Places to visit

Places to visit

Discover the fantastic places to visit in Sicily

The Donnafugata castle

120 richly decorated rooms, about 8 hectares of monumental park and a truly fascinating location, make the Donnafugata Castle one of the most beautiful and interesting noble residences in all of Sicily. It is an ancient medieval castle, probably belonging to the Chiaramonte family, which in 1648 was bought by Vincenzo Arezzo-La Rocca and then adorned by Baron Corrado Arezzo, who transformed it into a rich country residence.

If you are nearby (it is only 15 km from Ragusa) you cannot miss this show!
Why is it called Donnafugata? Good question! Currently the hypotheses are different: according to an ancient legend the perfidious baron Bernardo Cabrera fell in love with Queen Bianca of Navarre who, not matching her love, was locked up in one of the rooms of the castle. However, the queen managed to escape through underground tunnels that led her to the surrounding countryside. Hence the name “donna fugata”. How much invented and how much truth is there in this story? We will probably never know!


Scicli

Why visit Scicli? Simple: because it is a beautiful city.
Became a World Heritage Site in 2002, together with the other towns of the Val Di Noto, Scicli is the city you do not expect: less noble than Ragusa Ibla or Modica, but no less beautiful, in this splendid historic center, where ancient and modern coexist with an extraordinary naturalness, there is a particular air, difficult to describe. Mass tourism hasn't arrived yet. On the contrary, there is a more aware, mature tourism that arrives here because it is attracted by the locations of the fiction of Commissioner Montalbano and is dazzled by the extraordinary beauty of the late Baroque art that finds its maximum expression in these areas.

It seems to be at home, because the tourist is not made fun of, is not treated as a tourist, they are not served up with the usual products flaunted as a symbol of Sicily: here the tourist is treated with respect, they are offered the best. And when he goes to eat he can only lick his mustache!

The wonders of Ragusa Ibla between Baroque and Montalbano

We have to thank Commissioner Montalbano's television drama if Ragusa Ibla and its beautiful treasures have become known not only to the whole world, but even to the Sicilians themselves! It is amazing how such an extraordinary beauty center remained hidden for so long, and it is amazing that it took a fiction to make it so well known. But beyond all, we are very proud that Ragusa Ibla is a treasure of our beloved Sicily.
This is the ancient historic center of Ragusa, built around a hill about 400m high, destroyed in the earthquake of 1693 and then rebuilt in late Baroque style. And it is the baroque that is the real protagonist of Ragusa Ibla, with its splendid churches and ancient buildings, so much so that it has become a World Heritage Site.

Visiting Ragusa Ibla is an experience that must be done at least once in a lifetime. It is a place that goes beyond all schemes, at times one almost has the impression of having left Sicily and having arrived in a country of its own. The streets are clean and silent, everywhere calm reigns, organization and respect for both tourists and citizens. Since the streets of the town are all quite narrow and uphill, we advise you to leave your car along the road at the foot of the hill and walk on foot, with your eyes always pointed upwards, letting yourself be guided by the bell towers and domes that stand out over everything. It is a path that will put a strain on your knees, but it is absolutely worth it.

Marina di Ragusa

Marina di Ragusa is located a few kilometers south of Ragusa, overlooks the Sicilian channel and is the most popular and renowned tourist-seaside resort in South-Eastern Sicily, with an ideal Mediterranean climate for over 8 months a year. A sought-after place for holidays and leisure, it offers ample opportunities for relaxation and fun, and welcomes, during the high season, over 60,000 holidaymakers from all over south-eastern Sicily, hosting Italian and foreign tourists who increasingly discover and appreciate the its shores of fine golden sand, its coast populated with nightclubs, pubs, restaurants and shops that offer the best of catering and shopping, in a context of serene and orderly sociability, desired and guarded by its mild and jealous people of its "quality of life", which makes it a harbinger of ever new opportunities for meeting and friendship.
The beauty of the Iblean beaches has recently been awarded with two important awards. The Foundation for Environmental Education in the 2009 edition awarded the Blue Flag to Marina di Ragusa has included in the map of the Italian doc the charming seaside village of Ragusa because not only the sea is clean and suitable for bathing but where measures have been taken to in favor of sustainable tourism and environmental education.
Furthermore, in June 2009 "La Palma d'oro" was attributed to Marina di Ragusa among the most loved coasts of the Belpaese for the golden and very fine sand of its beaches.

BoundScoglitti

Scoglitti is a seaside town located in the center of the Mediterranean, and is a fraction of the municipality of Vittoria (Ragusa). The city overlooks the Sicilian Channel south of Tunis, its territory is flat and the beaches are covered with dunes, the climate is dry and temperate.
For a long time Scoglitti had been, through its small seaport, the fastest way to export wine and other dairy products from the entire Ragusa area. Among the wines produced we remember the “Cerasuolo di Vittoria” recognized as DOC in 1973, strongly desired by all the producers of the Ragusa area.

Montalbano's house

There house of Inspector Montalbano, which is located in Punta Secca, a hamlet of Santa Croce Camerina.
It is a small fishing village, almost uninhabited during the winter, but populated in the summer, when the owners of the houses go there to spend their holidays.
The house is exactly as seen in the fiction. It overlooks the sea on a stretch of free beach and has two balconies, one on the ground floor and one on the first floor, where Montalbano usually eats his meals when he is at home. It is actually a Bed & Breakfast where it is obviously possible to stay when the fiction is not being filmed and where it is possible to experience the thrill of sleeping in the same rooms where the commissioner sleeps. As long as you are willing to accept the many onlookers who photograph the facade of the house at all hours of the day!

Caltagirone

Of all the towns in the Val di Noto, declared a UNESCO heritage site in 2002, Caltagirone is certainly the most original. Here, in fact, in addition to the typical late Baroque style that characterizes palaces and churches of the neighboring countries, some excellent craftsmanship that have made Caltagirone famous all over the world, namely ceramics and cribs, stand out.

There is a very strong bond that binds Caltagirone to the processing of ceramics. A bond that draws its origins from a very ancient past, starting from the times of the Greeks, and which over the centuries has been increasingly fortified, to the point of transforming Caltagirone into the City of Ceramics. The artistic production, which has been enriched thanks to the dominations that this territory has experienced over the course of history, today has its own particular style which is always easily recognizable. When you see a ceramic you know immediately that it is the Caltagirone Ceramics.
Among the most characteristic and most appreciated objects are the Moor's Heads from Caltagirone. Do you know why Moor's heads are made in ceramic? Everything originates from a story / legend with somewhat macabre connotations. It is said that in Palermo, during the Arab domination, a Saracen soldier paid court to a young girl who lived in the Kalsa district. After various insistence the soldier managed to win the girl's heart and the two became lovers. But the idyll didn't last long. In fact, when the girl discovered that the soldier had a wife and children who were waiting for him in his country, seized by a sudden fit of jealousy, she decided to kill the soldier. Not content, she cut off his head and cultivated a basil plant in it, which he displayed on display on the windowsill of the house. As the basil grew luxuriantly, the neighbors decided to build ceramic pots in the shape of a moor's head where they too could grow their plants.

Noto and the Vendicari Oasis (Sr)

Honey-colored palaces and the cathedral of San Nicolò which dominates the city from the top of a scenic staircase. Noto is one of the wonders of Sicilian Baroque. You can discover it walking through its elegant streets, lined with boutiques, restaurants and cafes where you can enjoy excellent granitas. One of the most typical is Via Corrado Nicolaci which, in mid-May on the occasion of the traditional Infiorata, is covered with carpets of flowers.

A few minutes away by car, the protected sea of the beautiful Nature Reserve Oasi Faunistica di Vendicari, with the remains of the ancient Tonnara and the Sveva Tower, and with the trekking paths dotted with birdwatching stations. You can relax on the Marianelli and Eloro beaches or bask in the sun on the shoreline of Calamosche, perhaps the most famous.

Marzamemi (Sr)

Once a fishing village, today a pleasant seaside resort. The surprise along the Sp19, which leads from Noto to Pachino, is Marzamemi, a cluster of low houses and colored window frames gathered around the square and the ancient trap. In summer, it hosts the beautiful Frontier Film Festival, with screenings in the center under the stars (this year, hopefully, it should be in September),

People come here to eat in the typical seaside restaurants, stock up on tuna, ventresca and other typical delicacies (from dried tomatoes to olive oil and Modica chocolate) from Campisi and Adelfio. And to enjoy the sea.

The Spinazza coast is a few steps from the center and surrounded by coves from which to admire the sunset. But the Cavettone beach is also beautiful, just over a kilometer away and, a little further on, there is San Lorenzo, with the water with blue and turquoise shades.

Heading south, however, in a few minutes you reach Portopalo di Capo Passero, the southernmost point of Sicily, and the island of the Correnti, where the Mediterranean meets the Ionian: two of the wildest beaches on the coast.

The Plemmirio and the Cavagrande del Cassibile Nature Reserve (Sr)

A few minutes drive from the center of Syracuse, the stretch of the Maddalena peninsula, from Punta Castelluccio (in the photo) to Punta Milocca, is for lovers of the wild sea. White cliffs that flow into the blue, caves, beaches and coves: this is the protected marine area of Plemmirio.

You can swim in Massoliveri or in the blue sea of one of the coves of Punta Mola and Ripe Bianche. But you can also surf: when the wind blows, the waves that rise in front of Ognina are the fun of sportsmen with board and sail.

For an immersion in nature, 20 kilometers south of the village, there is also the Integrated Reserve of Cavagrande del Cassibile, a canyon in the green with emerald lakes carved into the rock in which to dive (CNN has called them one of the most beautiful places to swim).

Syracuse

Ortigia is the historic heart of Syracuse. Honey-colored buildings, cobbled streets that glisten in the sun and lead towards the sea. Some architectural jewels soon meet: the Cathedral, with its 2400 years of history, stands on an ancient temple dedicated to the goddess Athena. Overlooking the same square, there is also the Church of Santa Lucia alla Badia, which houses the precious painting by Caravaggio, The burial of Santa Lucia. Also worth seeing is the iconic Arethusa spring, a body of water surrounded by papyri, which inspired myths and legends.

Just outside the city, to visit the Unesco heritage archaeological park, where you can admire the most famous Greek theater in the world, the amphitheater and the remains of the Roman theater. In the park, there is also the presumed tomb of Archimedes, and the latomie, large cracks in the rock once used for the extraction of stone. The largest and most famous is that of Paradise, also known as the Ear of Dionysus for its shape: it was Caravaggio who invented the name, recalling the legend according to which the tyrant of Syracuse, Dionysus I, used to listen to the speeches of the prisoners he held locked up here.

Palazzolo Acreide (Rg)

Less famous, but worth a little trip coming from Ragusa, Palazzolo Acreide, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy at 700 meters in the Iblei mountains. It is a small favor, with the Greek theater, the temple of Aphrodite and the quarries of the archaeological park, the late Baroque churches, the medieval palaces and alleys that were the backdrop to Zeffirelli's Cavalleria Rusticana.

The most spectacular staircase is the one that leads to the Basilica of San Sebastiano, in Piazza del Popolo, where the Basilica of San Paolo is also located. Characteristic is the balcony of the 27 masks of Palazzo Iudica-Cafici today Caruso, in via Garibaldi. In the so-called via dei Santoni, there is the largest rock sanctuary in the Mediterranean.

Finally, try the Slow Food sausage, typical of the village, produced with nine cuts of pork, fennel and red wine.

Agrigento

In the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, you can admire some of the most spectacular ruins of the Italian Peninsula. The Temple of Concord is one of the best preserved Greek temples and was taken as a model to design the. Unesco logo. During the visit you can also admire the ruins of the ancient city of Akragas, while on top of a hill is the Archaeological Museum of Agrigento.

From the past to the present, the step is short in Agrigento. Not far from here, about 10 kilometers away, is Favara, the town transformed by street art - and by its inhabitants - into an open-air cultural laboratory, thanks to the Farm Cultural Park, the innovative artistic district, animated by galleries, bars, restaurants and cultural events.

Those looking for nature will find it in the wild landscape and sandy beaches of the Torre Salsa Nature Reserve and Eraclea Minoa, as well as in the spectacular Scala dei Turchi, the spectacular white cliffs overlooking the blue sea.

Piazza Armerina (En)

The mosaics that can be admired in the Roman villa del Casale, Unesco site in Piazza Armerina, extend over about three thousand square meters. They date back to the 4th century AD. They are a marvel: the refined workmanship and the care taken in the chiaroscuro, unite these mosaics with the Renaissance frescoes. The works show both mythological scenes and moments of daily life. But among the epic scenes reproduced, the most famous is that of the room of the ten young girls, portrayed engaged in gymnastic exercises in a two-piece costume.

In the city, you should also visit the richly frescoed church of Sant'Andrea, and the cathedral, with the facade that lights up at sunset.

At 20 kilometers, the regional archaeological museum of Aidone is the completely natural part of the visit to the villa del Casale.

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