Sicily: The Ride From Noto To Gli Aromi - Sicilian Landscapes Part 2: We continued our ride to lunch at the Gli Aromi herb farm passing the town of Ispica just before the A18...

srfmhg Loc: Marin County, CA

We continued our ride to lunch at the Gli Aromi herb farm passing the town of Ispica just before the A18 Autostrada ended. As I said in my previous post, all of these images were taken through the tour bus windows with a Nikon D7500 and a Nikkor 18-300 f3.6-5.6 lens set at f9, 1/640 sec and auto ISO. The ISO levels were usually 3200 to 5600 which accounts for some noise in the skies. I was willing to accept this in exchange for a wider DOF provided by the f9 setting. Post processing was done with Luminar Neo and occasional Topaz Denoise AI.

I wish we had the time to stop in Ispica since it sounded very interesting when I did my subsequent research. Here's a little about the town from the website: https://www.biancoeblu.com/en/south-sicily/ispica

HISTORY ABOUT ISPICA
The city was dominated by many, from ancient Greeks, Arabs, Normans, and Svevians to the Aragorns of Spain. There are many stories and legends about the city’s medieval past. Here was living Saint Peter, Ulysse landed over its beaches while wandering in the Mediterranean Sea to complete the will of Gods.

As a feud, Ispica belonged to the Statella family from the end of the 15th century until the abolition of feudalism in the 19th century. During the earthquake that devastated the Val di Noto in 1693, Ispica was completely destroyed, and thousands were dead. Later, the city was rebuilt, but in another, area, a flatter one. Nevertheless, the ancient town was never completely abandoned by its inhabitants and some neighborhoods were rebuilt.

After the earthquake, this city, like many others in South-Eastern Sicily, was also rebuilt in the late Baroque style. In addition to the Baroque, the city was decorated with Art Nouveau architecture. For a century the territory belonged for one part to Modica and for the other to the province of Syracuse. Only in 1927 did it become part of the province of Ragusa. The historical legacy of the Statella family is present in Ispica at every step. The emblem of the city is a shield divided into 4 sections bearing two towers and two halberds, belonging to that family.
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Ispica today
Today Ispica is a welcoming town all its life is about agriculture and tourism. In fact, its coastal area is well known for its beaches which attract many Italian and foreign tourists. But it is agriculture that dominates the local economy. There are many intensive vegetable crops, especially tomatoes, and carrots. The “novella” carrot of Ispica received the PGI denomination from the European Union in 2011.
Of great cultural interest that definitely deserves a visit is the "Parco Forza", more commonly called "Cava D'ispica". Inside the park are visible prehistoric necropolis, Christian catacombs, rock oratories, monastic hermitages and housing units of various types that have been continuously followed by the Prehistory (Early Bronze Age), until at least the fourteenth century.

For additional images from the ride, please see my previous post:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-803560-1.html#14542465

I hope you enjoy these!
Mark

Approaching Ispica
Approaching Ispica...

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Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore designed by the Sicilian architect Vincenzo Sinatra and built after the 1693 earthquake. It was completed in1727

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srfmhg Loc: Marin County, CA

Location Maps:

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UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

You are the master of the bus window, Mark.

NMGal Loc: NE NM

I have to agree with UTMike.

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

One thing is for sure, Mark. You never miss a chance at a shot. Nice job.

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

srfmhg wrote:

We continued our ride to lunch at the Gli Aromi herb farm passing the town of Ispica just before the A18 Autostrada ended. As I said in my previous post, all of these images were taken through the tour bus windows with a Nikon D7500 and a Nikkor 18-300 f3.6-5.6 lens set at f9, 1/640 sec and auto ISO. The ISO levels were usually 3200 to 5600 which accounts for some noise in the skies. I was willing to accept this in exchange for a wider DOF provided by the f9 setting. Post processing was done with Luminar Neo and occasional Topaz Denoise AI.

I wish we had the time to stop in Ispica since it sounded very interesting when I did my subsequent research. Here's a little about the town from the website: https://www.biancoeblu.com/en/south-sicily/ispica

HISTORY ABOUT ISPICA
The city was dominated by many, from ancient Greeks, Arabs, Normans, and Svevians to the Aragorns of Spain. There are many stories and legends about the city’s medieval past. Here was living Saint Peter, Ulysse landed over its beaches while wandering in the Mediterranean Sea to complete the will of Gods.

As a feud, Ispica belonged to the Statella family from the end of the 15th century until the abolition of feudalism in the 19th century. During the earthquake that devastated the Val di Noto in 1693, Ispica was completely destroyed, and thousands were dead. Later, the city was rebuilt, but in another, area, a flatter one. Nevertheless, the ancient town was never completely abandoned by its inhabitants and some neighborhoods were rebuilt.

After the earthquake, this city, like many others in South-Eastern Sicily, was also rebuilt in the late Baroque style. In addition to the Baroque, the city was decorated with Art Nouveau architecture. For a century the territory belonged for one part to Modica and for the other to the province of Syracuse. Only in 1927 did it become part of the province of Ragusa. The historical legacy of the Statella family is present in Ispica at every step. The emblem of the city is a shield divided into 4 sections bearing two towers and two halberds, belonging to that family.
.
Ispica today
Today Ispica is a welcoming town all its life is about agriculture and tourism. In fact, its coastal area is well known for its beaches which attract many Italian and foreign tourists. But it is agriculture that dominates the local economy. There are many intensive vegetable crops, especially tomatoes, and carrots. The “novella” carrot of Ispica received the PGI denomination from the European Union in 2011.
Of great cultural interest that definitely deserves a visit is the "Parco Forza", more commonly called "Cava D'ispica". Inside the park are visible prehistoric necropolis, Christian catacombs, rock oratories, monastic hermitages and housing units of various types that have been continuously followed by the Prehistory (Early Bronze Age), until at least the fourteenth century.

For additional images from the ride, please see my previous post:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-803560-1.html#14542465

I hope you enjoy these!
Mark

We continued our ride to lunch at the Gli Aromi he... (show quote)

Very nice set!!! Mark

srfmhg Loc: Marin County, CA

UTMike wrote:

You are the master of the bus window, Mark.

Thanks very much Mike. Many more to come.

srfmhg Loc: Marin County, CA

NMGal wrote:

I have to agree with UTMike.

Thank you very much Barbara.

srfmhg Loc: Marin County, CA

kpmac wrote:

One thing is for sure, Mark. You never miss a chance at a shot. Nice job.

That is true Ken - I have a very itchy shutter finger. Thanks very much. I also enjoy the passing scenery very much through the viewfinder

srfmhg Loc: Marin County, CA

Manglesphoto wrote:

Very nice set!!! Mark

Thanks very much Frank.

joehel2 Loc: Cherry Hill, NJ

Beautiful cityscapes, Mark. Very nicely done.

mvetrano2 Loc: Commack, NY

nice

tcthome Loc: NJ

srfmhg Loc: Marin County, CA

joehel2 wrote:

Beautiful cityscapes, Mark. Very nicely done.

Thanks very much Joe.

srfmhg Loc: Marin County, CA

mvetrano2 wrote:

nice

Thanks very much Mike.