jewel-box theatre looks like a grand Italian opera house in miniature form…
D
Duomo di San Giorgio
At the top end of the sloping Piazza Duomo is the town's pride and joy, the mid-18th-century cathedral with a magnificent neoclassical dome and stained…
C
Cinabro Carrettieri
Biagio Castilletti and Damiano Rotella are two of only a handful of master artisans still making carretti siciliani (traditional Sicilian carts) the…
C
Chiesa delle Santissime Anime del Purgatorio
Consecrated in 1658, the Chiesa del Purgatorio miraculously survived the earthquake of 1693 before being tweaked and expanded the following century. These…
G
Guido Van Helten Mural
Channelling the classical iconography of Charity, this powerful depiction of a Sicilian mother tending to two infants was executed by Australian street…
M
Museo Archeologico Ibleo
South of the cathedral, off Via Roma, is the Museo Archeologico Ibleo, an important if somewhat forlorn archaeological museum housing finds from…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Ragusa.

See
Ragusa Ibla
Ragusa Ibla is a joy to wander, its labyrinthine lanes weaving through rock-grey palazzi to open onto beautiful, sun-drenched piazzas. It's easy to get…
See
Castello di Donnafugata
Located 18km southwest of Ragusa, this sumptuous neo-Gothic palace houses the Collezione Gabriele Arezzo di Trifiletti, an extraordinary fashion and…
See
Palazzo Arezzo di Trifiletti
If you fancy snooping around the private digs of an aristocratic family, Domenico Arezzo offers guided tours of his family's palazzo, built between the…
See
Teatro Donnafugata
Built in the bassi (working-class abodes) of a noble family's palazzo, this jewel-box theatre looks like a grand Italian opera house in miniature form…
See
Duomo di San Giorgio
At the top end of the sloping Piazza Duomo is the town's pride and joy, the mid-18th-century cathedral with a magnificent neoclassical dome and stained…
See
Cinabro Carrettieri
Biagio Castilletti and Damiano Rotella are two of only a handful of master artisans still making carretti siciliani (traditional Sicilian carts) the…
See
Chiesa delle Santissime Anime del Purgatorio
Consecrated in 1658, the Chiesa del Purgatorio miraculously survived the earthquake of 1693 before being tweaked and expanded the following century. These…
See
Guido Van Helten Mural
Channelling the classical iconography of Charity, this powerful depiction of a Sicilian mother tending to two infants was executed by Australian street…
See
Museo Archeologico Ibleo
South of the cathedral, off Via Roma, is the Museo Archeologico Ibleo, an important if somewhat forlorn archaeological museum housing finds from…

Guidebooks

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