Ragusa Things to Do in Ibla and the Upper Town · Province of Ragusa

Most of the sights in Ragusa are in the lower town, Ragusa Ibla, which holds the majority of the city's 18 UNESCO World Heritage monuments. A walk through Ragusa starts at the Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista in the upper town, Ragusa Superiore, descends the 242-step Scala to Ibla and the Cathedral of San Giorgio, and ends in the Giardino Ibleo.

Why Ragusa has two old towns

Ragusa, capital of the province of the same name, sits at 500 m in the Monti Iblei, between the deep valleys of the Torrente San Leonardo and the Torrente Santa Domenica. After the earthquake of 1693, the townspeople could not agree on how to rebuild. The result is two towns: Ragusa Ibla on the original site, a maze of winding lanes and staircases, and across a deep green valley, on another hilltop, Ragusa Superiore, laid out on a grid with wide streets and squares.

Three bridges link them: the Ponte Vecchio, the Ponte Nuovo and the San Vito bridge, also called Giovanni XXIII. They look out over the Cava di Santa Domenica gorge, where the vegetation seems almost tropical.

In 2002, Ragusa was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its late Baroque townscape, together with Noto, Modica, Palazzolo, Caltagirone, Militello in Val di Catania, Scicli and Catania, all towns of the Val di Noto.

The sights of Ragusa's upper town

Start on busy Corso Italia at Piazza San Giovanni, in front of the Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista. Rebuilt after the earthquake, it has a tall bell tower, high columns and a carved, richly decorated facade. The local stone ranges from beige to pink and takes on a warm color toward sunset. Inside, look for the floor, the paintings and the carved, gilded wooden organ; the relic of Saint John is deeply venerated by local worshippers. A broad flight of steps leads up to the square.

A short detour along Via Roma brings you to the Palazzo Vescovile Schininà. Heading toward Ibla, three masks above the windows of Palazzo Bertini watch the passers-by: a toothless, hungry old man, a nobleman and a rich merchant in a turban, standing for poverty, power and wealth. Via San Vito leads to Palazzo Zacco, the fourth UNESCO monument of the upper town, now home to a local museum on the region's craft traditions.

Down the Scala into Ragusa Ibla

Where Corso Italia turns into Via XXIV Maggio, the Scala begins: 242 steps with long views over the lower town. On the way down stands the church of Santa Maria dell'Itria, which once belonged to the Knights of Malta. Its bell tower is clad entirely in blue majolica tiles, and the altars inside are of white stone, carved by sculptors from Ragusa.

Ibla is Sicilian Baroque throughout, built in local stone with volutes, columns, capitals and statues, its stone-paved lanes climbing and dropping at every turn. Mythical creatures decorate the facade of Palazzo Cosentini, and the balcony brackets of Palazzo Rocca carry faces of the architect's contemporaries, some of them grotesque.

At the far end of the cathedral square, above a wide staircase, rises the Cathedral of San Giorgio with its curved facade, a major work of the Sicilian architect Gagliardi. For a coffee break, Piazza Pola has plenty of bars and restaurants.

More UNESCO monuments in Ragusa:

• Church of Santa Maria delle Scale
• Church of San Filippo Neri
• Church of San Francesco all'Immacolata
• Church of Santissime Anime del Purgatorio
• Church of San Giuseppe
• Church of Santa Maria del Gesù
• Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli
• Palazzo Battaglia
• Palazzo Sortino-Trono
• Palazzo della Cancelleria, also known as Palazzo Nicastro

Giardino Ibleo

The walk ends in the Giardino Ibleo, a public garden overlooking the valley of the Fiume Irminio and its limestone gorges. From the park you can enter the Chiesa dei Cappuccini, which keeps a 17th-century winged altarpiece. At the end of the garden stand the last remains of the church that preceded San Giorgio, destroyed in the 1693 earthquake.

Parking in Ragusa

Free parking is available outside the center at the Parcheggio Gratuito "San Paolo" on Via San Paolo. Paid options:

• SiSosta underground parking, Corso Italia
• SiSosta "Ponte Vecchio", Via Generale Dalla Chiesa

Day trips: Donnafugata and the coast

About 15 km (9 miles) southwest of Ragusa stands Donnafugata Castle, its battlemented, Gothic-Venetian-inspired facade rising from flat countryside. Its roughly 30 rooms, floored in black pitchstone, show how the nobility lived. Luchino Visconti filmed scenes of "The Leopard" here, and the castle was also a set for the TV series "Inspector Montalbano". Trattorias nearby serve lunch.

For swimming, head to the sandy beaches on the coast. Marina di Ragusa is a busy beach town with full amenities; the beach in the Riserva di Randello nature reserve is the choice for nature lovers.