Exploring Ragusa in Sicily on Our Wedding Anniversary

Thursday, August 27, 2026

Ragusa, Sicily

Exploring Ragusa on our Wedding Anniversary:

We devoted the day to discovering Ragus Ibla. This is the other portion of Ragusa that sits across the ridge in the mountains. It is referred to as Lower Ragusa and it takes at least half a day to see it all. But first, breakfast—and what a delightful breakfast it was!

Breakfast at Conchita’s Family Mansion:

Just a minute to the left of the main door of our Locanda Le Meridiana, we found Conchita’s unique family home. It is an old mansion of three-stories in which she was born and where she now lives with her sister and brother’s families. She had set two tables for us in the garden and as soon as we entered it, we were engulfed by the pleasing fragrance of jasmine—a really glorious touch. Conchita sat us down at a table beautifully set in navy blue with heirloom pieces (silver sugar pot, monogramed china) and took our order for coffee—con latte caldo. Pastries, freshly baked that morning by her and filled with apricot jam and Nutella spread stood waiting for us. There was also freshly baked sliced bread, the largest variety of jams and preserves that I have ever seen (all made by her!) plus lovely fresh fruit. Apart from figs that I love, I was delighted to see cactus pear, all peeled and ready to be eaten. It has the color and look of passion fruit and when you cut into it, similar seeds too. But it was really incredibly and unexpectedly sweet. There was also a platter of Italian cheese, one studded with whole peppercorns, another was a parmesan and a third provolone—all very tasty and I know because we tried them all. As if this were not enough, Conchita asked us if we would like scrambled eggs and we gladly opted for them too. We really did enjoy our breakfast thoroughly and were deeply grateful for such a good meal that fueled us fully for the day ahead.

Exploring Ragusa Ibla:

And so our exploration of Ragusa Ibla began. We followed Conchita’s instructions to the T and went down steep flights of narrow stairs—down, down, down—until we arrived at the stunning panoramic point that offered views of the entire city right opposite us complete with cupola, domes and turrets of the many churches and the cathedral in this part of town. At every step, we stopped to take pictures as the uniformity of the colors (a monochromatic palette of shades of beige) was so enchanting as to leave us breathless. Soon, we found ourselves in a piazza where we first visited the Church of Our Lady of Purgatory

The Church of Our Lady of Purgatory:

After the earthquake levelled the town in 1678, Ragusa was rebuilt in the Baroque aesthetic. Most of its churches have the fulsome interiors of this style, i.e. Over the Top-interior Neo-Classical elements (Corinthian columns lavished with acanthus leaves at the top—heavily gilded), a variety of oil paintings in each of the side chapels, silver candlesticks galore, domes that are painted by renowned contemporary artists depicting versions of Biblical scenes. This one was no exception. In most cases, we walk around the churches, take pictures, read curatorial notes, then pause prayerfully before exiting. We did the same here.

Our map of Ragusa, thoughtfully provided by Conchita, took us into the narrow, honey-colored stone streets of the town, characterized charmingly by old-fashioned street lamps and gas lights, flights of steps carved curvingly along a passage or corridors. In this town, we found Baroque splendour even in the plainest residential buildings: wrought-iron balconies were supported by stone columns featuring the faces of gnomish characters—like flat gargoyles. We tried to visit the Church of our Lady of Il’Tria (of the Steps!), but it was closed tightly. At every turn I was clicking photographs as the landscape (natural hill country) seen against brilliant Neo-Classical arcades, passageways, etc. was impossible for a camera’s lens to ignore. We stopped in one of the arcade shops and bought a few souvenirs to give away as gifts and to have an ice-cold Coke as we really craved something cold and carbonated. The humidity took its toll with every step and my body was simply covered with moisture.

The Cathedral of Saint George:

We finally arrived at the Cathedral of San Giorgio (Saint George). This was another rust-colored church set high up on a hill and reached by a number of steps. Inside, its Baroque elegance was striking: hot pink altar backdrop was rather unusual but made a good contrast with the austerity of white marble statues scattered around. A very distinctive aspect were wooden carved choir stalls, so minutely worked that they reminded me very much of the rich carvings of the English Tudor, Grindling Gibbons, whose work I love and instantly recognize. The amin altarpiece presented St. George killing the dragon. The church’s reconstruction began in 1839 and finished in 1891. This church contains a large silver reliquary containing the remains of Saint Cascia, popular in these parts and I was struck (and photographed) a stunning luminescent statue of Our Lady of Glory, resplendent in a royal blue robe.

Our Walking Tour Continues in the Guiardini Ibleo (Ibla Gardens):

The sun was torturous, I should add, and we were consuming bottles of water like they were going out of style. We badly needed to rest somewhere in the shade. Eventually, following a meandering path, we arrived at the ornate Baroque gates of the garden and happily sank down on one of the benches as we pulled out our sandwiches (ham and cheese) and ate them—both of us were peckish by this point (it was almost 2.00 pm). When we’d rested a while and people-watched, we got up again. In front of us was a church and we could not resist entering it.

Visiting the Church of St. Francis:

This is a little gem of a church—the sacristan, who let us in, informed us that it is very popular with couples for their weddings. Indeed, it is picturesque and small and attractive. It has the most beautiful wooden painted ceiling (looks like a carpet stuck on the ceiling) and painted dome. There is lavish gilding on the walls and on the sculpted altarpiece presenting St. Francis. I was particularly struck by a frieze depicting God the Father surrounded by a bevy of angels—all in embossed stucco. Outside, in the garden, there was a lovely War Memorial honoring the dead patriots of Ragusa, playful fountains that arose in spikes from the ground to offer children the opportunity to frolic gleefully and in relief. We encircled the garden and then left to look for the final highlight of Ragusa Ibla—the Portale (or Gate) of San Giorgio.

The Gothic Gate of Saint George:

We found the Gothic Gate of Saint George just a few feet ahead of us. It is all that remains of a Gothic cathedral that was destroyed by the earthquake. It reminded me a bit of the main door of Chartres Cathedral in France—same carvings, similar set of bas-reliefs, etc. When we had photographed it, we moved on.

It was almst 2.30 pm and we were tired—I mean really exhausted by the heat, humidity and our rambles. We had found out that we could get a bus from this spot—we waited more than 45 minutes for it, but eventually it did show up and took us to the place we wanted to hop off. In our B and B, we sank down gratefully in the cool shade and took naps and we both needed the rest. I had to teach an online class (to Vikram, my student in Bombay at 5 pm) and at 6pm, we had scheduled a zoom chat with our friend Annalisa in Padua. Llew was chatting with her after ages and wanted to find out all about her current life and that of her town boys whom we knew when they were little and of whom we are really fond. After an hour of chatting with her, it was 7.00 pm—we said Bye and decided to look for a place for dinner. It was, after all, our wedding anniversary and we wanted to mark it.

Celebrating Our Wedding Anniversary in Ragusa Superior:

Both of us had carried a nice set of clothes to wear for our wedding anniversary dinner and were glad that the day finally dawned when we had a chance to use them. Dressing in travel style, we walked up Corso Italia (the main artery right outside our B&B) and arrived at the Piazza of San Giovanni. There, we started to look for a place to eat and after surveying the many offerings at a few places, we settled down for a side street and a small Mom and Pop place (rather than a place for fine dining which we’d had last night) called Mama’s Trattoria. This time we finally tasted the Arancini (Fried Rice and Cheese Balls) for which Sicily is famous (it is featured on their magnets too), had Spaghetti Carbonara for a Primi (First Course) and finished with Roasted Pork served with a delicious gravy and pureed spinach for a Secondi (Main Course). Again, we were too full to have dessert, but our meal was really delicious. We then took a few photos and left.

Until tomorrow, ciao…

Ragusa, Sicily: Arrivederci Agrigento and Buongiorno Ragusa:

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Ragusa, Sicily

Arrivederci Agrigento and Buongiorno Ragusa:

We spent most of today traveling—but indeed, it could have been worse. According to the tickets I had booked (by bus, long layover, then train), we’d be leaving Agrigento at 1.15 pm and reaching Ragusa at 8.00 pm. Alfonso and Pinuchia, his wife, discouraged us from going that route. They suggested an alternative route that would get us there faster and earlier. We decided to let go of our tickets and comply with their advice. Accordingly, after another sumptuous breakfast at their B and B, we were ready to get going. We had done our packing and were ready to move.

Our breakfast consisting of typical Sicilian pastries (cannolis, croissants with ricotta cream) and a variety of bread rolls with ham, plus yogurt and fruit and coffee, was enough to fuel us well for the day. So off we went in Alfonso’s car to the main bus station. There, he left Llew standing at the bus stop with our luggage and drove me to the SAIS company bus ticket office so that I could buy our tickets to Catania (about 11.00 euros each). The bus was leaving in 10 minutes (at 10.00 am) and we had no idea when it would reach Catania. We thought it would take no more than 2 hours. In point of fact, we reached at 1.00 pm (3 hours with a couple of stop in-between). At Catania Airport, we went to another bus station ticket office (ETNA) to get a ticket to Ragusa. That bus was leaving in 10 minutes and would take 2 hours to get to our destination (ticket cost 7 euros each). We had discovered, by this point, that the buses are not always prompt—often times they are late in arriving and boarding passengers.

Anyway, the long journey to Catania was not too bad as we were on the upper deck in a lovely, comfortable bus with AC. The passing landscape was also interesting and highly agricultural with every variety of fruit plantation in evidence including miles and miles of vineyards. Eventually, after Catania, our short ride to Ragusa was also good. We dozed off briefly and before we knew it, we were at Ragusa bus station. We had been in contact with our new landlady Conchita in our new B and B, Locanda la Meridiana, and she told us to take a taxi to her place. Luckily, there was a taxi waiting at the bus stand and we hired him, showed him our address and set off—for 10 euros he said he would drop us. But the jerk dropped us at least 2 blocks away (God knows why) and left us to manage our baggage till we got to the place. Luckily, he did call Conchita to let us know we had arrived and she did meet us and let us in.

A New B and B (Locanda la Meridina) and a New Landlady, Conchita:

Conchita is old—but very elegant (like all urban Italian women). She spoke beautiful English (turns out she had lived in London where she had studied English). She put us through the drill—showed us our room and bathroom, gave us keys, gave us a map and showed us how to find our way around. She also recommended what she called a ‘non-touristic’ restaurant for us to eat our dinner. Of course, we thanked her profusely and she went on her way (she lives nearby at 5 Via Scole) and we got into bed for a much-needed rest and afternoon siesta. In the evening, we would use her map and directions and go out to discover Ragusa Superior (Upper Ragusa).

Discovering Ragusa Superior:

Ragusa is an old medieval city that was all but destroyed in an earthquake in 1678. Completely leveled by the subsequent destruction, it was used as an opportunity to rebuild the city in Baroque style as was the fashion that day. The result is that Ragusa is a famous venue of tourist interest as it contains some of the best-preserved Baroque monuments in Sicily.

It was very easy for us to begin exploring Ragusa Superior which we began doing at 5.00 pm. All we had to do was make a sharp left and walk along Corso Italia until we arrived at Piazza San Giovanni where the Duomo is located. Along the route, we passed by the Poste and Telegraph building which was a mix of architectural styles: Baroque (beautiful carved statues at the top) and modern (a contemporary bronze sculpture at the bottom) co-exist on this building.

Inside the Cathedral of San Giovanni:

The Cathedral of San Giovanni is Baroque, of course. On the exterior, it has the same look as so many of the other churches in this part of the country—nothing really unique about it. Once we stepped inside, we were taken by the many side chapels (although the main altar is fairly plain). There were a number of sweet bouquets of red anthuriums at the altar (reminiscent of the Pentecostal tongues of flame). San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist) is a revered saint in Italy and there are two large floats on one side of the church that are obviously used in annual processions (perhaps on the Feast of San Giovanni) around the city. One features a large silver casket, the other a standing replica of the saint. Other interesting aspects of this cathedral is a silver casket or reliquary containing the relics of Saint Cascia. I was particularly struck by a painting of St. Gregory, the originator of the Gregorian chants which I rather love. The background color of the interior is a soft dove grey with gilded Rococo highlights in stucco which remanded me very much of the glorious Baroque churches we had seen in Vienna and Salzburg, Austria with their endearing curlicues. There are also beautiful pairs of stuccoed angels holding up plaques with Latin inscriptions on them that made the church look important. When we stepped out of this church, we saw a Uni-Credit Bank just across the road—we were able to use Llew’s global debit card through CHASE (he was testing it) to withdraw more euros. And with that money in hand, we decided to continue the walking tour route that Conchita had drawn up for us.

This walking route then took us to one of the side streets from where we found the three bridges that span a deep ridge in the mountains that divide the city into two halves. On one bridge, the night market was being set up with all sorts of sweet treats. One of them is called the Ponte Vecchio—it is the oldest of the three (and not to be confused with the far more famous Ponte Vecchio in Florence). It actually reminded us very much of the Pont du Garde, the famous aqueduct in the South of France, near Provence, which I had seen at least 40 years ago, while touring with Genevieve, my French friend. Using the map, we found our way to it and were able, while standing on in it, to see the other two bridges on either side of it (far more modern in style and age).

Dinner at Circolo Italia Restaurant:

That done, we made our way back to the Pizza San Giovanni. As twilight was rapidly falling over the city, we decided to go looking out for dinner and we found the place that Conchita had recommended right under the stairway of the Cathedral--it was a lovely upscale restaurant called ‘Circolo Italia’ and when she said it was not touristic, she was right. But it was an upscale restaurant, a fine dining place, which might have been better suited to our anniversary dinner tomorrow. Anyway, we were seated inside in the air-conditioning as I simply cannot abide the humidity you deal with when seated on the pavement tables.

Llew ordered a glass of the house red wine, I ordered an Apero Spritz (and it was delicious). Then, for dinner, we decided to go with one Primi (First Course) and one Secondi (Main Course). We chose Pasta a la Norma—a dish made with very thick tubular pasta in a tomato sauce with eggplant and grated cheese. This dish is named after Bellini’s opera of the same name, ‘Norma’, and the colors are said to represent the various colors of the Mount Etna volcano: eggplant’s black for the lava, Tomato sauce red for the fire erupting, spinach green for the trees at the base and cheese’s white for the volcanic ice-cap. This dish had no spinach, but it was very tasty indeed. For our Main Course, we took the waitress’ advice and ordered the Beef Tenderloin served with shavings of Parmesan cheese and a balsamic vinegar reduction. It was really delicious. Once again, we had no room for dessert—so we passed up on it. After paying our bill, we got up to leave and found the square outside just buzzing as a musical festival seemed to be on and people had occupied seats in front of a stage to listen to a rock group belt out a few favorites. We walked quickly past the square and made our way downhill along Corso Italia to get back to our B and B at about 11.00 pm.

As soon as we reached home, we got ready for bed and lost no time crashing—as we were exhausted. But, it had been a day well spent because although our arrival in Ragusa had been kind of dicey, in the end we made good time and were able to make use of the entire evening in seeing Ragusa Superior. Tomorrow, all we have to do is see Ragus Ibla and we’ll be all set.

tomorrow, ciao…