Page 394 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

copious cellar to match each course. At lunchtime, the simpler three-course tasting

menu (€45 without wine, €59 with) is a very good deal. April–Oct Mon dinner only,
Tues–Sat lunch & dinner; Nov–March Tues–Sat lunch & dinner, Sun lunch only.

U Saracinu Via del Convento 9, Ragusa Ibla 0932 246 976. U Saracinu has been
here donkey’s years, even before the fancy old-town restoration, and sticks with a
traditional Sicilian menu of pasta and meat grills, though couscous (€8) and fish
specials (€8–9) are also on offer. There are two fixed-price menus, at €15 (antipasto,

pasta, main course, dessert and wine) and €18 (the same, but with couscous and fish
instead of pasta and a main). Mon–Sat lunch & dinner.

Trattoria la Bettola Largo Kamarina, Ragusa Ibla 0932 653 377. A rarity in Ibla: a
simple, inexpensive family-run trattoria with red-and-white tablecloths that has been
around for thirty years. Antipasti cost €4 and include deep-fried and breadcrumbed
morsels of local cheeses, aubergine polpette and a lemon-scented tortino of

courgettes. Primi (all €7) include tagliatelle with cream and saffron, secondi (€7–9)
feature maiale ubriaco, pork braised in wine and wild herbs, in winter, and pork
chops with citrus in summer. There is horsemeat as well, if you feel like going totally
local. Tues–Sun lunch & dinner.

< Back to Siracusa and the southeast

Around Ragusa

To the south and west of Ragusa, the largely unsung Baroque towns of Comiso and

Vittoria, the views from Chiaramonte Gulfi or the low-key resorts and beaches
along the local coast can fill another day’s touring, but these are all mere sideshows
compared with Ragusa itself. By public transport, to be frank, it’s barely worth the
trouble to visit any of the places covered below.

COMISO CONNECTS

In September 2013, the little town of Comiso was given what could turn out to be a
new lease of life, when its previous military airport ( aeroportodicomiso.it)
opened to civil flights, kicking off with Ryanair routes to London Stansted, Brussels

Charleroi and Rome Ciampino. What the effect this will have on sleepy Comiso,
with its dusty Baroque core, remains to be seen, but there’s likely to be a rash of
new B&Bs (details will be posted on the airport website). However, most folk are
so far using the airport to get to the area’s more established tourist attractions, most
notably Ragusa.

At the time of writing transport links from the airport were still in the

developmental stage, with the website publishing new services as (or if) they are