Everyone told us: “it’s the best kept part of Sicily”.
True, this place’s got something special. Entering the town of Ragusa we notice particularly well-kept public space that we had yet to see. Its centre, Ibla, is a real treasure, with clean streets, lavish churches and decorated gardens. Everything is nestled in hills of white limestone, immaculate canyon cliffs covered in shrub, dotted with few farms and stables, free from ugly buildings.
What are the secret ingredients of the aesthetic beauty of this part of Sicily? Probably many, but here we identified two. They both have to do with geology.
First the 1693 earthquake brought about enough destruction to spur the ruling class to rebuild the cities in the most grandiose way, with a late baroque style unique in its genre. In 2002, Ragusa with 7 more towns has been awarded the UNESCO world heritage status.
Then the oil reservoirs were discovered in the bituminous limestone in the town’s surroundings. Since the 50’s, Ragusa municipality received each year millions of euros’s worth of royalties, the commissions that the oil companies pay to the local councils and the regional administration. This steady income allowed the town to invest on public maintenance and modernisation. Certainly the result is clearer in Ragusa than in Gela, the other Sicilian council in which oil is extracted.
In recent years, however, the data have reflected a decrease in productivity at regional level. Now the oil prices are through the roof, but these small reservoirs are about to run out. Antonio martini, the secretary general of the regional department of energy, let know in a statement that the oil wells are soon to be abandoned.
And what will be the future of Ragusa after the end of the oil-era? Are we really ready to transition to renewable energy? With these questions in mind, we resume our walk towards the south, towards Modica.
