Ragusa – a city to experience, explore, discover and savor
Ragusa Ibla, or simply Ibla, is one of the two districts that form the historic center of Ragusa in Sicily. In the Ragusan dialect the district is also called “Iusu” (meaning Lower Ragusa), to distinguish it from the upper part of the city. It is located in the eastern part of the city, on a hill ranging from 385 to 440 meters above sea level. After the 1693 Sicily earthquake, the ancient city of Ragusa was rebuilt through construction projects that produced works, buildings, and monuments in the late Baroque style. No fewer than 14 of the 18 monuments of Ragusa included in the World Heritage list of UNESCO are located here. The old town contains more than fifty churches and numerous Baroque palaces. In the easternmost part lies the Giardino Ibleo, and nearby there are also archaeological remains of an ancient city which, according to several historians, may be identified with Hybla Heraia. Ragusa Superiore, on the other hand, is the new city that developed after 1693. It also features Baroque elements and today hosts most of the main economic and administrative activities of the Ragusa area.
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