Ispica (Ragusa Province) is 35 km from Ragusa, alt. 170 m, in the Monti Iblei, along the River Ispica, area 113.5 sq km, pop. 14,579, post-code 97014, tel. 0932. Economy: Agriculture (carrots, strawberries, tomatoes, courgettes), handi-craft (wrought iron), food preserving industries.
The territory has been inhabited since prehistoric times.
There was a medieval hamlet here which was extended and fortified by the Normans.
It became a fief of the Chiaromontes and then of the Cabreras, the Carusos and the Statellas.
The town grew up further down the Ispica Valley; it was destroyed by the 1693 earthquake and rebuilt on its present site with the name Spaccaforno, which it kept until 1935 when it was renamed Ispica, from the Roman Ispicae Fundus.
Of interest: Piazza dell'Annunziata; Palazzo Bruno-Belmonte is the Town Hall; Cava d'Ispica. The 3-hectare Parco is a very sensible creation, near the entrance to Spaccaforno, the old Ispica, which serves to protect and facilitate visits to the fortilitium, which centers around a lime-stone monolith called Forza; The Parco; Of the 15th and 16th century Statella castle fortifications and of Palazzo Marchionale; Adjacent Chiesa del'Annunziata which has many tombs beneath the flow lapsed in the earthquake in 1693; Rock-church of Santa Maria and the cave of St. Ilarione the hermit; 2 km further on are the catacombs of San Marco and all the rest of the Cava.
Churches (Noto Diocese) include the following:
Links to other sites about Ispica include:
My latest book on CD is titled Sicily - A Reference for Researchers and is now available. With a file for each town (plus many other files), it relates the history of Sicily as reflected in the photos, records and festivals of its towns. It contains over 2500 text and photo files and can be ordered at CD order.
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