On this sunny hot day I joined Giovanna and Paola for breakfast, the usual Granita and Brioche, that does not disappoint and for something different I tried the Pistachio macchiato with Chocolate...buonissimmo!

After breakfast Giovanna, Paola and I went to enjoy sometime by the pool at The Palace Hotel, this would have to be my third visit . Giovanna and Rosario are V.I.P. members therefore they are able to come and go as they please and use the facilities. they can also bring a couple of guests with them. Usually one would pay €20 for the day.

Giovanna, paola and I returned to join Rosario, Vera and camilla for lunch, before taking a road trip to Ragusa Ilba.

The origins of Ragusa can be traced back to the 2nd Millennium BC, when the area was settled by the Sicels. The ancient city, located on a hill, 300 meters (980 feet) high, entered into contact with the nearby Greek colonies and developed thanks to the port of Camerina. After a short Carthaginian rule, it was administered by the Romans and the Byzantines, who fortified the city and built a large castle. Ragusa was occupied by the Arabs in 848 AD, remain under rule until the 11th century,when the Normans conquered it. Ragusa then followed the events of the Kingdom of Sicily, created in the first half of the 12th century .

In 1693 the city was devastated by a huge earthquake which killed some 5,000 inhabitants. Following this catastrophe the city was largely rebuilt, many baroque buildings date from this period. Most of the population moved to a new settlement in the former district of Patro, calling the new municipality "Ragusa Superiore" (Upper Ragusa) and the ancient city "Ragusa Inferiore" (Lower Ragusa). The two cities remained separated until 1926, when they were fused together to become the provincial capital in 1927 at the expense of Modica, the former capital and the most populous and important city in the region since 1296.
 
The city has two distinct areas, the lower and older town of Ragusa Ilba and the higher Ragusa Superiore (Upper Town). The two halves are separated by the Valle dei Ponti, a deep ravine crossed by four bridges. 

Whilst we were in Ragusa we visited The Cathedral San Giorgio which was built in 1738 and destroyed by the 1693 earthquake, and of which only a Catalan-Gothic style portal can still be seen . The façade is characterized by a flight of 250 steps and by massive ornate columns, as well as by statues of saints and decorated portals. The interior has a Latin cross plan, with a nave and two aisles ending in half-circular apses. It is topped by a large Neoclassical dome built in 1820. We also saw the Church of the Souls of Purgatory (1693), we walked around the beautiful cobbled streets and the town centre.

We visited the Giardini Ilbeo, a beautiful garden with stunning panoramic view of the deep gorge and the surrounding mountains. We visited The Portal of Saint George, which consists of a pointed arch of stone pink limestone, of Gothic-Catalan style, decorated with carvings depicting St. George on horseback slaying the dragon. Above the arch the Eagle Aragonese is visable.
 
During the walk we all purchased a refreshing gelato before driving onto Modica for dinner in a lovely little restaurant, My cousin Rosario loves food and his eyes are bigger than his stomach. I get the feeling the Sicilians "Live to Eat, rather than Eat to Live"! 

Exhausted from the days outing, we made our journey home and on the way we stopped into a cafe/bar for a coffee before arriving home. Once home this little Jojo went straight to bed.

Buona Notte xo