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Ragusa provinces strikes one on account of its connotations of antiquity and the peculiarity of places in it. And one is amazed by the fact that the province was only set up in 1926. Actually, the twelve comunes that constitute its territory and that previously came under Modica ... [continue] |
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MARINA DI RAGUSA MODICA PUNTA SECCA RAGUSA / RAGUSA IBLA SANTA CROCE CAMERINA SCICLI / DONNALUCATA SCOGLITTI ________________________ Association B&B Province of Ragusa
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A very old maritime burgh, already amply used by the Arabs, as is documented by the geographer Al Idris, Pozzallo developed around the Loading Platform, which the Chiaramontes, seigneurs of Modica county, built there - Pozzallo was part of the county until the early years of the nineteenth century. The Loading Platform, with the annexed warehouses and other facilities, was the maritime outlet of Modica, just as Vendicari, on the lonian side, was the maritime outlet
for Noto in the same period. The Pozzallo Loading Platform was later boosted and enriched by the Cabrera Counts, who took over from the Chiaramontes. In 1429, the need to defend harbour facilities and activities against pirate attacks led Giovanni Bernardo Cabrera to build an imposing defence tower, originally about thirty metres high.
The fortress was an excellent defence not only for the Loading Platform, but also for the surrounding territory, whose inhabitants were thus freed from the fear of raids, whith were then very frequent all around the coasts of Sicily. With the end of feudalism, Pozzallo broke away from Modica and became an independent comune. Since that time, the little town, progressively developing around the original nucleus, has taken on a historical and cultural physiognomy of its own. Though the economy is fundamentally a maritime one, there are also agricultural and trading activities. For example, its production of carobs is famous. Pozzallo is met with in pages of nineteenth-century history for having been a reference point for Sicilian patriots forced to go into exile and as a connection between Sicily and Malta, where many exiles took refuge. The arch itectonic aspect of the little town is characterised by the flowery style of some mansions and park and the carefully tended greenery. Giorgio La Pira was born at Pozzallo.
