The province of Ragusa, the southernmost in Italy, is situated in the south-eastern part of Sicily and consists of a narrow coastal plain and the Iblean plateau, gradually sloping down towards the sea. In our territory there are very impressive gorges, and deep river valleys covered with the typical Mediterranean vegetation.
The beautiful coasts, with their fine sand, are generally low. There are also some nature reserves, interesting for both their flora (lentisk, scarlet and cork oaks, dwarf fan palms, etc.) and their fauna (ducks, blue herons, marsh-harriers, buzzards, barn owls, weasels, foxes, Bonelli's eagles, etc.).
Our province is divided into 12 towns, and Ragusa is its provincial town.
Architecture is mainly late baroque, due to a tragic event, the 1693 earthquake, which caused thousands of victims and destroyed most of the towns. It was decided to build towns in a baroque style, which is typically Sicilian thanks to the locally mined soft limestone, which is bright and reflects the sun light. Ragusa, Modica, and Scicli, with their wonderful churches and palaces, are a good example of this architecture.
Handicraft work is still very common. If you just go along the provincial routes, you can come across artisans forging iron, or sculpting the soft local limestone, and expert and patient embroideresses working at their delicate Sicilian drawn threadwork.
Local agriculture, and its ties with cooking, also attracts tourists: vineyards and olive trees produce excellent wines and oils, organic vegetables are the basic ingredients of delicious and healthy recipes, and local cheeses are among the best in Italy.
A journey in this province cannot but surprise you!
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