During my second trip to Sicily in 2014, we visited also several Barroque towns belonging to this WHS. We went from Enna by car heading to Ragusa, where we took a hotel in the upper town, and we went through Caltagirone, but, unfortunately, we had no time to stop there. Next morning we continued further to the South and visited Modica and Scicli. After strolling in baroque towns we refreshed ourselves by swimming in Mediterranean near Pachino, spent night on the mountain above Avola and continued to Siracuse…

Thus, I explored the components of Ragusa/Ragusa-Ibla, Modica and Scicli, and I could see Caltagirone only through the car window that is not sufficient, of course.

Very recently, I checked the extent of the core zones, and I was really surprised as the inscribed parts of the towns are in some cases very different from what I thought.

In Caltagirone, the core zone is quite big and encompasses the whole central part of the town, but we crossed only the buffer zone by car…

In Ragusa, not only almost all Ragusa-Ibla but also surprisingly a big portion of the upper town including the main street below he Post office (including the hotel we were accommodated) and the junction between both districts is the part of the core zone.

In Modica, only the churches of S Giorgio (PHOTO) and S Pietro are inscribed and the rest - lower and upper towns of Modica are in the buffer zone only.

In Scicli, only small central square with three churches and one baroque palace form the core zone.

My general impression from this WHS is positive and I wish to visit the rest of components, especially Noto, in the future. The Ragusa-Ibla is really wonderful, and I enjoyed the evening stroll in its narrow streets with monumental baroque churches. Modica is also monumental town, and I loved to be lost in its vast urban landscape that forms however only the buffer zone. Scicli, I enjoyed probably the most – it is confined within the narrow valley.