Marina di Ragusa, also known as ''Mazzarelli'', is a southern

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

village and hamlet (''

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

'') of Ragusa, a municipality seat of the homonym province,

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

. In 2011 it had a population of 3,468, which during the summer rises to more than 60,000.

History

The remains of a Greek settlement of the 5th century BC, when this area was under the control of Kamarina, have been found on the banks of the nearby river

Irminio The Irminio ( scn, Iriminiu; it, Irminio; la, Hirminius) is a long river located in south-eastern Sicily, southern Italy. It is the most important of the rivers of the province of Ragusa. The river springs from Monte Lauro, the main peak of th ...

that was used as ''canal-port''. The village was known since the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

era (5th century) when a loading

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was built to export the local products. The

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

geographer El Idrisi writes that during the

domination (827-1091) it was called ''Marsa A'Rillah'' (small port) and during the years 1584 and 1596 a watchtower known as Torre Cabrera was built by order of the Count B. Cabrera next to the port of the village due to

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...

-ships sailing this stretch of sea. It remained a sleepy fishing village until the 1870s when its port was extensively used for the export of the local

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term ...

, mined in Ragusa, to numerous European capitals. It was called ''Mazzarelli'' until 1928 when the local council changed the name in ''Marina di Ragusa''. During the 1960s, it became a tourist resort, a role which it still maintains today.

Geography

Marina di Ragusa is located by the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

coast of the island of

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

, directly opposite the island of

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 ...

. It is 6 km from

Santa Croce Camerina Santa Croce Camerina ( scn, Santa Cruci Camarina) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Ragusa, Sicily, in southern Italy. As of 2017 its population was of 10,973. Geography The municipal territory of Santa Croce is surrounded by the one of ...

, 11 from

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 ...

, 17 from

Scicli Scicli is a town and municipality in the Province of Ragusa in the south east of Sicily, southern Italy. It is from Ragusa, and from Palermo, and has a population (2017) of 27,051. Alongside seven other cities in the Val di Noto, it has been ...

, 24 from Ragusa and 27 from

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 ...

Economy

The local economy is based on tourism due to the quality of its beaches. Many bars, restaurants and hotels are busy during the summer season whilst during the winter the village gets busy only at weekends. Nightclubs and camping can also be found. The local fishing industry has nearly disappeared and has been replaced by intensive agriculture in greenhouses that can be found along this stretch of coast. From the nearby ''Market of Vittoria'' green-products get exported to all

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 subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

Transport

Public transport

The only public transport in Marina di Ragusa are two bus-lines (A and B), that run from west (port) to east (end of the promenade ''Andrea Doria''). There are also several daily buses to Ragusa and Catania and the nearest airport is

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 ...

at . The Provincial Road SP25 ''Ragusa Mare'' connects Ragusa to its beach resort.

The Port

The new port of Marina di Ragusa was designed in the 1980s but after a short time works stopped until the years 2006-2008, when with European Funding it was possible to complete it. The new port aims to become one of the major tourist ports of the island. The new structure is the biggest tourist port of Sicily and can moor over 800 boats and the new offices for the

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

. It was officially opened 3 July 2009. In 2010 shops, a supermarket and a bar were opened.

Gallery

References

External links

Marina di Ragusa
on the municipal website
Marina di Ragusa on sicilyweb.comThe port of Marina
on

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Marina Di Ragusa Frazioni of the Province of Ragusa Ragusa, Sicily