I'm thinking of an Italy trip in April 05 -- have never been to Sicily, just saw Ragusa in an Italian movie and thought I would love to go there and spend some time. Any thoughts, suggestions, advice against doing so? AND how the heck does one get there? Any info will be great. Grazie.

Sicily is a wonderful place; by all means, do go!

I unfortunately did not get to Ragusa, although I was relatively close to it, in Siracusa. I did make it to Noto, which is another beautiful Baroque town.

The easiest way to get to Sicily is with one of the discount airlines -- Air One, Volareweb, Meridiana -- from Rome, probably, as that's where most transatlantic flights arrive. You can fly to Catania (on the eastern coast: Taormina, Siracusa, Noto, Ragusa, and probably within striking distance of Agrigrento -- for the Valley of the Temples -- and Piazza Armerina -- for the Roman Villa del Casale and its mosaics) or to Palermo, which is in the northeast and closer to Erice, the temple at Segesta, Selinunte, and Cefalu.

Back to Ragusa: GAC is the expert on travel in Italy and Sicily, and I hope he chimes in with an answer. I would imagine that you could get to Ragusa either by bus or by train (I think the buses might be a little more comfortable, as they are mostly air-conditioned). I don't know how Ragusa is equipped from the point of view of hotels and restaurants (there are a few good restaurants in Noto, but I don't recall seeing a hotel). I found it very pleasant to spend some time in an agriturismo (farm with lodging and often a restaurant).

Evidently, I have no idea whether you are a man or a woman, but for what it's worth, I was quite comfortable as a woman travelling alone. I did do an escorted trip around Sicily on my first visit some years ago, but I also stayed on independently for a few days in Palermo. I did not feel threatened there, either, but I think one has to be more careful in Palermo than in Siracusa, which is small and really quite peaceful. If you spend time in Siracusa, stay on the island of Ortigia, which is almost completely Baroque, a little worn around the edges but very charming. Modern Siracusa is best forgotten, except that you have to go through it to get to the archeological zone and the archeological museum.

You can reach Ragusa very easily from Siracusa by train (2 hrs.) or by bus (2 hrs. 45 mins., operated by Azienda Siciliana Trasporti-A.S.T.).

Ragusa represents a logical day trip out of Siracusa (you can see the city in about 4 hrs.), although there are a couple of good hotels (the best being the Mediterraneo Palace next to the Archeological Museum in the new town) in case you want to spend more time there.

To reach Ragusa Ibla (the old, largely abandoned Baroque town with the Church of San Giorgio), you can take a city bus from the train station, or walk all the way (downhill).

You can also reach Ragusa from Agrigento ("S.A.L." bus to Gela, connecting to "A.S.T." bus, or train, to Ragusa), although this takes longer than from Siracusa.

In addition to Noto, other worthwhile Baroque towns in the vicinity which are worth seeing are Caltagirone and Modica.

Thanks for the responses.

Do I take it that one wouldn't probably want to stay in Ragusa Ilba for days (I like staying in little towns with a town center, etc.), that it's not really alive at present?
Dee

There are no hotels in Ragusa Ibla, only in the "modern" Ragusa up the hill. You might enjoy one or two nights in Ragusa, which is not a "tourist" town and therefore has not been "tainted" by the tourist pheonomenon, as has Taormina for example. From Ragusa, you could also visit neighboring towns such as Modica, Vittoria, Comiso, Noto and Caltagirone, to name a few.

Most travelers would prefer to stay overnight in Siracusa, which has much more to see and enjoy. If you have never been to Siracusa, you would probably be better off staying there.

I agree, Ragusa isn't worth an overnight stay. We drove there from Siracusa and I'd say driving is the best way to see it, in order to appreciate the overall 'quaint' (some might say rundown) look of Ragusa Ibla from outside. We found lunch and a short walk round was enough. I also agree that Siracusa is great and there's loads to see and do : I've stayed twice, once for one night and once for two nights, and it still wasn't enough. If you stay at the Grand Hotel they run a boat service to a beach, although we didn't have time to try this (has anyone else ?) so you could build in a relaxing beach element too.

Thanks for the advice. Alright, Siracusa it will definitely be as the home base! So now I'll try to figure out the best place to stay in Siracusa (saw the Grand Hotel on the internet--is that the place?)

WE found the Grand Hotel to be very nice and enjoyed the staff, the room, and the location. I'd stay there again in a minute. Didn't see anywhere else we'd prefer!

Ditto.

Ah, Ragusa. I too have the region on my list because of a movie. Or a series of movies, actually: the Italian cop show telemovies about Inspector Montalbano. The places featured are Ragusa, Noto, Modica, Vittoria and the little seaside village of St Croce Camerina. I can't wait to get there.