SELINUNTE

From one earthquake site in the west we drove to another in the east, the World Heritage site at Ragusa. The original city was badly damaged in 1693 whereupon the inhabitants were divided, some chose to rebuild on the old site at Ibla and others started a new city named Ragusa Superior. As you descend from the new city Ragusa Ibla reveals itself below sitting in the middle of 2 ravines, shown here looking splendid in the afternoon sun.

There are many fine buildings and monuments in both cities but the most beautiful is the Duomo di San Giorgio with it's magnificent three tiered golden facade.

In the last few days we have put quite a few kilometers on the clock but there is so much of interest to see that it is never boring. We made the relatively short trip west to SELINUNTE another ancient city which was built in the same period and suffered the same fate as did the old Agrigento. Covering over 600 acres Selinunte was larger both in area and in scale but there are fewer temples left intact due to an earthquake which was believed to have occurred in the tenth century. Many piles of huge stones and columns surround the temples.