Itinerary – The Arezzo: a family, a story
Cultural itinerary
- Departure and arrival point: Giardino Ibleo, Ragusa Ibla
- Trekking time: 2 and a half hours with stops) + 1 hour (Donnafugata Castle)
- Difficulty: easy, with uphill sections, suitable for good walkers
- Difference in height: present, total height difference approximately 80 meters
- Length: 3.5 km
- The route includes the return to the starting point, with parking nearby, and subsequent transfer to the Donnafugata Castle (about 30 minutes by car).
THE COURSE
The theme of the itinerary is the noble palaces that belonged to the members of the Ragusa branch of the Arezzo family who acquired numerous fiefdoms after 1600, passing them on to various descendants. The presence of the Arezzo in Sicily is to be inserted between the end of the thirteenth century and the first part of the fourteenth century. The progenitor would be a certain Aldo de Aritio, a soldier of fortune sent to Sicily in 1130. The Sortino Trono Palace is the first building that belonged to the family, continuing along Corso XXV Aprile you reach Palazzo Arezzo di Donnafugata and the entrance to Piazza Duomo , is the Palazzo Arezzo di Trifiletti, in neoclassical style. Further on you can see the façade of the Arezzo Veninata Palace, with a small square embellished with a round limestone fountain. A little further on is the Palazzo Arezzo San Filippo, whose salient feature is the Liberty style gallery. Finally, on the highest point of the itinerary you arrive at Villino Arezzo, a splendid liberty building on two levels which was completed in 1910. the visit ends with a visit to the Cathedral of S. Giorgio, where you can admire the polychrome stained glass windows that decorate the windows of the church donated by various families of the city, including the Arezzo.
USEFUL INFORMATION AND CONTACTS
Equipment: comfortable shoes, water, hat, camera.
LOGISTICS INFO OF THE ITINERARY:
HOW TO GET:
The route develops in the historic center of Ragusa Ibla. It starts from the Ibleo Garden of Ragusa Ibla, to make a circular route in the heart of the hill, to return to the starting point, with public parking nearby, and then we move by private vehicle to the Castle of Donnafugata.
