On Monday we left Ortigia and headed for the nearby Baroque town of Ragusa. It was about an hour and a half away and I'm glad I did some research on where to park because the streets are super narrow and windy!
The best place to park if you're just gonna walk around for a couple of hours is probably near Piazza della Repubblica, at the bottom of Ragusa Ibla. Ragusa is a city divided into two parts. Ragusa Ibla is to the west and Ragusa Superior is to the east. If you put in "parking lot near Piazza de Repubblica in Ragusa" in Google Maps it will take you there. In general I had no issues at all using Google Maps but I stuck to the cities and not off the beaten road. Parking is public and for free. There was plenty of parking by the time we arrived around noon. At 3 pm it was a lot fuller but still spots left. Another parking area closer to Ragusa Superior is by the garden (Giardini). There is a ton of uphill/downhill/stairway walking in Ragusa but if you love to walk/hike/be physical you'll be fine. Public toilets cost 50 cent euros but were clean.
You can spend about 2-3 hours in Ragusa depending on what you wanna see and how much you want to walk. We were here from noon to 3 pm and that was more than enough for us. The main highlights are the big churches, one in Ibla and the other in Superior, and the garden was very nice too. It's about a 30 minute walk in between the two areas depending which route you take. I'm not big on souvenir shopping (unless it's for food items!) but there were some cute stores around.
View of the countryside from the public gardens of Ragusa
Ragusa is one of the oldest cities in the world and a UNESCO heritage site. Very quaint and a different feel from Taormina and Ortigia.
Under the Sicilian sun
Afterwards we headed back to Ortigia to walk around and have dinner. The prettiest part of Ortigia is the western side where you can catch the sunset and wander around the scenic paths along the water and restaurants. I especially love the very long promenade underneath the city walls. As you stroll along you can listen to music from the bars/restaurants and people watch.
Walk along the city walls
I also like how the locals just find a spot they see fit and sunbathe where they please.
Dinner was at Schiticchio Pizzeria, which we liked (but not love). Very casual place to eat and many things to choose from. I thought the toppings for the pizza were fresh (tomatoes, cheese, rocket salad)and we tried one of the calzones with ham and cheese. I love ham and cheese so Italy is a great place to sample my fave combo!
Calzone