Ragusa is the third of the Baroque towns we visited in Sicily.
It is built on a wide limestone hill between 2 deep valleys. The 1693 earthquake killed 5,000 inhabitants and destroyed much of the town.
It was rebuilt with several Baroque buildings scattered through the new town. There are 2 districts, the higher area and the older, lower Ragusa Ibla, where we stayed.
It is a perfect town to wander in. The narrow streets are full of fascinating buildings.
You must remember to look up at the balconies with their interesting decoration.
Stone walls seem to crawl like caterpillars on the surrounding hills.
The main piazza is dominated by the huge church.
The photo below is a photo of a photo, I don’t have a drone to take photos from this angle.
At the Botton of the town is a beautiful park with its own churches, Giardino Ibleo.
We stayed at Iblaresort hotel. It was well placed on the main street. The room was extremely comfortable and there was a lovely terrace at the top of the hotel where we enjoyed aperitivo.
There were great views from the balcony as the sun faded from the sky.
The next morning we were up early to be on our way, but not before breakfast in the tiny common area.
Because we were in Sicily it seemed perfectly normal to have cannoli and pastries for breakfast.
It was a bit cool to sit on the balcony.
…just one last look at the view from the breakfast room.
Ragusa is an interesting place to stay. It seemed to have few tourists. The piazza was full of locals of all ages enjoying some gorgeous spring weather. There are inviting shops and cafes and some excellent restaurants…we will have to stay longer next time and try them all.
Some of the Montalbano episodes were filmed here…must go back and watch again.