Surrounded by green hills and bordered by the Irminio River, Ragusa is a unique pearl in Sicily, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its precious testimony of Baroque architecture.
It is above all Ragusa Ibla, the lower area that grew out of the ruins of the ancient city, rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake, that boasts magnificent churches and aristocratic palaces, where local limestone architecture indulges in Baroque canons. Ragusa Ibla is the finishing point of this route, which retraces the route of the“StraRagusa,” the Half Marathon held in the city.

Technical description:
The first 5 km of the route is urban, winding through the western suburbs of Ragusa. The route, which near the Via delle Americhe traffic circle joins the Marathon route, continues through residential villages such as Monachella, Cisternazzi, Fortugno, with slight ups and downs. It then proceeds through the industrial and mining areas until km 11, when the route becomes almost constantly downhill.
Kilometer 18 is characterized by entering the Upper Old Town, passing over the characteristic “Old Bridge” and the square of the Cathedral of St. John, and then continuing through evocative narrow streets and then projecting towards the hairpin bends of Corso Mazzini. From here on, StraRagusa passes by numerous monuments declared World Heritage Sites, such as the Church of Santa Maria delle Scale, Palazzo Cosentini, the Church of Purgatory and Palazzo Sortino-Trono.
The last kilometer includes 300 meters of challenging uphill, along Via XI Febbraio, among old basalt tiles and narrow streets, before the final entrance into the Pedestrian Island of Piazza Duomo from the beautiful and striking archway of Via S.Tommaso.
More information is available on Ragusa Marathon.

Length: 21 km
Height difference in ascent: 140 m
Downhill elevation gain: 390 m
Highest point: 637 m
Lowest point: 397 m

Municipality of departure: Ragusa
Starting location: Via Feliciano Rossitto
Municipality of arrival: Ragusa
Place of arrival: Ragusa Ibla

Recommended period:
All year round

Useful links:
http://www.maratonadiragusa.com