The Province of Ragusa ( it, Provincia di Ragusa; Sicilian: ''Pruvincia 'i Rausa'') was a

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

in the autonomous region of

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

in southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, located in the south-east of the island. Following the abolition of the Sicilian provinces, it was replaced in 2015 by the Free municipal consortium of Ragusa. Its capital is the city of

Ragusa Ragusa is the historical name of Dubrovnik. It may also refer to: Places Croatia * the Republic of Ragusa (or Republic of Dubrovnik), the maritime city-state of Ragusa * Cavtat (historically ' in Italian), a town in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Cro ...

, which is the most southerly provincial capital in Italy.

Geography

From

Scoglitti Scoglitti ( scn, Scugghitti) is a fishing village and hamlet () of Vittoria, a municipality in the Province of Ragusa, Sicily, Italy. In 2011 it had a population of 4,175. History Scoglitti found a niche in history after being selected by the All ...

to Pozzallo, the Ragusan coastline is approximately long. Along the Ragusan coast are many fishing villages such as

Kaukana Kaukana, also spelled Caucana, is a hamlet (place), hamlet (''frazione'') of Santa Croce Camerina, a municipality in the Province of Ragusa, Sicily. It is located a few hundred metres from Punta Secca and a few km from Marina di Ragusa. It ...

Punta Secca Punta Secca ( scn, Punta Sicca), locally nicknamed ''’A Sicca'', is a small southern Italy, Italian fishing village and hamlet (''frazione'') of Santa Croce Camerina, a municipality in the Province of Ragusa, Sicily. In 2011 it had a population ...

Marina di Ragusa Marina di Ragusa, also known as ''Mazzarelli'', is a southern Italian village and hamlet (''frazione'') of Ragusa, a municipality seat of the homonym province, Sicily. In 2011 it had a population of 3,468, which during the summer rises to more t ...

and

Marina di Modica Modica (; scn, Muòrica) is a city and ''comune'' of 54,456 inhabitants in the Province of Ragusa, Sicily, southern Italy. The city is situated in the Hyblaean Mountains. Modica has neolithic origins and it represents the historical capital ...

. The Hyblaean Mountains are dominating the north of the province and its highest peaks are Monte Lauro,

Monte Casale Monte Casale is a mountainous elevation on Sicily in Italy, reaching 910m above sea level, which (with the neighbouring Monte Lauro) formed part of the oldest volcanic formation of the Hyblaean Mountains. Their peaks form the boundary between t ...

and

Monte Arcibessi Monte Arcibessi is a mountain located in the Sicilian province of Ragusa and is one of the highest peaks in the Hyblaen Mountain chain. It stretches between the Chiaramonte Gulfi and Ragusa communes. With its adjacent mountains, Monte Arcibes ...

. The rivers of the province are the Irminio, Dirillo and Ippari and the only lake in the province is the Lago di Santa Rosalia along the course of the Irminio river. The skyline of Ragusa is punctuated by the

tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

s and

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, from ...

s of the many churches for which the

is known. The area is mostly unspoilt, as during the 19th century and early 20th century there was large migration from Ragusa to the more prosperous areas of Italy and abroad. It has an area of and a total population of 321,192 (2017). There are 12

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

s (Italian: ''comuni'') in the provinc

see Comunes of the Province of Ragusa. By population, they are:

Economy

Parts of the province have changed dramatically in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, largely due to tourism. However, others are relatively unchanged from pre-industrial times. Main productive activities can be found in the towns of Ragusa and Pozzallo, where the two major industrial areas are located. The west and south of the province are mainly dedicated to the intensive farming in greenhouses and the local vegetables leave from the ''Market of Vittoria'' to be exported to all of Europe making the province of Ragusa one of the biggest producers of greenhouse produce. In the areas around Ragusa and Modica cattle farming is at the highest levels in the region for milk, dairy and meat production.

Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

has now replaced the

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

industry as the principal source of

employment Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any othe ...

along the coast.

Transports

*There are no motorways in the province and the main roads are the ''National'' SS.115 that crosses from west ( Gela) to east (

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

) and the SS.514 that running north connects Ragusa to

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...

. The SP.25 (''Provincial Road'') runs south from Ragusa to

. *The of railway network of the province are entirely on single track and not electrified. Regional trains run regularly connecting the major cities. *

Comiso Airport Comiso Airport "Pio La Torre" , also known as ''Vincenzo Magliocco Airport'', is an airport located in the town of Comiso in the province of Ragusa, Sicily, southern Italy. The airport serves Comiso (5 km), Ragusa (15 km/9.3 miles from ...

during the cold-war was the biggest

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

base in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and has recently been refurbished to be converted from military to civil airport. *The Port of Pozzallo is the only cargo and passengers port (service to

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

), and is located in the southern part of the province. *The other ports are either fishing ports like

and

Donnalucata Donnalucata ( scn, Ronnalucata) is a southern Italian fishing village and hamlet (''frazione'') of Scicli, a municipality in the Province of Ragusa, Sicily. In 2011 it had a population of 3,172. History The area has been inhabited since Greek and ...

or ''Marinas'' for touristic boats like

and

Main sights

Baroque

The cities of

Modica Modica (; scn, Muòrica) is a city and ''comune'' of 54,456 inhabitants in the Province of Ragusa, Sicily, southern Italy. The city is situated in the Hyblaean Mountains. Modica has neolithic origins and it represents the historical capital ...

and Scicli contain many examples of baroque architecture and from 2002 are part of the

World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

. The main monuments are: * Cathedral of San Giovanni (Ragusa) *Portal of San Giorgio (Ragusa Ibla) * Duomo of San Giorgio (Ragusa Ibla) * San Giorgio Cathedral, Modica *Duomo of San Pietro (Modica) *Church of San Bartolomeo (Scicli) *Palazzo Beneventano (Scicli)

Archeology

*The main archeological site of the province is the Greek city of Kamarina located on the coast. *Others are

Kasmenai Casmenae or Kasmenai ( grc, Κασμέναι, Casmene in Italian) was an ancient Greek colony located on the Hyblaean Mountains, founded in 644 BC by the Syracusans at a strategic position for the control of central Sicily. It was also inte ...

Akrillai Akrillai ( grc, Ἄκριλλαι) and Akrilla ( grc, Ἄκριλλα), Acrillae (in Latin) was an ancient Greek colony located in the modern province of Ragusa, Sicily, Italy, where the town of Chiaramonte Gulfi stands today. The ruins of the o ...

, Scornavacche,

(Roman), the ''Roman Baths'' of Comiso and the Cava Ispica.

Castles

*''Castle of Donnafugata'', near

, is a beautiful example of country residence of the ''Baron Corrado Arezzo'' that dominates the surrounding countryside. *''Castle of the Counts of Modica'' in

town centre. *''Castle of Naselli d’Aragona'' in Comiso dating to 1576. *Ruins of the fortress of ''Parco Forza'' in

Ispica Ispica (, ) is a city and ''comune'' in the south of Sicily, Italy. It is from Ragusa, from Syracuse, and away from La Valletta, on the coast of Malta. The first mention in a document of Ispica occurred in 1093, in a list of churches and ec ...

. *

Acate Acate ( Sicilian: ''Acati'' or ''Vischiri'') is a small town and ''comune'' in the south of Sicily, Italy, part of the province of Ragusa. It is located in the Dirillo River valley, from Ragusa. Until 1938 it was called Biscari, and its histo ...

is housing the ''Castle of the

Prince of Biscari Prince of Biscari ( it, Principe di Biscari) is a title in the Kingdom of Sicily, held by the head of one branch of the House of Paternò, a major Sicilian noble family, originally a cadet branch of the House of Barcelona-Aragona. The title was ...

'' constructed originally in 1494, it is a commanding feature of the

town square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true square, geometric square, used for community gathe ...

. The construction of the castle was ordered by ''Baron Guglielmo Raimondo Paternò'', its golden coloured stone work has been modified many times during its long history, it now appears more as an 18th-century palazzo than a castle, although some crenelations and towers remain.

References

External links

*
Official website

The province of Ragusa

* ttp://www.ragusainrete.it Ragusa on line {{DEFAULTSORT:Province Of Ragusa