Best of Ragusa

Set on a rocky hilltop in Sicily’s southeast, Ragusa is one of eight historic Unesco-listed towns of the Val di Noto (Noto Valley), which are famed for their baroque architecture. If you have time to visit just one, make it Ragusa, with its mazelike lanes leading past grand palazzi, sunlit stone houses, and photogenic squares. Among the town’s many treasures is the Arezzo di Trifiletti palace, with its opulent interiors and grand views over the superb Piazza Duomo.

In the past, kimkim travelers have taken guided tours through the center, discovering the secrets behind its hidden laneways and glorious building facades. Like other towns in the Val di Noto, Ragusa was completely rebuilt in the decades after the devastating 1693 earthquake, and its beautifully preserved buildings provide a fascinating architectural record from the early 18th century. Outside of Ragusa, the Castello di Donnafugata, set in a lavish neo-Gothic palace, provides insight into how the nobles lived in centuries past.