Probably not among the most famous Sicilian cities, Ragusa is one the destination we would suggest not to miss to everyone that wants to come to spent holidays in Sicily and see the real island.

Ragusa is indeed a beautiful city, still full of a sincere, real Sicilian lifestyle, and it is listed among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Located in the south corner of the island, it has a very ancient history;  the first inhabitants of the area that today is called Ragusa, the Sicels, established their settlements around the 2nd millennium BC.  Many different people lived in the area, making Ragusa a rich place in history and culture: Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans all conquered the city in different historical periods, influencing its architecture and culture.

Nowadays Ragusa is divided in two parts: Ragusa Superiore (Upper Ragusa) and Ragusa Ibla. The upper part has some interesting architecture to show, like the Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista.

Ragusa Ibla

But, in our opinion, is Ragusa Ibla the one every visitor should not missi. This baroque jewel, surrounded by sweet hills covered with olives trees, can really make you feel blessed and willing not to live. If you get there, enjoy a walk in the streets and magnificent squares of the city, and make sure not to miss these places:

• the Cathedral of San Giorgio; the facade is characterized by a flight of 250 steps and by massive ornate columns
• the Church of Santa Maria delle Scale, which was badly damaged in the earthquake of 1693; half of thiechurch was rebuilt in Baroque style, while the surviving half was kept in the original Gothic style
• the church of Sant’Antonino, a very nice example of Norman architecture
• the Hiblea Garden

Once in Ragusa, you can also enjoy very nice sandy beaches like Sampieri, Marina di Ragusa, Marina di Modica.

If you are planning your holidays in Sicily and want to reach Ragusa, you can fly to Catania Airport and then take a bus, train, or drive south – the trip normally takes around 2 hours.

Tags: cities, ragusa, sicily, travel

Favignana is the biggest of the Aegadian Islands (the archipelago also includes the islands of Levanzo and Marettimo, and two uninhabited rocks, Formica and Maraone), and it is located 7km west of the coast of Sicily, in front of the city of Trapani.  The island has been not famous among tourists for a long time, with most of the visitors being people from the main island.

Aegadian Islands – Map

Favignana is actually one of the most beautiful corners of  Sicily, for many reasons. Its relaxed, traditional atmosphere shows that the island has not been spoiled by tourism, and while local people are very friendly and happy to welcome guests, you can still find an authentic environment in which people will welcome you but still continue with their normal, daily life.

Fishing is a very important part of the island life, and Favignana is still famous for the ancient fishing technique of tonnara, which has Arabs origins. Tuna is indeed one of the most important product of Favignana, and if you love good food you won’t miss the many variations of tuna that are available here: among those, we would advice you to try the delicious “tuna sausage” that small restaurants in the village of Favignana will serve you.

The island has a “butterfly shape”, and as all the other Aegadian Islands is part of a natural reserve. You will simply get shocked by the beauty of many corners and beaches of Favignana: stunning Cala Rossa (Red Cove), so called  from the bloodshed caused by a major naval battle that was fought on 10 March 241 BC, a short distance offshore, between Rome and Carthage, will leave you speachless. And for sure you will enjoy a great swim here.

Cala Rossa – Favignana

There also many other great spots for swimming, and also for diving: Cala Azzurra is one of them, and has clear blue waters and a beautiful location. Lido Burrone is a nice sandy beach, very easy to enjoy.

Favignana features also a lot of caves of sandstone rock (“tufo”): most of these caves are now transformed into gardens (“giardini ipogei), and in some part of the island you can walk through the caves to reach the sea; this is the case of  “Bue Marino”, a great rocky beach surrounded by yellow caves.

Bue Marino – Favignana

Favignana offers a wide choice of accomodation solutions: B&B (prices around 30/45 euros), hotels, houses for rent.

It’s easy to reach the island: the closest airport is Trapani, which is now connected with many European cities by Ryanair. From Trapani, you can then easily reach Favignana by ferry with Siremar and Ustica Lines.

Some other useful links:

Aegadian Natural Reserve

Comune di Favignana

Tags: aegadian islands, favignana, sea, Sicilian Islands, travel, tuna