Someplace New

Welcome to Ragusa Ibla!

When we told our families we were heading to Sicily next, Brad’s grandma filled us in on a little family history. We always knew his family had Italian roots, but she told us the exact lineage traces back to Ragusa, a small town in Sicily. So we made sure to schedule a trip there to check out the sights!

 

(Brad really wanted a picture with this sign. He pulled the car over pretty abruptly when we saw it)

Ragusa was one of the many Sicilian towns that was leveled during the massive earthquake of 1693.  It was rebuilt in two sections: Ragusa, which is situated up on a hill, and Ragusa Ibla which was rebuilt on the ruins of the old city according to medieval structures and practices. Today, Ragusa Ibla is the more visited because of it’s quaint streets, boutique shops, and variety of restaurants, but even when you are in Ragusa Ibla you can see Ragusa sitting on the hill watching you 😉

Our day in Ragusa Ibla was a wonderful break from the heat. Other than climbing an outrageous amount of stairs.. we were pretty comfortable all day with the high being around 80 degrees. That was such a drastic change from our 95-100 degree days that it felt like a miracle occurred right there in Sicily.

One of the major pieces of architecture to visit is of course the town Duomo (cathedral.) The Sicilian baroque style dominated again in this little town.

When you come upon the Duomo you are wowed by it’s dominance.

We came across another church nearby that was much smaller and much more unassuming. It wasn’t much to write home about on the outside.. but the inside was so different and unique, it was definetly worth a feature!

Brad, Lou, and I loved seeing the wooden painted ceilings and taking in a building that clearly looks like it has been around for hundreds of years.

Nearby, there was a small park that had a nice shady resting spot with some beautiful bits of nature to photograph!

Our favorite part of Ragusa Ibla were all the windy streets to explore! We went to tons of shops, bought LOTS of Christmas gifts, and had some pistachio gelato of course 😉

Our least favorite part were the dogs that barked at us for an entire city block.

We finished off our day at the highest overlook to get the best look at Ragusa! If you find yourself in Sicily, a visit to Ragusa Ibla is a must!