Image by Westend61 / Getty Images

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

0

Top attractions

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

  • Area

    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…

  • Palace

    Castello di Donnafugata

    Located 18km southwest of Ragusa, this sumptuous neo-Gothic palace houses the Collezione Gabriele Arezzo di Trifiletti, an extraordinary fashion and…

  • Palace

    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…

  • Theatre

    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…

  • Cathedral

    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…

  • Workshop

    Cinabro Carrettieri

    Biagio Castilletti and Damiano Rotella are two of only a handful of master artisans still making carretti siciliani (traditional Sicilian carts) the…

  • Public Art

    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…

  • Museum

    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…

  • Public Art

    Agostino Iacurci Mural

    Italian-born, Berlin-based artist Agostino Iacurci is the talent behind this voluptuous, multi-storey mural. Titled Ogni bene è mobile (Every Object is…

  • Public Art

    Daniel Eime Mural

    Via Ludovico Ariosto is home to a striking, four-storey mural of an elderly man by Portuguese street artist Daniel Eime. Illustrating Eime’s knack for…

  • Public Art

    Telmo Miel Mural

    Titled Preparato (Prepared), this deliciously sweet, partially abstract mural of a mother and her era-traversing child is by Dutch duo Telmo Pieper and…

  • Public Art

    Dimitris Taxis Mural

    Titled Ficupala, this blockbuster mural is the work of Greek artist Dimitris Taxis. The work, stylistically inspired by comic-book art and an ode to…

  • Public Art

    Pixel Pancho Mural

    Just to the southwest of the train station off Via Archimede is a double portrait by Turinese artist Pixel Pancho, who is famous for exploring the…

  • Church

    Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Scale

    The salita commendatore, a winding pass made up of stairs and narrow archways linking the new town with the old, leads past the Chiesa di Santa Maria…

  • Public Art

    Fintan Magee Mural

    Titled 'The Farmer' and spanning the side of a seven-storey apartment building, this epic mural is the work of prolific Australian street artist Fintan…

  • Church

    Cattedrale di San Giovanni Battista

    The centrepiece of Ragusa Superiore, and a symbol of its urban renewal, is the enormous Duomo di San Giovanni Battista, built between 1718 and 1778. An…

  • Public Art

    Millo Mural

    Via Vittorio Alfieri is home to a giant street-art mural by Italian artist Francesco Camillo Giorgino (aka Millo). Using his trademark black-and-white…

  • Gardens

    Giardino Ibleo

    At the eastern end of the old town is the Giardino Ibleo, a pleasant public garden laid out in the 19th century that is perfect for a picnic lunch.

  • Area

    Ragusa Superiore

    One of the best reasons for heading up to Ragusa's modern and less-attractive half is to walk down again. It takes about half an hour to descend the…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Ragusa.

  • Activities