Ispica
Often overlooked by visitors, the comune of Ispica is the home to Liberty style or art nouveau in the province of Ragusa.
The name Ispica was coined only in the 1930’s, before which the area was known as Spaccaforno.
During the period of the Grand Tour, the Cava d’Ispica was an obligatory stop between Etna and Agrigento, to see the cave dwellings, and Byzantine ruins. Now the Cava d’Ispica is enjoying a resurgence, and you can walk the 13km of Cava from Ispica (Parco Forza) up to the head of the Cava in the comune of Modica.
Ispica is justly famous for its celebrations of Easter, which see the town divided into two parts - the town dwellers and the cave dwellers, who each have their own celebrations which involve fierce rivalry. The night of Holy Thursday, the city doesnt sleep. At Christmas the presepi viventi of ispica are presented in the grotte of the Parco Forza and it is one of the most atmospheric events in all of Sicily.
Built after the 1693 earthquake, the city boasts some lovely baroque buildings, as well as many liberty ones. The Cava was occupied and lived in until the 1960s. See the politically incorrect Pathè news clip below.
