La Nuova e La Vecchia Ibla

Ragusa, 1st September

Ragusa in Sicily, like Gibellina, is a place divided in two. The historic centre, Ragusa Ibla, was built on a small steep sided hill in the Monti Iblei, a high plateau split by ravines which is divided up by endless rows of picturesque dry stone walls. An earthquake in 1693 destroyed many of the buildings of Ibla, and so it was decided that the town should be abandoned and a new Ragusa built on higher ground. However, a number of people chose to stay and rebuild the old centre in Baroque style, and this now lies below the newer, rational and gridded Ragusa Superiore. The two towns maintained separate identities until 1927 when they were joined together as one autonomous comune.

Ragusa Superiore lacks the charm of Ibla, but is no less lively and characterful. Whilst the endless rows of gridded streets can be quite daunting to a tourist - the buildings are very high and the streets narrow with short blocks, giving the feeling you've entered a maze - the local people fill them with activity. It was an exciting place to be, even if you certainly wouldn't want to get lost. But the real beauty of Ragusa, and the focus of the UNESCO world heritage listing, is the Ibla. The very small town is fully geared towards tourists with boutiques, restaurants and artisan gelaterias lining the picturesque streets. Nevertheless, the relationship between the old and new towns was interesting to try to understand. In particular, it was interesting to see that the new town is so successful without the feeling of being unsightly urban sprawl, considering that the old continues to flourish post-quake.