Ispica

The cluster lies on the south-eastern Sicilian coast by the Ionian Sea, with long sandy shoreline and the mouth area of the Irminio River within this stretch of coast. The Cava d’Ispica, a long limestone gorge with rock-cut dwellings and churches, is within the local area and is the main distinctive landscape feature here. The Vendicari area is farther north toward Noto and does not count as part of the immediate landscape, but the coast around Santa Maria del Focallo is the daily setting. Modica is the nearest larger historic town inland, with extensive Baroque fabric, and Ragusa is the main provincial city. This part of the province is known for dry-stone walls, carob and olive countryside, and late Baroque towns of the Val di Noto, a UNESCO designation centered on several nearby towns rather than on Ispica itself.