Ragusa (province)

Santa rosalia

About two-thirds of the province is occupied by the Iblean mountains , whose average height is from 400 to 600 meters above sea level. The highest peaks do not reach 1000 meters and are located on the northern border of the province. The highest peaks are Monte Lauro (986 m), Monte Casale (910 m) and Monte Archibessi (906 m). ^[3] , the only plain in the province is located in the western part.

The geomorphology of the Iblean mountains is diverse. The territory often descends to the sea with progressive terraces and deep quarries located in the south of the province. On the coast, cliffs of limestone give way to beaches and swamps, the latter for today all dried up.

The Irminio (55 km), Dirillo (54 km), Tellaro (45 km), Ippari (28 km), Fiumara di Modica (22 km), and Tellesimo (14 km) rivers flow through the province. in Ragusa and part of in Monterosso Almo are of artificial origin. ^[four]

In ancient times, along the coast of the province there were many swamps that were drained. In the municipality of Ispica, natural reservoirs were preserved - (salt marsh), (fresh).

In the south, the coast of the province is washed by the Mediterranean Sea, between the mouth of the Dirillo and Pantano Longarini. Between the mouths of Dirillo and Ippari is a long, sandy beach. Further, in the direction of Punta Seca, the coast becomes rocky, alternating between small beaches and cliffs. Between Marina di Ragusa and Cava d'Aliga, the coast is mostly sandy and rocky to Punta Religione, with alternating cliffs and small beaches such as Sampieri made of fine golden sand. Between Pozzallo and Punta Chiriga, sandy beaches again prevail. ^[5] Opposite Punta Chiriga is the island of and the small archipelago ^[6]

In the southern and coastal areas of the province, there is usually little rainfall. In the mountainous regions, there is a lot of rainfall in autumn, winter and spring. There are no weather stations in the province. ^{[7] [8]}

There are 5 nature reserves and natural parks in the province: , , , , ^{[9] [10]}

The official borders and administrative autonomy of the province of Ragusa were created in 1927 , in the " fascist era ", but the history of the place itself is closely connected with the historical fate of all of Sicily . Here, the sites of prehistoric man are adjacent to the ruins of ancient Greek colonies, and archaeological sites of the Hellenistic and Roman periods with monuments of Byzantine culture and the Middle Ages.

In the area of ​​Fontana Nuova, near Marina di Ragusa , the largest site of a prehistoric man in Sicily was opened. In the cave were found scrapers and blades made of stone, whose age dates back 30,000 years BC. e. In Ragusa , Cava de Ispica and Cava Lazzaro , archaeological evidence of mining operations related to the “ Castellluccian ” culture was discovered, and in the Monte Archibessi area , numerous fortified settlements (fortresses) of the Bronze and Iron Ages were discovered.

In historical times, the tribes of Sikans and Sikuls on this territory founded the oldest large settlements, of which Motika and Ibla Eraya are known. But the appearance of the first cities here is associated with the trading activities of the Phoenicians and the ancient Greeks , who colonized the region, starting from the VIII century. BC e. They founded, in particular, Kamarina , Kasmenai and Acrilai . The ancient Romans founded the province of Sicily, but their long stay on the island (241 BC - 440 BC) did not leave significant traces in the region. Then came the invasion of vandals and the Goths .

The Ostrogoths led by Theodoric captured Sicily in 491 , but in 535 the Byzantines, led by Belisarius, annexed the island to Byzantium . In 549, the Ostrogoths led by Totila tried to regain territory and for two years controlled part of the island, until in 551 they were finally expelled by the Byzantines from Sicily.

The rule of the Byzantines (535-830) in the region is evidenced by several chapels and cave churches. The Arabs who dominated Sicily between the 9th and 11th centuries contributed to the economic development of the island, which continued during the subsequent rule of the Normans , which contributed to the significant cultural development of Sicily.

The short reign of the kings of the Anjou dynasty ended in 1282 with an uprising known as the “ Sicilian Vespers ”. The new king, Peter III of Aragon, founded two counties in the territory of the modern province, Ragusa and Modica. In 1296, these counties were united by a dynastic marriage between Manfredi Chiaramonte and Isabella Mosca, who became the count and countess of Ragusa and Modica. The county of Modica , which roughly coincided with the borders of the modern province, appeared on March 25, 1296 , when Frederic III of Aragonese awarded Manfredi Chiaramonte, the title of Count Modica and the lord Ragusa, Kakkamo , Scicli , Gulfi , Pozzallo and Spaccaforno (former name Ispica).

Over time, the Feud Chiaramonte became an administrative unit completely independent of the Kingdom of Sicily . Courts of three levels operated on its territory (including the appeal court, which was not even in Palermo ), the governor , administrators for individual settlements ( communes ), and well-organized municipal and count police . From 1392 to 1457, the feud included the cities (included in the modern province) of Acate (Biscari until 1930), Comiso, Ispica and Santa Croce Camerina . It was the reign of Counts Bernat Cabrera and his son Giovanni Bernardo. The latter, in connection with a debt of 60,000 florins, sold part of the territory of the feud. Thus, between 1453 and 1457, Comiso went to Nazelli, Jarratan to Settimo, Ispica to Caruso-Statella, Santa Croce to Celestra, Akate to Paternò Castello. However, for a long time, the feud included Kakkamo, Calatafimi and Alcamo , cities in the west of Sicily, until the last two were joined to the royal domain in 1802 and entered the county of Modica.

In 1607, the city ​​of Vittoria was founded in honor of the noble lady Vittoria Colonna , wife of Louis III Enriques de Cabrera , Count of Modica since 1596 . In 1693, a terrible earthquake in the province of Val di Noto destroyed many villages and cities on the island, including Scicli, Ragusa, Chiaramonte, Ispica, Modica, Vittoria and many others. About 60,000 people became victims of this earthquake. It destroyed many testimonies of past eras and civilizations. However, the reconstruction brought a new splendor to the region, leaving a large number of Baroque architecture masterpieces.

At the beginning of the 20th century, socialist ideas spread among the inhabitants of the region, but in the mid-1920s fascist organizations dominated here. In 1927, thanks to the political activities of Filippo Pennavaria (a member of the local fascist cell), Ragusa received the status of the provincial capital by lowering the status of Modica, which for 600 years was the fourth largest city in Sicily in importance and population, after Palermo, Catania and Messina . When creating the province, the population of Ragusa and Modica was almost the same. Ragusa, becoming the capital of the province, has become an important economic and industrial center.

During World War II, the region, starting in 1942 and throughout 1943, like the entire island, was subjected to frequent bombardments. This was due to the presence of military airfields here in Comiso, Vizzini and Gela . In 1943, after the Anglo-American airborne landing in Sicily, the region became part of the theater of operations. Soon after the war, the province was completely restored.

Administratively, the province of Ragusa is divided into 12 communes :

The population of the province of Ragusa is 318,478. In terms of population, the province ranks seventh among the provinces of Sicily and fourth in population density, which is 197.3 people / km².

The provincial capital, the city of Ragusa, ranks seventh in population density among provincial capitals (167 people / km²). From 1982 to 2001, the provincial population grew by 7.6%, or 20,811 people.

Of the eleven communes in the province, the population in Vittoria and Modica communes exceeds 50,000; in the remaining communes, the population varies from 3,000 to 30,000. The least populated commune is Jarratana, and the most populous is Pozzallo with a population density of 1,230.05 people / km². Pozzallo is also the smallest settlement with an area of ​​only 14.94 km².

The population of the province, whose territory was once part of the speaks the Ragusan dialect of the Sicilian language.

One of the developed branches of the provincial economy is tourism. In addition to cultural tourism , which, in addition to Baroque city monuments, also includes archaeological sites in Kamarina and Kazmen , the construction of a resort area has begun. As part of this project, several tourist villages and infrastructure have been built over the past fifteen years. The climate in the region allows you to swim in the sea for at least six months a year. The upcoming opening of the airport in Comiso will contribute to the further development of this type of tourism.

Tourist routes: Cava d'Ispica , (in the south-east of Sicily are called kava ( sits. Cava ) deep gorges, along which rivers flow, originating in the Iblean mountains ), a gorge with a length of 10 km, in which, in addition to beautiful landscape views, you can to follow the development of civilizations in the region from prehistoric times; there is a necropolis of the ancient Sikul tribe, catacombs of the first Christians, Byzantine chapels and medieval settlements; Castello di Donnafugata , the only castle of the province, which is under the care of the commune of Ragusa , and which provides tours for tourists; built by the Arabs , it was rebuilt in the Gothic style, and later in the Renaissance style ; the castle is located 20 km southwest of Ragusa; the library of the castle holds about 4,000 volumes; a park is set up in the surrounding area.

Until 2010, there were no highways in the province, although, from the late 60s of the 20th century, there was a project to create the Syracuse-Gela highway, work on which was slow and with long breaks. The highway was built only between Syracuse and Rosolini. Construction work stopped a kilometer from the border of the province. It is planned to continue the construction of the rest of the highway from Rosolini to Ragusa.

, which leads from Syracuse, passes through the provincial cities and heads for Gela. connects Rugusa with Catania. On the same line, but via Monterosso Almo and Jarratana, Ragusa and Catania are connected by . connects Ragusa with Marina di Ragusa.

The province is crossed by the railway line operated by . Its length is a little over 119 km. The route, despite modernization, remains subsidized. The line runs along winding and steep slopes, connecting Ragusa with Syracuse and Caltanissetta, Palermo and Catania.

An important seaport of the province is the , which, in addition to merchant shipping and fishing, also has passenger connections with the ports of Malta and Catania. In 2008, the port of Pozzallo transported 1,521,095 tons of cargo and 166,406 passengers. ^[12]

Other ports of the province: Marina di Ragusa, Skolitti, Donnalucata and Punta Secca. The new was opened on July 3, 2009, has more than 800 berths and is one of three centers for pleasure yachts in Sicily. ^[13]

The province's main airport, Airport, was rebuilt from an abandoned NATO base and opened to civilian transport on May 30, 2013. There are also four small airdromes in the province: , , Mosquito and Elpiflay (both under Marina di Ragusa).

Education

Since 1997, the city of Ispica opened and operates the Linguistic Lyceum. John F. Kennedy, founded on the basis of the former Municipal Linguistic Lyceum, which, in turn, was founded in 1979.

В провинции Рагуза нет своего университета, но для жителей провинции существуют курсы бакалавров в Университете Катании на факультетах сельского хозяйства, иностранных языков и литературы, политологии, медицины (хирургии) и права. Существует Университетский консорциум провинции Рагуза, образованный в 1995 году и курирующий научную и культурную деятельность в провинции. Одной из целей сообщества является основание четвёртого университета на острове в городе Рагуза. ^[14]

Architecture

После разрушительного землетрясения 1693 года в Валь-ди-Ното по всей провинции началась активная реконструкция, плодом которой стало архитектурное наследие в стиле « сицилийского барокко » в городах Рагуза , Модика и Шикли , включенное ЮНЕСКО в список Всемирного наследия .

Известные церкви провинции: в Рагузе — , , , , ; в Модике — , , ; Шикли — , , , ; Кьярамонте-Гульфи — , , Церковь Сан Джованни Баттиста , ; Комизо — , ; Джарратана — , ; Испика — , ; Монтероссо-Альмо — ; Виттория — Базилика Сан Джованни Баттиста , Церковь Санта Мария делле Грацие .

Известные замки провинции: Кастелло дель Принчипе ди Бискари (XV век), Кастелло дей Кьярамонте (XIII век), Кастелло ди Чичимия (XVI век), Башня Маццаронелло (XVI век), (XVI век), Кастелло ди Терравеккья (XIII век), Фортилитиум дель Парко Форца (XII век), (XIII век), Торрета делл'Оролоджо (XIII—XVIII века), Кастелло да Казале (XIII век), Башня Кабрера (XVI век), Кастелло ди Доннафугата (XIV век), Кастелло Норманно в Рагузе (XI век), Башня Кабрера в Марина-ди-Рагуза (XVI век), Башня Вильена (XVI век), Башня Скаламбри (XVI век), Башня Меццо (XVII век), Замок «Каструм Магнум» (XIV век), Кастелло-дей-Тре-Кантони «Каструм Парвум» (XIV век), Кастелло ди Виттория (XVIII век).

Археологические памятники

Archaeological sites: Chiaramonte Gulfi - archaeological site “Skornavakke”; Comiso - mosaic panels in ancient Roman baths; Jarratana - the archeological monument “Kazmenai”, “Ancient Roman Villa with Mosaic Panels”; Ispica - archaeological park “Forta e del Fortilitium”; Modica - archaeological park "North Cava Ispica", "Cava Lazzaro"; Ragusa - Camarina Archaeological Park, Ibla Eraya Archaeological Site, Castiglione di Ragusa Archaeological Site; Santa Croce Camerina - Archaeological Park "Caucana"; Monte Archibessi - on the territory there are fortified settlements (fortresses) of the Bronze and Iron Ages, prehistoric settlements, ruins of ancient Greek and Roman settlements, ruins of Byzantine and medieval buildings; Monte Casasia is a Hellenistic necropolis of the 7th – 6th centuries BC. e., tombs in artificial caves near Monterosso Almo; Acrilai is an ancient Greek colony founded in the 7th century BC. e. near Chiaramonte Gulfi as a military outpost on the way from Gela and Agrigento ; Trebacca Cave - an archaeological site of monumental funerary architecture of the ancient Roman and Byzantine periods; Neolithic parking in Fontana Nuova near Marina di Ragusa ; Medieval Pompeii, in Terravecchia, an ancient city in Jarratana .

Museums

There are six small museums in Chiaramonte Gulfi, including the Oil Museum, the Embroidery Museum and the Giovanni De Vita Art Gallery. Comiso houses the Municipal Museum of Natural History, which has over 7,000 fossils of various Quaternary invertebrates and vertebrates in Sicily. In Modica - Salvatore Quasimodo House-Museum and the City Museum. Franco Libero Belgiorno, which contains archaeological finds of the Paleolithic era , including artifacts from the cave in Cava Lazzaro, the Neolithic era from the parking lot near the village of Pirrone, and objects from the beginning of our era. There are also exhibits from the Bronze Age from the Baravital fraction in Cava d'Ispica and Cava Lazzaro. In Ragusa, the exhibits archaeological finds from all over the province. The regional archaeological museum in Kamarina exhibits most of the artifacts found during excavations of the ancient Greek city. The municipal collection of Carmelo Capello, which presents the works of local sculptors, donated by them to the city in 1994. In Vittoria, there is the Municipal Museum of Professor Virgilio Lavore, Italo Ungerese Museum, Monsignor Federico La China Museum of Sacred Art and Museum of Rural Culture.

Festivals

In November-December, the International Organ Music Festival is held in Ragusa, the program of which consists of 6 concert evenings of Baroque organ music, held in the churches of the city. The Iblean Jazz Festival is held in October in Ragusa-Iblah and lasts a week. Modica hosts a cultural festival (in December) and a chocolate festival.

In Ispica, on Holy Week since the Middle Ages, processions of flagellants take place. In Ragusa, the feast of St. John the Baptist, the patron saint of the city and diocese of Ragusa, is widely celebrated, as well as the feast of St. George, which is held on the last Sunday of May. In Comiso, in addition to the Easter holiday, which is called Paci and widely celebrated since the time of Spanish rule, the holidays of the Sorrowing Mother of God, in honor of which the cathedral of the city is blessed, and St. Biagio (Blasia), the patron saint of the city, are celebrated in honor of which on the second Sunday of July from 1693 in memory of Comiso's deliverance from the plague and the earthquake. On this day, a torchlight procession passes through the streets of the city. In Chiaramonte Gulfi, the feast of St. John the Baptist, the patron saint of the city, is held on June 23-24, and on Sunday and the third Tuesday after Easter, the appearance of the Gulf Mother of God, the main patroness of Chiaramonte, is noted. In Jarratana, from the end of July to the beginning of August, the feast of the Snow Mother of God takes place; here, for 1000 years, the feast of St. Bartholomew, the apostle has been celebrated. Modica also celebrates two major church holidays: the procession of the Madonna Vaza-Vaza on Easter Day, which has been held since the middle of the 18th century, and the procession of St. Peter (in June). In Scicli, solemnly celebrated Easter and St. Joseph's Day (in March), as well as on the last Saturday of May, the feast of the Mother of God of the Police. On this day, scenes of battles between Normans and Arabs for the possession of Sicily are played out. In Vittoria, almost from the very foundation of the city, a solemn procession takes place on Good Friday.

In the province, there are a number of holidays associated with agriculture: in March in Santa Croce Camerina the flower festival, in May in the Ragusa tomato festival, on August 14 in the Jarratana onion festival, in August in the Pozzallo fish festival, in September in Rocazzo and Chiaramonte Gulfi feast of grapes, in Pedalino harvest festival.

Attractions

In popular culture

Since the 1960s, the province of Ragusa, in particular Ispica, has been chosen as the location for many films about Sicily. In 1960, the shooting of the film " Divorce in Italian " Pietro Germie . This film made Ispica famous throughout Italy. In 1974 , again in Ispica, several scenes of The Journey by Vittorio de Sica were shot with Sophia Loren , Richard Burton , and . In 1984, several scenes from the film “ Chaos ” by the Taviani brothers were filmed here. In 1995, on Regina Margherita Square and in the Palazzo Comunale, Bruno di Belmonte directed the television series “I Don't Speak anymore” with Anna Bonayuto, , Lorenza Indovina and Daniele Liotti. In 2002, the Vittoria Colonna Theater in Vittoria served as the backdrop for some scenes of the movie “Council of Egypt” by . In 2002, Franco Battiato, in his first film, “ ”, used the look of the loggia of Santa Maria Maggiore, and in 2005 some scenes of the television detective “Commissar Montalbano” based on detective novels by Andrea Camilleri were shot in the province. Urban panoramas of the province fell into the film " Leopard " by Luchino Visconti .

Kitchen

Unlike other provinces of Sicily, where the menu consists mainly of seafood-based dishes, Ragusa's cuisine is more focused on dishes of meat, milk, cheese, vegetables and fruits. ^[15]

Some dishes of local cuisine: Ragusa pasteur ( sic. I pasteri ), a paste of meat of sheep and goats with cheese; ^[16] , Ragus cheese made from mare's milk; kko makku (sic . cco maccu ), homemade noodles seasoned with dried bean paste (makku) and dill; pasta a-picurara ( Italian: pasta a picurara ), pasta with onion and potato sauce, boiled in milk and sprinkled with sheep’s cheese; turchinyuna (sits . I turciniuna ), sheep intestines, fried in a pan; ^[17] galloping ( Italian: Scacce ), a crescent-shaped pie stuffed with sausage or ground beef, stewed onions, boiled vegetables and Ragusa cheese; ^[18] cannoli ( Italian: Cannoli ), sweets with curd cheese and Mpanatiggi ( Italian: Mpanatigghi ), sweets from almonds, veal and chocolate.

Well-known ^[19] Cocoa appeared in Modica in the middle of the 17th century. The Jesuits brought him with them. Later, one of the first chocolate factories in Europe was opened here, which is still operating today. ^[20] It produces a special type of Aztec chocolate recovered from Spanish colonies in South America .

Due to economic difficulties, the provincial sports organizations did not participate in the games of the 19th Universiade held in Sicily. In 1968, qualifiers for the European Women's Basketball Championship were held in Ragusa.

Provincial Football Teams: (Series D, Group I), (Group B), and . Futsal is represented by the club , which in the 2006-2007 season first entered Serie A.

Provincial basketball teams: and Olympia Comiso (both in the C1 series). The province also has a rugby club, Ragusa-rugby, founded in 1967, and women's table tennis team, , who won the Italian and 1991 championships.

The main sports facility of the province is , a stadium located in the Selvaggio district, in the provincial capital. It was built in 1972 and is designed for 3,500 spectators. It hosts football and rugby games. In the same area is the Sports Hall , also designed for 3,500 people. It hosts basketball, volleyball and martial arts competitions. Other gyms in the province in Ragusa for 2000 seats, Palamarsala in Ragusa for 500 seats and Paladavolos in Comiso for 620 seats.

Among the provincial stadiums, the second place is occupied by the Vittoria city stadium with 5000 seats, the third and fourth places are occupied by Modica city stadiums with 2500 seats and Comiso with 1800 seats.

Natives of the province are athletes (soccer player), (basketball coach), Danilo Napolitano (cyclist), (swimmer).

• Giovan Battista Odyem (1597-1660) - scientist.
• (1668-1740) - philosopher, poet and doctor.
• (1786–1861) - patriot, participant in Risorgimento .
• (1844-1910) is blessed.
• Rosa Curcio (1877-1957) - blessed.
• (1889-1955) - archaeologist.
• Salvatore Quasimodo (1901-1968) - poet, Nobel Prize winner in literature.
• Giorgio La Pira (1904-1977) - politician.
• (1915-1997) - artist.
• (1920-1996) - writer.
• (born 1935) is an artist.
• Salvatore Adamo (born 1943) - singer and composer.
• Anna Finokkyaro (born 1955) - politician, senator .
• (born 1957) - screenwriter and director.
• Valeria Solarino (born 1978) is an actress.
• (born 1989) is a jazz musician.

• Provincia di Ragusa (Italian) . Official site. Archived June 18, 2013.