Ispica

Ispica
—  Comune  —
Comune di Ispica
Ispica Location of Ispica in Italy
Coordinates: 36°47′N 14°54′E
Country	Italy
Region	Sicily
Province	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	Carmelo

Ispica (Sicilian: Spaccafurnu, Latin: Hyspicae Fundus) is a city and comune in the south of Sicily, Italy. It is 30 km from Ragusa, 50 km from Syracuse, and 90 km 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, especially tomatoes, olives, vineyards. There is 10 km of coastline, most of which is sand and dunes, and an island (Porri island) at 2 km from 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.

The 16th century St. Francis monastery in Ispica precedes the Baroque architectural period.

Vincenzo Sinatra's Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.

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 km long and is divided among two other comunes, Modica and Rosolini.