Ragusa

Elanora, our local guide, is definitely a character. Our walking tour with her began with introductions, during which she made known the places she has visited in the U.S. She spoke to stray cats in the street, and chatted up local high school girls and old men we happened to pass. The tour was lively and full of stories.

Similar to Nottingham, in England, the first inhabitants of this hillside were drawn by the natural shelter of caves. Later, residents dug into the limestone to expand the caves, and to create new, artificial caverns for storage of produce and wine.

This area was one of the first to emerge from feudalism, and it continues to be known as an area different from the rest of southern Italy in that people are punctual, streets are maintained, garbage is collected, and traffic laws are enforced.

After the Second World War, much of old Ragusa was abandoned as people moved to the new, more modern "Ragusa Superior" at the top of the hill. It is only in the last 20-30 years that the old city, "Ragusa Ilba," has begun to be revitalized. There are still a great many vacant buildings that are shuttered.

However, the selection old Ragusa as the location for the filming of the Inspector Montalbano (Italian: Il Commissario Montalbano) television series has boosted tourism here. These programs, extremely popular in Italy, were later dubbed into other languages for distribution worldwide. They are based on Andrea Camilleri's detective novels. Inspector Salvo Montalbano is in charge of the state police station in Vigàta, a fictional town in the fictional province of Montelusa in Sicily. But for many fans, Ragusa is Vigàta,

We battled hordes of other tourists, mostly Italians, in navigating the narrow streets, visiting Baroque churches, viewing ornate carvings on old buildings, and generally getting photos.

In the tradition of OAT tours, we even crashed a wedding in the Duomo (main church), though we didn't manage an invitation to the reception.

As Elanora conceded her tour in the public garden, she left us by singing her farewell. Then, Flaminia took over once again to take us to visit the home of Mr. Andrapiano (?), who claims to be a duke. The home is stuffed with family heirlooms in every room, most dating back two or three centuries (although we were skeptical about a number of the items).

Our host also played the piano for us. We were told that he is well known for playing in the Duomo and for giving piano lessons. However, his out-of-tune Kawai baby grand and somewhat halting technique did not come across as a high recommendation of his prowess as either a performer or as a teacher.

We returned to the hotel to change into cooler clothing, as the day was becoming hot. We stuck our heads into a cart shop near our hotel -- probably a bit more authentic than the museum display we had seen at casa di LaScalla the other day. This one was only open for a special celebration today.

A bit more walking around, more of the public garden explored, a couple more churches visited, and another wedding crashed, we decided it was time for beer. A sidewalk cafe near the main square was just the thing.

At 5 p.m. we boarded the bus once again for a trip to the nearby town of Modica. Modica is another hill town, very similar to Ragusa. Historically, the two towns have been rivals. Since WW II, Ragusa has been the larger of the town. In the very short time we were there, we thought that Modica had somewhat more of an urban feel to it -- but we have not been to "Ragusa Superior," the new section of the city.

Our introduction to Modica was by way of the local FIAT 500 club (of which we are now card-carrying members!). The FIAT 500 was the Volkswagen of Italy -- a small, affordable automobile that allowed the working class to own a car. They have a two cylinder engine, get about 50 miles to the gallon, and can get around on very narrow streets. Most date from the late '60s or early '70s.

We were met by a fleet of 8 or 10 FIAT 500s and their drivers, and divided up, one or two to a car. Our driver was Nico, who owns a nicely restored 1970 model. The caravan of FIATs zipped through the narrow streets, getting lots of waves and some photos taken. We made a couple stops along the way.

The first stop was Modica's St. George's Cathedral, where we got just a few minutes to visit. It is larger and grander than the Duomo in Ragusa, but also in the Baroque style.

A second stop was at a scenic overlook where we could survey the city from above.

And the final stop was near our next destination, a Modica chocolate shop. Chocolate was brought to Europe from Central and South America by the Spanish, shortly after Columbus. As it happened, Sicily was under Spanish rule at the time. In the Americas, chocolate was consumed only as a hot drink. The shop owner claims that it was here in Sicily that chocolate bars were first developed. Those we tasted were rather dry and brittle, but the variety of flavors was good.

After tasting at least a dozen different chocolates, we walked about a quarter mile to our restaurant. The meal was quite different from those we've been having. It began with a chickpea soup, and the main course was chicken, which we've not had before here. The meal was very good, and as usual, the wine was abundant. There were superb cannoli for dessert.

When the bus dropped us back in Ragusa, we were astounded at how many people were in the streets. The place was hopping! Every bar and sidewalk cafe seemed to be at capacity, and so many were milling about in the streets that it was difficult to walk back to our hotel. Saturday night in Ragusa is a big deal!