Luoghi Places SIRACUSA da scoprire RAGUSA Luoghi Places Summary Introduction Pag. 2 Places of interest Regional Archaeological Museum of Kamarina Pag. 3 Donnafugata Castle Pag. 4 Trabacche Cave Pag. 5 Caucana archaeological site Pag. 6 Natural Reserve of Randello Pag. 7 Scoglitti Pag. 8 Chiaramonte Gulfi Pag. 9 Places of Sicilian Baroque Ragusa Ibla Pag. 10 Comiso Pag. 11 Modica Pag. 12 Scicli Pag. 13 Noto Pag. 14 Siracusa Pag. 15 Discover Sicily Sicilian Cart Workshop Pag. 16 Olive Oil Museum of Chiaramonte Gulfi Pag. 17 Art of Sicilian Embroidery Pag. 18 Butterfly House - Modica Pag. 19 Liberty House Museum Pag. 20 Luoghi Places Introduction SIRACUSA RAGUSA Area of Ragusa Comiso Vittoria RAGUSA Ibla Scoglitti Modica Punta Secca Scicli Ispica Marina di Ragusa Donnalucata Sampieri Sicily and the Province of Ragusa. Unforgettable. Sicily is home to myths, legends and traditions having their roots in ancient times. Normans, Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Spanish have left lasting traces in the history of the island. The Sicilian Baroque art was born and found its highest expression in the province of Ragusa and the Val di Noto, listed as a World Heritage Site by Unesco. Cinema and television have taken advantage of the architectural features of cities such as Modica, Scicli and Ispica, giving them an international reputation. Moreover the wonderful beaches of Marina di Ragusa, Scoglitti, Sampieri and other nature reserves oer a dreamlike scenery. Walk among the olive trees surrounded by stone walls and give yourself up to the view of pastures on the horizon. This is the best way to discover the spectacular area of the province of Ragusa. Nowhere else you will find such charming and timeless atmosphere. 2 Luoghi Places Luoghi di interesse Places of interest Regional Archaeological Museum of Kamarina The museum is located within the archaeological area of the ancient "classic" town of Camarina. The site is 35 Km far from Ragusa and can be reached along the provincial road S. Croce-Scoglitti (fraction of the municipality of Vittoria). The museum is a late eighteenth-century rural construction, an example of agricultural residential typology in the Iblean seaside. The building, which is structured in several buildings around a central space on two sides to the countryside, insists on the site of the Acropolis where the Athena Temple stood. Some of the Temple findings are still visible at the Museums. The museum shows in 8 rooms the political, civil and economic history of Kamarina, urban development, the most important monuments and the material and artistic production. 3 Luoghi Places Places of interest Donnafugata Castle Recently fully restored, the Castle, with its white façade and Venetian Gothic loggia, gives a warm feeling of pleasure every time it is visited, perhaps because it is a castle that could have illustrated a book of fairy tales and there is an immediate sense of recognition. The Castle that we see today is largely due to the work and imagination of the nineteenth century politician Baron Corrado Arezzo de Spuches [1824-95]. Inside the Castle, which has 122 rooms, only the first floor is open to visitors, but there is plenty to fascinate: you reach the “piano nobile” via a black stone staircase with statues on either side. Then there is the “smoking room”, which has a wallpaper with pipe motifs. Also the women have the “sala delle donne” (women's room), where they passed evenings. here is also a music room with three mechanical pianos, a billiard room, a picture gallery and the bedroom. 4 Luoghi Places Places of interest Trabacche Cave The province of Ragusa is full of archaeological evidence of past ages. One of the most impressive places is the "Trabacche Cave", recently arranged and made fully available by the "Soprintendenza ai Beni Culturali". It is not really a natural cave but a small catacomb excavated in the limestone plateaus that characterize the Iblean mountains. By tradition, catacombs are the places where the early Christians hid themselves to escape the Roman persecution. Today this vision has been greatly resized. The catacomb was in fact the cemetery of excellence of the first Christian communities. They continued to be built even after the 313rd century, the year of the Edict of Tolerance, emanated by Emperor Constantine, who definitively ended the persecution. 5 Luoghi Places Places of interest Caucana archaeological site Kaukana is a seaside archaeological site in the municipality of Santa Croce Camerina. The ancient town, known for its archaeologi- cal excavations, is located a few hundred meters from Punta Secca, near Marina di Ragusa. Romans during the imperial era strengthened the port of Kaucanae which was important for centuries even in the Byzantine period. There are in fact the remains of a three-nave cemetery church with tombs in the floor. The excavations have brought to light an urbanistically interesting dwelling with simple rectangular houses of two or three rooms and buildings with many rooms and multiple floors with stairs and courtyards. The area was visited and studied by the famous archaeologist Paolo Orsi. The Archaeological Museum Ibleo in Ragusa collects the evidences of the area, that irepresents the Kaukana Archaeological Park with rests of a late-Roman and Byzantine trade port. 6 Luoghi Places Places of interest Natural reserve of Randello The Randello beach is a long stripe of sand and dunes enclosed in a wide creek between Punta Braccetto and Scoglitti. Wet by the Mediterranean Sea and protected by a vast pine forest, the beach is part of the Cava Randello Natural Protected Nature Reserve. In the past it was a private hunting reserve, today it is a fully equipped green lungs open to everyone, it is the right place for a picnic, for sports or for a bit of shade before diving to the sea. This oasis of eucalyptus, cypress, holm oak and oak trees extends for one hundred and fifty-six hectares and houses some necropolises (V - II century BC) of the archaeological park of Kamarina. The sandy shore is often covered with shells of all shapes and sizes and is protected by dunes and a characteristic fence of canes. It is not the most crowded beach in the area, perfect for those who love unspoilt beaches and seek tranquility. At the far end the clis of Punta Braccetto and Scoglitti protect this beautiful beach made of golden sand, crystalline sea and Mediterranean bush. 7 Luoghi Places Places of interest Scoglitti Scoglitti is a seaside town, district of Vittoria, in the province of Ragusa. Scoglitti is located on a flip-side of Italian territory located to a latitude south of Tunis; this location makes the climate particularly dry and temperate . Also the fauna and flora of the area are similar to the North African ones. The quiet town is rich in natural resources, with a marina, and a fishing harbor for fishing boats. In recent years, he has chosen to exploit his natural tourist vocation in an organic manner, oering to oer national and international customers a rich summer sports program with cultural and sporting events. 8 Luoghi Places Places of interest Chiaramonte Gulfi Chiaramonte Gulfi is called the "Balcony of Sicily" for the panoramic position, with views from Gela (West) to Etna (Northeast), the valley of Ippari and its countries (Comiso, Vittoria, Acate) and the ridge of the Erei to Caltagirone, in addition to the sea and the Iblean mountains. The town has become famous in the world for the quality of its olive oil. The extra virgin olive oil DOP "Monti Iblei", and in particular from the "Gulfi" territory, has received many prestigious national and international prizes in recent years. Chiaramonte Gulfi is also the city of museums: - Museo di arte sacra - Museo di cimeli storico militari - Museo del ricamo e dello sfilato siciliano - Casa museo Liberty - Museo ornitologico - Museo degli strumenti etnico musicali - Museo dell’olio - Pinacoteca Giovanni de Vita 9 Luoghi Places Places of Sicilian Baroque Ragusa Ibla Ragusa, the provincial capital, is divided into Superiore (the more modern part) and Ibla (the older part). The town has a very particular setting, perched on the Monti Iblei (hills), with the Irminio river running through it. History The 1693 earthquake was both the ruin and the making of Ibla. Indeed, following the earthquake that destroyed most of the medieval structures, Ragusa was brought back to life with the execution of great works of Baroque architecture, to such an extent that it has been declared a UNESCO world heritage site and also included in the Val di Noto district. Did you know? The extraordinary geographical situation of the town has earned Ragusa the nickname “town of the bridges”: Ponte Vecchio, Ponte Nuovo and Ponte Papa Giovanni XXIII. Some places not to be missed - The Duomo of San Giorgio, acknowledged worldwide as one of the highest expressions of Baroque religious architecture; - Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista, one of the mostmagnificent churches in Sicily; -Cattedrale di San Giovanni Battista, annoverata trale chiese più imponenti della Sicilia; -Archaeological museum, which exhibits vestiges of the nearby ancient settlements; - Piazza Pola, with its bars and restaurants, is the best starting point from which to explore the streets of Ibla Archaeological and natural heritage sites The Kamarina archaeological site oers you the opportunity to stroll about the remains of what was at its time a large Siracuse colony with a temple dedicated to Minerva, of which unfortunately only a few vestiges remain. Kaukana is another, in which you will find the remains of the ancient port town dating back to the time of the Byzantine rule. Il Giardino Ibleo is inthe Eastern part of Ragusa Ibla, overlooking the valley of the river Irminio.