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Template:Infobox ProvinceIT The Province of Ragusa (Template:Lang-it; Sicilian: Pruvincia i Rausa) is a province in the autonomous region of Sicily in Italy, located in the south-east of the island. Its capital is the city of Ragusa that is the most southern capital of province of Italy.

Geography

From Scoglitti to Pozzallo, the Ragusan coastline is approximately 85 kilometres long. Along the Ragusan coast are many fishing villages such as Kaukana, Punta Secca, Marina di Ragusa and Marina di Modica. The Hyblaean Mountains are dominating the north of the province and the tree rivers Irminio, Dirillo and Ippari start from here. The skyline of Ragusa is punctuated by the towers, domes and cupolas of the many exquisite churches for which the province is known. The area is mostly unspoilt, as during the 19th century and early 20th century there was large migration from Ragusa to the more prosperous areas of Italy and abroad.

It has an area of 1,614 km², and a total population of 295,264 (2001). There are 12 comunes (Italian: comuni) in the province, see Comunes of the Province of Ragusa. By population, they are:

Economy

Ragusa has changed dramatically over the last 20 years largely due to tourism; however, in many places it remains untouched by the last two centuries, and has escaped unscathed from the excesses of discovery by the travelling world. In places the atmosphere of the 18th century still pervades. Industries can be found in Ragusa and Pozzallo where are the two major industrial areas. The west and south of the province are mainly dedicated to the intensive farming in greenhouses and the local vegetables leave from the Market of Vittoria to be exported to all Europe making the province of Ragusa one of the biggest producers of green-products. In the areas around Ragusa and Modica kattle farming is at the highest levels in the region for milk, daieries and meet quality. Tourism seems to have now replaced the fishing industry as the principal source of employment along the coast.

Transports

• There are no motorways in the province and the main roads are the National SS.115 that crosses from west (Gela) to east (Syracuse) and the SS.514 that running north connects Ragusa to Catania. The SP.25 (Provincial Road) runs south from Ragusa to Marina di Ragusa.
• The 182 km of railway network of the province are entirely on single track and not electrified. Regional trains run regulary connecting the major cities.
• Comiso Airport during the cold-war was the biggest NATO base in Europe and has recently been refurbished to be converted from military to civil airport.
• The Port of Pozzallo is the only cargo and passengers port (service to Malta), and is located in the southern part of the province.
• The other ports are either fishing ports like Scoglitti and Donnalucata or Marinas for touristic boats like Marina di Ragusa and Punta Secca.

Sights

Baroque

The cities of Ragusa, Modica and Scicli contain many examples of baroque architecture and from 2002 are part of the World Heritage. The main monuments are:

• Cathedral of San Giovanni (Ragusa)
• Portal of San Giorgio (Ragusa Ibla)
• Duomo of San Giorgio (Ragusa Ibla)
• Duomo of San Giorgio (Modica)
• Duomo of San Pietro (Modica)
• Church of San Bartolomeo (Scicli)
• Palazzo Beneventano (Scicli)

Archeology

• The main archeological site of the province is the Greek city of Kamarina located on the coast.
• Others are Kasmenai, Akrillai, Scornavacche, Kaukana (Roman), the Roman Baths of Comiso and the Cava Ispica.

Castles

• The Castle of Donnafugata, near Ragusa, is a beautiful example of country residence of the Baron Corrado Arezzo that dominates the surrounding countryside.
• The Castle of the Counts of Modica in Modica town centre.
• The ruins of the fortress of Parco Forza in Ispica.
• Acate is housing the Castle of the Prince of Biscari constructed originally in 1494, it is a commanding feature of the town square. The construction of the castle was ordered by Baron Guglielmo Raimondo Paternò, its golden coloured stone work has been modified many times during its long history, it now appears more as an 18th century palazzo than a castle, although some crenelations and towers remain.

External links

• Template:It icon Official website
• The province of Ragusa
• Images of Ragusa
• Pictures, history, tourism, gastronomy, books, local products, local surnames, transportation in the province of Ragusa
• Ragusa on line

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Culture and heritage	People List of people from Sicily Cuisine List of Sicilian dishes Derby di Sicilia (football) Language Music Norman-Sicilian culture Sicilian Baroque Sicilian School Sicilian cart Coppola cap Flags Triskeles Mount Etna
Economy	Railway network Sulfur mining
Category

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• Provinces of Italy
• Province of Ragusa