Our guided cultural tour of Ispica will start from the spur of Forza which, situated at the end of Cava Ispica, represents an ancient Fortalitium. This natural fortress of Parco Forza, where prehistoric, Greek and Roman remains merge with the ruins of the medieval town, was destroyed by 1693 earthquake. The marquise palace and the old Annunziata’s church dominate the cliff, whose sides are full of rocky diggings where you can see troglodytical dwellings, rocky churches, oil mills, mills and tanneries, that were used up to the 1950s.
Afterwards, we will walk towards the old town centre of Ispica, where you will admire two 18th-century Sicilian masterpieces: the late Baroque church of Santa Maria Maggiore, which stands out among other monuments, with its opposite colonnade that was designed by architect Francesco Sinatra; and the pictorial complex by Olivio Sozzi. Belmonte Palace, which was projected by the Liberty genius Ernesto Basile, will be our final destination.
