RAGUSA IBLA - Special Tour
sicily-travel
RAGUSA IBLA TOUR - UNESCO'S WORLD HERITAGE (around 4 hours)
In this tour we will discover the wonderful Ragusa and, particularly, its historic centre: Ragusa Ibla.
Our tour begins from the Church of "Santa Maria delle Scale", Unesco's World Heritage Site. The Church is in a high position, at the beginning of the hairpin bends that from the "new town" go down towards Ibla. The view that we see from the churchyard is wonderful, you will see all the suburb and the hills that surrounding it, you will enjoy of a landscape done of bell towers, charming little houses, wonderful palaces, valleys of rare beauty and the famous country of Ragusa with its typical "muri a secco" (drystones walls). A heaven for the lovers of the photography! We will continue our tour in the characteristic little stairs that go down inside the ancient jewish neighbourhood named "Cartellone", until the "Vecchia Cancelleria" (Old Chancery), the "Palazzo Cosentini" and, above all, the Church of the "Idria", survived to the earthquake of the 1693, in Renaissance style, with a very interesting facade for the symbols of the Order of "Knights of Malta" carved. The three sites are Unesco's World Heritage Sites as also the Baroque Church of the Purgatory. You will be fascinated by its high position and the mysterious symbols carved on its facade. The tour continues, going into the characteristic neighbourhood of "San Paolo", where there is still nowadays rests of prehistoric civilizations, catacombs and the Church of "San Filippo Neri", Unesco's World Heritage Site. From here we will move through a panoramic way in direction of another monument declared Unesco's World Heritage Site, the Church of "Santa Maria dei Miracoli". The next stop is the Portal of San Giorgio, rest of the ancient medieval cathedral entirely destroyed by the earthquake. Nearby the Portal there is the Botanical Garden, with in its inside various Byzantine rests, the Church of San Giacomo, the Convent of Capuchins and the Church of Sant'Agata. We will continue our tour through the main street of Ragusa Ibla, "Corso XXV Aprile", that from the garden leads to the Duomo. We will lead you in the magnificent Church of San Giuseppe, one of the maximum example of baroque architecture and Unesco's World Heritage Site. Out tour ends with the masterpiece of "Ibleo" Baroque: the Duomo of San Giorgio! It dominates all the homonymous square and offers wonderful views to the visitor. The spectacular facade, its colours and the splendid decorations leave you without breath! The inside, with its wonderful organ, and the narrow stairs that climb up on the back of the Duomo, will be the best way to end this tour and fix in your memory the wonderful Ragusa Ibla: a museum-town beautiful on day and magic on night!
Only private groups
RAGUSA IBLA host a wide array of baroque architecture, including several stunning palaces and churches. The Cattedral of San Giorgio was built starting in 1738 by architect Rosario Gagliardi, in substitution of the temple destroyed by the 1693 earthquake and of wich only a Catalan-Gothyic style portal can still be seen. The facade is characterized by a flight of 250 steps and by massive ornate columns, as well as by statues of saints and decorated portals. The interior has a Latin cross plan, with a nave and two aisles ending in half-circular apses. It is topped by a large Neoclassical Dome built in 1820.On a narrow widing street yhat connects Ragusa Ibla with Ragusa up-superiore is the Curch of Santa Maria delle Scale. This Church particularly interesting: bably damaged in the earthquate of 1693, half of this church was rebuilt in Baroque style, while the surviving half was kept in the original Gothic. The last chapels have canvases from some Sicilian painters of the 19th century
Ragusa superiore, History
The origins of Ragusa can be traced back to the 2nd millennium BC, when in its area there were several settlements of the ancient Sicels. The current Ragusa Ibla lies probably on one of them, identified as Hybla Heraea.
The ancient city, located on a 300 m high hill, entered in contact with the nearby Greek colonies, and developed thanks to the nearby port of Camerina. After a short Carthaginian rule, it was administrated by the Romans and the Byzantines: the latter fortified the city and built a large castle. Ragusa was occupied by the Arabs in 848 AD, remaining under their rule until the 11th century, when the Normans conquered it. Selected as County seat, its first Count was Geoffrey, son of Count Roger I of Sicily.
Ragusa thereafter followed the events of the Kingdom of Sicily, created in the first half of the twelfth century. A Chiaramonte family fief, it remained the county capital after the unification with that of Modica in 1296, a status it lost in the 15th century after a popular revolt.
In 1693 the city was devastated by a huge earthquake, which killed some 5,000 inhabitants. Following this catastrophe the city was largely rebuilt, many baroque buildings date from this period. Most of the population moved to a new settlement in the former district of Patro, calling the new municipality "Ragusa Superiore" (Upper Ragusa) and the ancient city "Ragusa Inferiore" (Lower Ragusa). The two cities remained separated until 1926, when they were fused together to become the provincial capital in 1927 at the expense of Modica, the former capital and the most populous and important city in the region since 1296.
In 1838 an asphalt deposit was discovered, which is still being worked.
The city has two distinct areas, the lower and older town of Ragusa Ibla, and the higher Ragusa Superiore (Upper Town). The two halves are separated by the Valle dei Ponti, a deep ravine crossed by four bridges. The most noteworthy of them is the eighteenth-century Ponte dei Cappuccini. The Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista is the main monument of Ragusa Superiore. The church was located originally in the west part of the ancient Ragusa, under the walls of the Mediaeval castle, where the small church of St. Agnese is today. A first, smaller edifice was quickly built after the 1693 earthquake, but it soon proved inadequate. The current edifice was built between 1718 and 1778, with a façade in typical southern Sicilian Baroque style, with three portals and carvings and sculptures representing the Madonna, St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist. The upper order of columns has two watches showing time in Italian and French fashions respectively. The high campanile, on the left side, is also in Baroque style (another one on the right side only the corner stone was laid off in 1820). The ornate baroque interior has a Latin cross plan, with a nave and two aisles separated by three colonnades embellished with gold. Over every column are charts showing Bible verses referring to St. John the Baptist. The vaults of the naves and the presbytery were decorated with Rococo gilted stuccoes by Giuseppe and Gioacchino Gianforma, also authors of the two statues in the niches of the transept. The dome was built in 1783, and covered with copper sheets in the 20th century. The side chapels, characterized by altars decorated with polychrome marbles, are from the 19th century. Noteworthy is the Hyblean Archaeological Museum, with six sections devoted to Prehistoric to Late Roman findings.
From Ragusa Private Excursion in Barocco area of the: Modica, Scicli, Noto, Siracusa, Caltagirone; and archeologic area of the Siracusa, Piazza Armerina in Villa Romana del Casale and Agrigento Valle dei Templi.
From Ragusa service tour of the Sicily in Palermo, Cefalù, Taormina, Etna.
Transfer service in Sicily from Ragusa, Catania airport, Palermo Airport, Taormina port, Messina port, Pozzallo port.
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