Tourist attractions Ragusa

Also known as the Chancellery, this superb 1760 palace has inset a majestic doorway crowned by a gallery.

Ragusa was devastated by an earthquake in 1693. The subsequent reconstruction of its oldest part, Ibla, created two distinct areas of the city: Ragusa itself and Ibla, a delightful quarter combining a medieval layout of narrow blind alleys with the r..

With its large neo-Classical dome lit by blue stained-glass windows and surrounded by Corinthian columns, the church can be distinguished from afar. Close up, it is the superb flight of stairs which attracts the visitor’s eye to the elegant and harmo..

Built in 1818, the flight of nearly 300 steps leads up to the church’s elegant façade , a grandiose and richly evocative ensemble attributed to Rosario Gagliardi (though the involvement of other Noto architects is also evident) and one of the finest..

The façade of this church strongly resembles that of San Giorgio, and many have consequently attributed it to the same architect, Gagliardi. Inside it is laid out on an oval plan, topped by an oval dome. The tiled floor is decorated with ceramics and..

Collections of farming implements, tools and workmen’s objects are exhibited in reconstructions of stalls, studios and shops: farmer, beekeeper, blacksmith, cobbler, tailor, baker, wheelwright and barber live again before visitors’ eyes.

In the district of Larderia (rich in water) there are late Christian catacombs (464 sepulchres) before you see the "dead grottos" (Grotte Cadute). This is because as you visit the cave dwellings on several levels, the only way to move fro..

You are only allowed to visit the noble floor of this castle, which the Taviani brothers used for the film Kaos . The Room of armorial bearings is worth a visit for walls painted with the insignia of nobiliary of some of Sicily's greatest families..

The construction work on the cathedral began immediately after the earthquake and was finished in 1774. The cathedral is adjoined by a fine campanile, and stands on a gigantic platform, its Baroque façade looking over a broad terrace.

The Corso Italia, in the modern town, is flanked by palaces: the Lupis palace , with attractive consoles, the Zacco palace (at the corner of the Via San Vito) with a shield topped by a console, the Berini palace on whose facade are three large ..

This has a collection of archaeological pieces found in the area and reconstructions of the classical necropolises of Camarina and Rito.

This archaeological museum displays some beautiful exhibits taken from shipwrecks in the Camarina Sea. These include a bronze Corinthian helmet dating from the 6C-5C BC, a set of lead weights, and a large collection of Corinthian and Attic amphora..

The church of Santa Maria delle Scale was rebuilt in the 18C but has preserved its Gothic style right nave and elegant ogive arcades. A terracotta panel (under the second arcade) depicts the Transition of the Virgin (School of the Gagini).

This is noteworthy for its attractive floral panels in Catalgirone ceramics which decorate the heights of the belfry. Inside, similarly beautiful columns close off the chapels.

The superb balconies of this palace rest on consoles comprising people and caricature masks. It is at the entrance to a maze of alleys and which cross and criss-cross making a proper labyrinth!

This Baroque palace retains some elements of an earlier medieval building. An attractive horseshoe staircase leads to the main floor that today houses the provincial tourist offices. Six superb balconies on the façade are decorated with portraits of ..

At the furthest point of Ragusa Ibla, this garden brings together religious buildings: San Giorgio Vecchio with a rich Gothic style Catalan doorway, San Giacomo (also known as the Church of the Crucifix) with a historiated ceiling dating from 175..

Carmelo Cappello was a contemporary sculptor born in Ragusa in 1912. He began in the 1930s in a figurative style before moving on to abstract works. This modest yet interesting collection is a study of the evolution of an artist refining his style ..

This 19C church with a Baroque facade is also located atop a great staircase... The steps give access to the belvedere del Pizzo from which there is an attractive view over the town, especially over the Jewish quarter (il Cartellone) and over the d..

The small church with a single nave is carved into the rock. Its apse is decorated with Byzantine style frescoes in very lively colours from the Norman era. The Christ Pantocrator is surrounded by the Virgin and Child and by the Archangel St Michel. ..