RAGUSA

Ragusa is the southernmost capital of Italy. It is called the "city of bridges", due to the presence of three very picturesque and historically valuable BRIDGES, but it has also been defined by writers, artists and economists as "the island in the island" or "the other Sicily", thanks to its history and to a socio-economic context very different from the rest of the island. In 1693 a devastating earthquake caused the almost total destruction of the entire city, reaping more than five thousand victims. The reconstruction, which occurred in the eighteenth century, divided into two large districts: on one side Ragusa Superiore, located on the plateau, on the other Ragusa Ibla, built from the ruins of the ancient city and rebuilt according to the ancient medieval structure. The architectural masterpieces built after the earthquake, together with all those present in the Val di Noto, have been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2002. Ragusa is one of the most important places for the presence of evidence of Baroque art, such as its churches and its eighteenth-century palaces.