Hey! Ragusa's A Nice Town

Sunday, Nov 7, 2010

This week's going very fast (as it always does when we travel). Can't believe we've been here since Tuesday. Tomorrow we leave for the second half of our journey - we drive off of Sicily onto the "toe" and up and across to the "heel." That journey will take us through the provinces of Calabria and Basilicata and on to our destination - Puglia and its towns of Brindisi and Lecce.

Our route beginning tomorrow, Monday. Click the map to see it larger.

But first let me tell you about our yesterday (Saturday). We took a short drive to the nearby city of Ragusa. It's situated on a mountain that's a thousand feet up and divided into upper and lower parts - the lower town is called Ibla and is the historic center. The upper part is the modern Ragusa. The two are connected by elaborate sets of steps and steep, swtichbacked roads. The city traces its routes back into distant history, dating to the 2nd millenium BC when it was settled by the ancient Sicels. Ibla was probably one of the settlements of the Sicels, identified as Hybla Heraea.  Subsequently, it was ruled by the Greeks, Romans, and the Byzantines. And from 848 to the eleventh century it was under the thrall of the Arabs who were then conquered in turn by the Normans. What a history! - all of these cultures left their imprint on this city and on Sicily as a whole.

We arrived in Ragusa Ibla, the lower town, and parked the car. Right next to that parking spot was a lovely public gardens that we wandered through. As we strolled through this palm-filled paradise, filled with views out over the mountainous countryside, we were approached by a noisy gaggle of smiling 10-year olds. "Do you speak English?" they inquired. "Yes, why do you want to know?" A back and forth ensued (with very broken English and our even brokener Italian). Finally, their teachers approached. They were on a class trip (it was Saturday). Their task was to find tourists who spoke English so they could practice their language lessons! So cute and so friendly!

With our new friends in the gardens in Ibla.
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Our new amici in the beautiful gardens in Ibla.

The centerpiece of Ibla is its Duomo or cathedral. San Giorgio was designed by the same architect who created the Duomo of the same name in Modica. Both had the same three-tiered construction decorated with elaborate Corinthian columns. The Duomo is approached by a broad and elegant promenade bordered with buildings that showcase the Baroque architecture created by the Spanish rulers as they rebuilt their colony in the period after the devastating earthquake of 1693.

Brian is walking up Ibla's grand promenade. The walkway is the approach to the beautiful Duomo and is bordered with splendid buildings of baroque style architecture.

Ibla's Duomo (cathedral) San Giorgio is magnificent and has six splendid palms that lead you to its steps.

The bell tower and steps of the Duomo and its magnificent iron fence that surrounds it.

We walked through the cathedral and then out a different door into the back streets of a quiet residential neighborhood. The buildings were decorated with Baroque features and balconies with supports of whimsical gargoyles. The homes, as in Modica, looked out on vast panoramas of the surrounding hillsides. Do the residents take all that for granted or do they wake each day enchanted with the vistas that greet them through their windows, I wondered.

Some friends who were watching us as we walked Ibla's streets.
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Room with a view!

How the guys pass the time in Ragusa. Women are rarely seen socializing in the streets.

We drove to the upper town for lunch at Locanda al Boccancino which was recommended to us by the local tourist office and then strolled down to the see the steps that connect the upper and lower towns (we had had enough steps for a while so we merely observed them this time. Then we drove the short distance back to Modica, napped and went out for what was probably our most memorable and delicious dinner of our week in Modica. El Girasole, The Sunflower, was a bit out of the way on a back street. It was a local joint, frequented by families and locals out for an inexpensive meal. And what a great experience! The food was superb and the staff friendly and efficient. We even met a couple from Milano who we had come across earlier in the day in Ragusa - they were dining there too - what a funny coincidence. It's a small island!

But the best part of dinner was getting there. The normally deserted main street of Modica Bassa (lower town) was thronged by hundreds of people out for La Passeggiata- their evening stroll. Modicans were out and about - all ages - socializing, shmoozing, romancing. It was a fantastic site and it was thrilling to be part of it.

Steps can take you from Ragusa (upper) all the way down to Ibla (Ragusa lower).

It's Saturday night and the streets are swarming with people doing their evening stroll -La Passeggiata, an Italian ritual
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At Il Girasole (The Sunflower) -- The ambience was perfect - we joined local families out for the night. And the food was delightful. A memorable night out.

Oh look! A nice American coouple in a little Sicilian restaurant. How cute.

To see ALL of my Ragusa photos, simply CLICK HERE to go to my SmugMug photo site.