New Year's Eve Ragusa

The Ragusa town could be the ideal destination for those who seek a quiet and characteristic New Year on the Sicilian island!
Ragusa is divided in two quite distinct parts, which are Ragusa and Ibla, and it occupies a very wide area that includes the coast and the surrounding hills.
The Ragusa area has very ancient origins, but were the Greeks to transform this area in a real town.
After the Greeks conquered the city, the Romans came, then the Byzantines, the Arabs and the Normans.
However, there are only few signs of the civilization that occupied the area before the XVIIIth century, the period in which Ragusa was rebuilt after an earthquake, in 1693, which destroyed it almost completely.
Today the main sources of sustenance of the city is the tourism, but also the industry and the agriculture.
Finally, we recall that, in 2002, Ragusa is entered in the UNESCO list and was declared as a Heritage of Humanity.
Walking through the historical Ragusa centre you will notice that most of the monuments are in Baroque style.
Among the most important we remember the St. Giovanni cathedral, built after the 1693 earthquake, and precisely between the 1706 and 1760, has a high bell tower. Among the religious buildings also worth a visit the St. Maria of the Stairs church, rebuilt after the earthquake.
And yet, the St. Giorgio basilica, dating back to 1775: the special feature of this basilica is its majestic dome, high more than 40 metres and sustained by 16 columns.
With regards to the civil buildings, very interesting are the Casentini Palace and the Bertini Palace, dating back to the XVIIIth century and in Baroque style.

Finally, for the museums lovers, we suggest a visit to the Ibleo Archelogical Museum