Ispica

Ispica
Comune
Comune di Ispica
Ispica
Location of Ispica in Italy
Coordinates: 36°47′N 14°54′E / 36.783°N 14.900°E / 36.783; 14.900Coordinates: 36°47′N 14°54′E / 36.783°N 14.900°E / 36.783; 14.900
Country Italy
Region Sicily
Province Ragusa (RG)
Frazioni Santa Maria del Focallo
Government
 • Mayor Lucio Pierenzo Muraglie
Area
 • Total 100 km2 (40 sq mi)
Elevation 170 m (560 ft)
Population (31 August 2017)
 • Total 16,302
 • Density 160/km2 (420/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Ispicesi
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code I-97014
Dialing code +390932
Patron saint SS. Maria vergine del monte Carmelo
Website Official website

Ispica (Sicilian: Spaccafurnu, Latin: Hyspicae Fundus) is a city and comune in the south of Sicily, Italy. It is 30 kilometres (19 mi) from Ragusa, 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Syracuse, and 90 kilometres (56 mi) away from La Valletta, on the coast of Malta. The first mention in a document of Ispica occurred in 1093, in a list of churches and ecclesiastic departments for administrative purposes, but the territory has been colonized since the Bronze Age.

The city is located on a hill. The main economical activity consists of farming and organic products, especially carrot, zucchini, tomatoes, olives, vineyards.Ispica is the largest producer of organic carrot of southern Italy with about 18,000 tons of annual production. There is 10 kilometres (6 mi) of coastline, most of which is sand and dunes, and an island (Porri island) at 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the coast.

The town also hosts examples of Sicilian Baroque architecture such as the Vincenzo Sinatra's Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, the Annunziata Church, the Carmine monastery, and the St. Barthelemy cathedral.

Ispica was destroyed by an earthquake in 1693 and rebuilt on its present site.

The 16th century St. Francis monastery in Ispica precedes the Baroque architectural period.
Vincenzo Sinatra's Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.

Cava d'Ispica

The Cava d'Ispica (Cave of Ispica) consists of a series of housing units carved in rocky formations. Built prior to the Greek colonization, these houses were used until the end of the nineteenth century. This cave, the most important in Eastern Sicily, is 13 kilometres (8 mi) long and is divided among two other comunes, Modica and Rosolini.

People

Sources


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.