Ragusa is a city and comune in southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Ragusa, on the island of Sicily, with 73,288 inhabitants in 2016.[3] It is built on a wide limestone hill between two deep valleys, Cava San Leonardo and Cava Santa Domenica. Together with seven other cities in the Val di Noto, it is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The origins of Ragusa can be traced back to the 2nd millennium BC, when there were several Sicel settlements in the area. The current district of Ragusa Ibla has been identified as Hybla Heraea.
The ancient city, located on a 300-metre (980 ft)-high hill, came into contact with nearby Greek colonies, and grew thanks to the nearby port of Camerina. Following a short period of Carthaginian rule, it fell into the hands of the ancient Romans and the Byzantines, who fortified the city and built a large castle. Ragusa was occupied by the Arabs in 848 AD, remaining under their rule until the 11th century, when the Normansconquered it. Selected as County seat, its first Count was Geoffrey, son of Count Ruggero of Sicily.
Thereafter Ragusa's history followed the events of the Kingdom of Sicily, created in the first half of the twelfth century. A Chiaramonte family fief, it remained the county capital after it was unified with Modica in 1296, a status it lost in the 15th century after a popular revolt.
In 1693 Ragusa was devastated by a huge earthquake, which killed some 5,000 inhabitants. Following this catastrophe the city was largely rebuilt, and many Baroque buildings from this time remain in the city. Most of the population moved to a new settlement in the former district of Patro, calling this new municipality "Ragusa Superiore" (Upper Ragusa) and the ancient city "Ragusa Inferiore" (Lower Ragusa). The two cities remained separated until 1926, when they were fused together to become a provincial capital in 1927 at the expense of Modica, the former capital and the most populous and important city in the region since 1296.
In 1838 an asphalt deposit was discovered, which is still being worked.
During World War II, Ragusa was one of many Sicilian towns in which the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini was deeply unpopular. Reasons for this were a combination of straightforward anti-Sicilian racism on the part of the fascist regime (which was central to the regime's ideology) as well as the anti-mafia campaign led by fascist agent Cesare Mori which was so heavy-handed, brutal and draconian that it managed to alienate huge swaths of the Sicilian population. Coupled with both of these was the reality that fascist administration in Sicily was largely incompetent as well as indifferent to the local population. When food became scarce and Mussolini's regime had to begin rationing food, Sicily was designated as being the last to receive food aid. This often included food that was grown in Sicily (particularly wheat and fruit) which was then exported to northern Italy, despite the fact that scarcity had become a large-scale problem in Sicily. Sicilian police officers were replaced with police officers from Northern Italy as the Sicilian officers were perceived by the regime as being more loyal to their local communities than they were to Mussolini. The officers from Northern Italy were underpaid, which led to them quickly becoming corrupt and indifferent. Compounding this was the fact that they often held attitudes that were contemptuous towards the Sicilian population. When the combined British and American military operation to invade Sicily began (Operation Husky) the population of Ragusa was deeply resentful of Mussolini and the fascist regime. British forces landed to the south and east of Ragusa along the coast and American forces landed southwest of Ragusa in the Gulf of Gela. The two groups linked up in several towns in between these two locations including Ragusa. The small detachment of fascist troops in Ragusa fled without fighting as the British and American forces approached. The local population welcomed the British and American soldiers with "unbridled enthusiasm.
Main Sights: The city has two distinct areas, the lower and older town of Ragusa Ibla, and the higher Ragusa Superiore (Upper Town). The two halves are separated by the Valle dei Ponti, a deep ravine crossed by four bridges, The most noteworthy of which is the eighteenth-century Ponte dei Cappuccini.
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