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 state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

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 ...

, 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, which is the most southerly provincial capital in Italy.

Geography

From Scoglitti to

Pozzallo Pozzallo ( scn, Puzzaddu) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Ragusa, Sicily, southern Italy. Pozzallo is now a major summer tourist destination: as of March 2020, two beaches in Pozzallo hold a Blue Flag award, presented by the FEE ...

, the Ragusan coastline is approximately long. Along the Ragusan coast are many fishing villages such as Kaukana, Punta Secca, Marina di Ragusa and Marina di Modica. The

Hyblaean Mountains The Hyblaean Mountains ( scn, Munt'Ibblei; it, Monti Iblei; la, Hyblaei montes) is a mountain range in south-eastern Sicily, Italy. It straddles the provinces of Ragusa, Syracuse and Catania. The highest peak of the range is Monte Lauro, at 98 ...

are dominating the north of the province and its highest peaks are

Monte Lauro Mount Lauro is a mountain reaching 986 metres located in south-eastern Sicily belonging to the chain of Hyblaean Mountains, stretching between the three provinces of Catania, Ragusa and Siracusa. Monte Lauro is part of a complex of extinct volc ...

, Monte Casale and Monte Arcibessi. The rivers of the province are the

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 ...

Dirillo The Dirillo, or Acate, is a river in Sicily which springs from the Hyblaean Mountains and flows through the areas of Vizzini, Licodia Eubea, Mazzarrone, Chiaramonte Gulfi, Acate, Vittoria, Sicily, Vittoria, Gela. It enters the Strait of Sicily so ...

and

Ippari The Ippari, anciently called the ''Hipparis'' ( grc, Ἲππαρις) is a long river located in the province of Ragusa in south-eastern Sicily. The river rises in the ''Mount Serra Brugio'' area of the Hyblaean Mountains, just below Chiaramonte ...

and the only lake in the province is the

Lago di Santa Rosalia Lago di Santa Rosalia is an artificial lake in the Province of Ragusa, Sicily, Italy. Dam The lake was created following the completion of building works of a dam 57,10m tall along the higher part of the course of the river Irminio, between the t ...

along the course of the Irminio river. The skyline of Ragusa is punctuated by the towers, domes and cupolas 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 Intensive agriculture, also known as intensive farming (as opposed to extensive farming), conventional, or industrial agriculture, is a type of agriculture, both of crop plants and of animals, with higher levels of input and output per unit of ...

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, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

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 Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...

as the principal source of employment 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 Gela (Sicilian and ; grc, Γέλα) is a city and (municipality) in the Autonomous Region of Sicily, Italy; in terms of area and population, it is the largest municipality on the southern coast of Sicily. Gela is part of the Province of Ca ...

) to east ( Syracuse) and the SS.514 that running north connects Ragusa to Catania. The SP.25 (''Provincial Road'') runs south from Ragusa to Marina di Ragusa. *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 subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

and has recently been refurbished to be converted from military to civil airport. *The

Port of Pozzallo The Port of Pozzallo is the major port of the province of Ragusa on the Mediterranean coast of Sicily and is one of the most important harbours on the island. The port was initially designed for a volume of goods of only 500.000 tons a year but to ...

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 Scoglitti 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 Marina di Ragusa and Punta Secca. Cattedrale di San Giovanni

Main sights

Baroque

The cities of Ragusa,

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 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 ...

contain many examples of baroque architecture and from 2002 are part of the World Heritage. 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 Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

city of Kamarina located on the coast. *Others are Kasmenai, Akrillai, Scornavacche, Kaukana (Roman), the ''Roman Baths'' of

Comiso Comiso ( scn, U Còmisu), is a comune of the Province of Ragusa, Sicily, southern Italy. As of 2017, its population was 29,857. History In the past Comiso has been incorrectly identified with the ancient Greek colony of Casmene. Under the Byza ...

and the Cava Ispica.

Castles

*''Castle of Donnafugata'', near Ragusa, 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

dating to 1576. *Ruins of the fortress of ''Parco Forza'' in Ispica. * Acate 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 nobility, Sicilian noble family, originally a cadet branch of the House of Barcelona-Arago ...

'' constructed originally in 1494, it is a commanding feature of the town square. 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 A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

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 Ragusa