Extraordinary Food, Ragusa and Country Roads

Wednesday March 2 was a mainly sunny day with some intermittent clouds and a high of about 13C.  We had an early start as we headed for the weekly market in Ragusa, another baroque hilltop town and UNESCO Heritage Site (designated in 2002), about 15km from Modica.

Breakfast shot from our Modica apartment window

 The market was located in the parking lot of the soccer stadium on the outskirts of town.  It is about 70% flea and 30% food.  There are many wonderful vegetables and fruits in season now.  Artichokes, fava beans, strawberries (wild and tame), eggplant, fennel and tomatoes are abundant and very tasty.

The fruit/vegetable/fish/meat stalls were often mixed in with the flea part

Fresh strawberries

We bought some mushrooms here

We bought olives and garlic here 

Artichokes galore

Fennel anyone?

Already packaged green peppers and gorgeous eggplants

Beans, fennel and artichokes

I liked this man carrying his artichokes

After buying artichokes, fava beans, pecorino cheese, olives, garlic and lettuce for dinner, we headed to Ragusa Ibla.  Ragusa (population 73,000) is the capital of Ragusa province.  It consists of two parts- Ragusa Superiore with grid-like streets (the new part) and Ragusa Ibla (the old town) which has narrow streets and baroque palazzi.  The old town had collapsed after the 1693 earthquake and  Ragusa Superiore was built on the high plateau above.  The old aristocracy rebuilt Ragusa Ibla in the same location.  The two towns were merged in 1927.  We only visited Ragusa Ibla, the magnificent historic centre.  We parked in a lot and walked into the old town.

View from parking area

While we didn't visit, we took a photo of Ragusa's Santa Maria dell'Itria with the beautiful blue dome.  It was built initially in the 14th century, survived the 1693 earthquake and was then extended with baroque details in the early 18th century.

Santa Maria dell'Itria

It was about a 20 minute walk to the main square.  Ragusa Ibla had the most interesting collection of doors that we have seen on the trip.  Here are just four of our favourites.  Definitely, a Doors of Ragusa compilation could be done.

Blue door

Beautiful location

Locked door

Beautiful colour

View of another church from afar

Interesting archway and residence

The main church in Ragusa Ibla is Duomo San Giorgio which was built on the foundations of another church that was destroyed in the 1693 earthquake.  The new church was designed by Rosario Gagliardi and built in 1738-75.

Duomo San Giorgio

We stopped for a coffee right across from the Duomo.  It was very nice to sit in the sun.

Getting our coffee and cornettos at Al Borgo

Enjoying the sun

We passed a restaurant on the square with a note that Commissario Montalbano had eaten there.  Note:  11 million people in Italy (including us) watched the first episode of the new Montalbano series earlier this week.

Ai Lumi Trattoria Tipica- where Montalbano ate

We passed the Circle di Conversazione (Conversation Club), a private club dating to the 19th century.

Circolo di Conversazione

We passed another beautiful baroque church, San Giuseppe, which is in many ways similar to the Duomo San Giorgio.  Its designer had been an apprentice to the architect Gagliardi.

San Giuseppe

We continued our walk to the Giardini Iblei (Gardens).  There was an interesting sculpture- I Titani 2008, by Alfio Nicolosi.

We have seen many cacti in our travels so far.  Many are flowering this time of year.  The magnolias and almond blossoms are also in bloom.   Spring time in Sicily is lovely.   There are also very few tourists this time of year, especially in the smaller towns.  The downside is that many Churches are closed as are a number of restaurants, though some are just undergoing renovations.  They will gear up at Easter time.

Magnolias and cacti in bloom

Alonso the Fierce outside a coffee shop

We decided to eat lunch at Angelo, a small restaurant we had passed along our walk.  The menu looked very interesting.

We walked by Angelo and arranged to eat there an hour later

Very tempting menu

It turned out to be the best meal we have had so far on the trip.  Almost everything we ate we had seen in the market earlier in the day.  Angelo, the owner, was there when we left.

Gorgeous amuse bouche- fresh tomatoes and sardines

Beautiful bread basket- one roll had cheese and pork inside- a local specialty

The four of us had two salads of hot vegetables with a mustard sauce and walnuts.  It was amazing- artichokes, spinach, carrots, broccoli and walnuts done in a light mustard sauce.  Very fresh and delicious.

Alonso and I shared the potato gnocchi with mushrooms, arugula and sage.  The gnocchi were very soft- almost like a potato sauce.

Gnocchi dish

Vicky and David shared the tagliolini with shrimps, poppy, corn and ginger.

Tagliolini

Wow!

Before our secondi, Alonso left to go to the restroom in Angelo's wine bar across the street.  He pulled out the metal door lever!  Guess the spinach was to blame.

Alonso (aka Popeye) with metal bar next to our server

We had two orders of Sicilian lamb--- extremely tasty.

Across the way, was a sign outside Angelo's wine bar.  

Favourite sign at wine bar--- "Could cuts" instead of "Cold Cuts"

We walked back towards the car area, stopping for a gelato.  Gelato Di Vini had been highly recommended.

Alonso, David and Vicky each had small portions--- the chocolate and hazelnut were particularly good.  As they didn't have sorbetto, I did not partake.  All the flavours looked wonderful and not like some of the garish concoctions one sees at lesser gelato shops.

Many interesting flavours

We passed by a lovely flowering lemon tree.

Lemon tree, very pretty

There was another beautiful palace that we walked by.  Palazzo La Rocca had wonderful wrought iron work and lots of fantastic gargoyles.

Wrought iron and gargoyles

View of the Palazzo

Vicky took this great shot of us walking down the deserted cobbled streets of Ragusa.

David, Alonso and I

We went into a small street with an evocative drinking fountain.

Drinking fountain with a roar

Interesting entrance to a house

View as we left Ragusa

We then decided to go for a drive in the country, winding our way to Chiaramonte Gulfi, a town founded in the 14th century by Manfredi Chiarmonte, the Count of Modica.  We have been amazed at how green Sicily is at this time of year!  We passed some of the prettiest countryside we have seen in our trip.  Rolling hills, lots of well kept farms and many stone walls.  Beautiful shades of green and lots of almond blossoms.

Farm nestled in hills

Lots of trees and green

Poppies

Very nice vista  (I'm wearing Alonso's runners for my gimpy, but much better ankle)

Chiaramonte Gulfi is about 20 km north of Ragusa.  It is another interesting hilltop town, known for its olive oil and its pork.  We didn't spend much time there, but stopped at a coffee bar, where we sampled the local pastries. There are apparently eight museums in town.  We parked in front of the Duomo.

Duomo S. Maria La Nova XVI

WWI memorial

Local pastries- cannoli are a Sicilian specialty

We got back to Modica just before it got dark.  The lights went on in the city at about 6:30 p.m.  Such a lovely sight from our apartment.

View from our apartment as lights come on

For a light dinner, Vicky made us some fava bean pate on fresh bread; artichokes; cooked mushrooms; tomatoes and olives.  We had slices of a lemon that is entirely edible and also a few small pieces of Modica chocolate for dessert.

Shelling fresh fava beans

What an incredible day.  Lots of new sights and tastes.