Ispica
| Ispica | |
|---|---|
| Comune | |
| Comune di Ispica | |
 | |
  Ispica Location of Ispica in Italy | |
| Coordinates: 36°47′N 14°54′E / 36.783°N 14.900°ECoordinates: 36°47′N 14°54′E / 36.783°N 14.900°E | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Sicily |
| Province / Metropolitan city | Ragusa (RG) |
| Frazioni | Santa Maria del Focallo |
| Area | |
| • Total | 100 km2 (40 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 170 m (560 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 15,000 |
| • Density | 150/km2 (390/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | I-97014 |
| Dialing code | +390932 |
| Patron saint | SS. Maria vergine del monte Carmelo |
Ispica (Sicilian: Spaccafurnu, Latin: Hyspicae Fundus) is a city and comune in the south of Sicily, Italy. It is 30 kilometres (19 mi) from Ragusa, 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Syracuse, and 90 kilometres (56 mi) away from La Valletta, on the coast of Malta. The first mention in a document of Ispica occurred in 1093, in a list of churches and ecclesiastic departments for administrative purposes, but the territory has been colonized since the Bronze Age.
The city is located on a hill. The main economical activity consists of farming and organic products, especially carrot, zucchini, tomatoes, olives, vineyards.Ispica is the largest producer of organic carrot of southern Italy with about 18,000 tons of annual production. There is 10 kilometres (6 mi) of coastline, most of which is sand and dunes, and an island (Porri island) at 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the coast.
The town also hosts examples of Sicilian Baroque architecture such as the Vincenzo Sinatra's Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, the Annunziata Church, the Carmine monastery, and the St. Barthelemy cathedral.
Ispica was destroyed by an earthquake in 1693 and rebuilt on its present site.
Cava Ispica
The Cava Ispica (Cave of Ispica) consists of a series of housing units carved in rocky formations. Built prior to the Greek colonization, these houses were used until the end of the nineteenth century. This cave, the most important in Eastern Sicily, is 13 kilometres (8 mi) long and is divided among two other comunes, Modica and Rosolini.
Born in Ispica
- Corrado Lorefice, (1962) archbishop of Palermo
Bibliography
- Trigilia, Melchiorre (1989). Storia e guida di Ispica. So.Ge.Me Editore.
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