Ragusa Ibla travel guide: all you need to know to visit this gem of Italian Baroque as a family

Essential travel guide to Ragusa Ibla: the best things to see, where to eat and stay, how to get there and why we recommend you visit this Baroque small town in southern Sicily and why I think you’ll love it.

The small town of Ragusa Ibla is a beautiful historic center in Val di Noto, Sicily, famous for its unexpected baroque architecture and its starring role in the popular Italian TV Series ‘Ispettore Montalbano’.

It is a beautiful village, with a tranquil, almost dreamy atmosphere and a fantastic place to visit for a day or a few, as part of a wider Sicily itinerary.

I recently had the chance to stay here a few days and, with the help of a wonderful local lady (a family friend), I used it as a base to explore this beautiful and varied area.

I found Ragusa and its province to be beautiful and unique. Today, I want to share my trip with you, hoping it may inspire you to come to this remote but worthy part of the country!

I visited Ragusa Ibla on a multi-generational trip also with my parents, so I will try cover all aspects that come to mind for the different ages.

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Why visit Ragusa Ibla and how long to stay

I recommend visiting Ragusa Ibla if you are looking for:

• A town with beautiful architecture and car free center
• A great destination for a day trip in this area
• A small, quiet center to rest and relax a few days. The town has a lovely garden with a playground for kids too
• A base to explore Southern Sicily

For visitors, Ragusa Ibla makes a truly delightful stop.

If you love architecture, you will love to be fully immersed in it, and will cherish the opportunity of having these incredible palazzi as your daily backdrop.

If you don’t, you will anyway be able to enjoy the pleasant atmosphere of this small center, where you can walk in car free streets and have apertivo and gelato while surrounded but a town that is, as a whole, a but of a work of art.

I recommend you stay in Ragusa Ibla:

• A few hours, if you are staying nearby and just want to have a pleasant stroll here
• Two or three nights if you decide to use it as a base to also visit Noto, Scicli and the coast. To see Ragusa Ibla itself you’ll only need a few hours.

Quick, essential facts about Ragusa

Ragusa is a very ancient town, but acquired the baroque appearance we know see in the late 1600s.

At that time, this all area got shook by a massive earthquake that destroyed the original town and also several of the towns nearby, such as Noto , Scicli and Modica.

Ragusa’s inhabitants got back to work to rebuild their city but found themselves in a conflict: the aristocracy wanted to rebuild in the exact same location while the upper middle class wanted to build on the hilltop nearby.

The solution was to build two distinct yet connected towns: Ragusa Ibla (wanted by the aristocracy) and Ragusa Superiore or just Ragusa (for everyone else), now still standing side by side!

Both towns were built following the architectural Baroque taste of the time, yet they are somewhat different: Ragusa Ibla, due to its origins, has a more significant cluster of meaningful and aesthetically beautiful buildings which make it almost an open air museum. Ragusa Superiore is a more local, less memorable town.

During my trip I have seen both and preferred Ragusa Ibla, which is what this guide focuses on.

Ragusa as a whole is now Unesco World Heritage site as part of the cluster of Baroque towns of Val di Noto, valued for their outstanding and unique architecture.

Terrain and mobility

Due to the peculiar position on two hills, both Ragusas are not flat but sloped and make large use of steps to negotiate the steepest climbs.

This means they can be tricky in parts with people with mobility issues of families with kids’ strollers.

The easiest part for strolls is, thankfully, also the most beautiful: the stretch between the public garden and the duomo.

Ragusa Ibla itinerary

You can enjoy Ragusa Ibla in a few hours.

The main part of Ragusa Ibla develops primarily in a small area comprised between the Duomo and the public garden, only a few minutes walk from one another; the town then then it develops towards the back to the duomo, all the way towards Ragusa Superiore.

I recommend you start start from the garden area, and then walk up Piazza Pola, Piazza Duomo and then go all the way up to Palazzo Cosentini and Santa Maria d’Itria. Then you’ll walk back.

I recommend this to get the full wow factor of the first glance you’ll take of the duomo, which you will only get if you walk up from the garden side the town (if you come from the other, you’ll get to it from the back instead)

The walk from one side to the town to the another is approximately 15 minutes on a slight slope. Ragusa is small and you will not get lost.

Please note: this guide is not intended as an art guide. If you have a specific interest in the history of the several palazzi in Ragusa and details about the city’s history, there are local tours like this one that allow to learn about it.

The best things to see in Ragusa Ibla

The Duomo of Ragusa

In Ragusa, the jewel of the crown in Ragusa’s Duomo.

If you follow my advice and get to it form the garden, the Duomo of Ragusa Ibla will appear in front of you like a cream colored vision of Baroque splendor, against the backdrop of the Sicilian sky (clear blue, when we went!).

The duomo is the visual center of the town, the main and most distinctive landmark of Ragusa Ibla and, most likely, the one landmark of Ragusa you have seen in photos of the town.

The church dominates the piazza below.

Located on the top part of the sloping piazza, a position that makes it look even more imposing, it has a distinctive, tower-like shape that means it literally towers above the surrounding area.

The duomo is built in the local cream colored stone, it has a curved facade decorated by several sets of columns and a peculiar shape that narrows towards the top. The church is open to the public by a side door (to the right, looking at it).

Ragusa’s Duomo square and Corso XXV Aprile

The duomo overlooks a large piazza, an impressive space now home to several cafes, shops and gelato places and then develops in a beautiful road called Corso XXV Aprile.

The square is a gathering space for locals and tourists and particularly comes to life at the weekend and in the evening, when most day trips come to the city and when the restaurants are at full operating speed.

There is also a small shop for essentials.

Need to know: if you have small kids, careful as the road along the upper part of the square is open to traffic. If letting kids run around, make sure they stay on the (large) pavement / sidewalk as even if not a high traffic area, cars do pass into this square.

On the square itself it is worth noticing the historic fountain and Circolo di Conversazione (conversation’s circle, the large low building at the bottom left corner of the square), the historical meeting place of the local aristocracy.

If you follow the Inspector Montalbano series on TV, the inside of Circolo di Conversazione I am told to be one of its filming locations for the meetings with Dr Pasquano.

The square is lovely for a walk or a drinks: there are several cafes and a coupe of cute shops for local jewelry.

As you get to the bottom of it, you’ll notice the square turns into a beautiful road with outdoor restaurants and cute shops, including a good bookshops (also with kids’ titles).

Ragusa’s Palazzi and their balconies

Since Ragusa Ibla was built by the aristocracy, it has many elegant palazzi, among the most beautiful buildings in the city. The palazzi are beautiful inside and out and they have one peculiarity worth noticing: their architecturally rich balconies.

Balconies are ubiquitous in Ragusa and have a peculiar element worth noticing: as well as beautiful railing, they are are supported by stone figures with grotesque expressions.

These large faces seem to be mocking the onlooker and they are probably meant as protective figure, according to a very ancient use typical of southern Italy.

Notable ones are:

Palazzo Arezzo Donnafugata: Corso XXV Aprile, 9, 97100 Ragusa RG, Italy (click for map)

Palazzo La Rocca, Via Capitano Bocchieri, 35, 97100 Ragusa RG, Italy (click for map): free to visit and ofren open (unlike the others). Wort going up to the first floor to take a peek at its interior.

Palazzo Cosentini, Corso Mazzini, 97100 Ragusa RG, Italy (click for map): for me, maybe the most beautiful. I stayed pretty much in front of it and couldn’t get enough of it.

Palazzo della Cancelleria, Salita Commendatore, 97100 Ragusa RG, Italy (click for map)

Fun idea for kids! Get them to spot the funny faces as they go (there are so many!) and also challenge them to see animals in the carvings: many balconies have animal figures with scales – it’s an easy but fun way to keep the kids busy and curious as you stroll!

Local shops and workshops

Ragusa Ibla is a museum like town but is living and breathing and a tourist center so it also has cute shops worth seeing. Two we particularly enjoyed as typical of this area are:

Rosso Cinabro, which is an artisan workshop / museum devoted to the history and restoration of carretti siciliani (Sicilian carts) one of the most distinctive and cherished Sicilian traditions. Map: Via Orfanotrofio, 22, 97100 Ragusa RG, Italy

Choco House, which is where you can learn, taste and buy the famous Modica chocolate, typical of this area (we only found it open at the weekend but I believe it was because we were here out of season). Map: Salita delle Erbe, 8/10/12, 97100 Ragusa RG, Italy

We spent quite a bit of time here, tasting the several flavors and even just chatting informally with the owner, we learned a lot! Came back home with a yummy hot chocolate bag we now regularly make at home (I wish we had gotten more of it!)

Ragusa also has several shops with beads and jewelry, which is another local craft as well of course cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops etc.

Piazza Pola

Piazza Pola is the second most impressive square in Ibla, after piazza duomo. The piazza is a great opportunity to see up close the baroque decorations of Ibla’s facades as it is more intimate and in size and feel than piazza duomo.

We found buskers here most days, which can be nice if you enjoy music.

Giardino Pubblico (Public park)

Giardino Pubblico is Ragusa’s public park and one of the most pleasant corner so the city.

The park is pretty and well kept, with manicures flowerbeds, a fountain, a church and a nicely equipped playground for kids.

From the park, you can also catch beautiful views of the valley Ibla overlooks: a great opportunity to get an idea of how wild and hard the landscape of the area truly is, and how much ingenuity and ability took to build such an architecturally significant town here.

Just stroll!

Ragusa Ibla is an open air museum and while I always find peculiar to write a travel guide to then tell you to just randomly walk around with no plan, it is very much a place where to do just that!

The town is full of pretty corners and you if stay withing the Palazzo Cosentini / park area, you really have very little to worry about in terms of getting lost: you will not stray too far before finding your way back!

In your strolls, you’ll come across many more palazzi, churches and pretty corners: my favorite is probably the road up Santa Maria dell’Itria.

Ragusa Ibla with kids

Ragusa Ibla and it baroque art may not come to mind as an obvious destination with kids but it has some elements that make it a great choice in this area for families.

In particular:

Ragusa Ibla is small and walkable, so it is perfect if you want a small center with several restaurants clustered together and that you can reach on foot.

In the center, on the main street, there are some cute shops including a nice bookshops of kids and several souvenir shops with knick-knacks kids may like, small toys, t-shirts etc.

For essentials including food and diapers, there is a Despar supermarket on piazza duomo which is compact but does the job. This is also a great place for fresh sandwiches from the deli counter! For larger baby items such as car seats and stroller, the closest shop we found was Chicco in Ragusa Superiore (on Via Archimede)

There are farmacie (Pharmacies) in Ragusa for over the counter and prescription medications.

Ibla has a delightful park with playground (and a fountain with timed spouts!) that is perfect for kids

Ibla is close to the coast, so if you are here out of season but want a day trip to the sea, it is easy to do (by car).

Ibla is however not ideal if you are looking for a super equipped town with trampoline parks, indoor playcenters and bells and whistles. The towns itself and the playground are the attraction here so it is most suitable for families who are looking for a beautiful, local place where to rest a while.

Fun fact! We noticed lots of cats in Ragusa Ibla! There are several spots when we say little houses and cushions for them and it is clear locals love them. They do not bother you, if you don’t like them they are easy to ignore, but if you do like them, it’s a fabulous place and kids can spot so many and, in many cases, safely pet them!

One fun way to enjoy Ibla with kids is to get the little road train that, in the good season, starts from piazza duomo. When in operation, it’s a great way to see the town without having to walk at all.

Good to know: the main part of Ibla around the duomo is stroller friendly.

Where to stay in Ragusa Ibla

I stayed in two different hotels, as I wanted to report back about places at different price points and in different locations. Both were excellent in their own category.

Hotel il Barocco – lovely 3 star hotel with old world charm. Excellent breakfast and very pleasant staff, it wins for location and price. Rooms a little dates but spotless. The hotel has rooms for up to 3 people and it is close to the park and the duomo.

Iblaresort – lovely boutique hotel, with 4 star feel (although I believe it is technically a three star as well). I found it more modern and comfortable in terms of facilities yet I preferred the location of Barocco.

One more hotel I recommend, based on local’s recommendation and what I saw is

Hotel San Giorgio Palace – nice 4 star hotel with suites for up to 4 people. Beautiful setting and has access to parking (ask them exactly how to access, it’s easy once you know)

Where to eat in Ragusa Ibla

There is a lot of good food in Ragusa Ibla, including Michelin starred restaurants.

The one absolutely outstanding recommendation I most dearly want to share is one restaurant I found a couple of days into my trip and that is SO GOOD, after I discovered it I went back every night! The place is called That’s A Moro and gave me the best seafood meals I have ever had. Genuinely, so fresh and tasty, I would go back again and again should I be back here! Book if going for a weekend dinner, they have indoor and outdoor seating and both restaurant menu and pizza.

Other places to check out are:

La Bettola, with indoor and outdoor seating https://tripadvisor.tp.st/2BuWvEZD

La Terrazza dell’Orologio, for dinner with a view https://tripadvisor.tp.st/xOhT41xq

I had nice cannoli and arancini in Biancomangiare, on Piazza Duomo https://tripadvisor.tp.st/APi8eoLh

For gelato, Gelati Divini on Piazza Duomo.

For a Michelin star dinner, Locanda Don Serafino (1 Michelin star), right in the center https://tripadvisor.tp.st/U5tgLDdk or Duomo (2 stars).

How to get to Ragusa Ibla

The best way to get to Ragusa Ibla is by car.

As an alternative, you can catch a bus to Ragusa from Catania’s aiport: the service is managed by Etna Trasporti and we fount it on time and reliable.

The bus ride is long and not frills but the seats are comfortable and it is very cheap https://www.etnatrasporti.it/

We got tickets there and then both from the airport and the bus station on return.

The bus station is NOT in Ibla and it is not really a great route to walk, so I recommend to get your hotel to come get you / call a taxi for you to get from the bus station in modern Ragusa to Ibla. It won’t take more than a few minutes by car.

I hope you enjoyed this quick overview of Ragusa and it motivated you to come visit. Safe travel planning!

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