Ragusa

Our home for three lovely nights.  The town is divided into two, the Superior upper (newer), and Ibla lower (old).  Built on hilltops, and surrounded by deep ravines, it makes for a wonderful setting. It's history traces back to BC, and later became part of a fiefdom separate from the Greek villages of Syrucuse and Noto.

The town, and 5000 of its inhabitants, were devasted by the 1695 earthquake which destroyed this entire southeastern part of Sicily.  All of the towns were rebuilt with the architecture of the time, Baroque, and became known for this style.  It is now a UNESCO world heritage site. 

The two towns have their own cathedrals and didn't actually come together into a single city until 1926.  The locals, depending on where they live, would almost "lobby" for the highlights of their area of the city.  We stayed in the upper town because the "newer" street design allowed for an easier (all relative) ability to get around with the car.  We would walk the 20 minutes down the multiple staircases to the lower city for dinner and taxi back up (yes, we will admit to this lack of exercise). 

Today the town has become known for its gastronomical achievements, with the first restaurant in Sicily to be awarded a two star Michlin rating.  We enjoyed a dinner there detailed in another post.

View of Ilba

Superior Catherdral