| Ispica | |
| Official Name: | Comune di Ispica |
| Coordinates: | 36.7833°N 68°W |
| Region: | Sicily |
| Province: | Ragusa (RG) |
| Frazioni: | Santa Maria del Focallo, Marina Marza |
| Mayor: | Innocenzo Leontini |
| Area Total Km2: | 100 |
| Population Total: | 16302 |
| Population As Of: | 31 August 2017 |
| Population Demonym: | Ispicesi |
| Elevation M: | 170 |
| Saint: | SS. Maria vergine del monte Carmelo |
| Postal Code: | I-97014 |
| Area Code: | +390932 |
Ispica is a city and comune in the south of Sicily, Italy. It is 30km (20miles) from Ragusa, 50km (30miles) from Syracuse, and 90km (60miles) away from La Valletta, on the coast of Malta. The first mention in a document of Ispica occurred in 1093, in a list of churches and ecclesiastic departments for administrative purposes, but the territory has been colonized since the Bronze Age.
The city is located on a hill. The main economical activity consists of farming and organic products, especially carrot, zucchini, tomatoes, olives, vineyards. Ispica is the largest producer of organic carrot insouthern Italy with about 18,000 tons of annual production. There is 10km (10miles) of coastline, most of which is sand and dunes, and an island (Porri island) at 2km (01miles) from the coast.
The town also hosts examples of Sicilian Baroque architecture such as the Vincenzo Sinatra's Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, the Annunziata Church, the Carmine monastery, and the St. Barthelemy cathedral.
Ispica was destroyed by the 1693 Sicily earthquake and rebuilt on its present site.
The Pro Loco Spaccaforno manages a tourist information point in the city center. Tourist information, also in English, is available on the website Visit Ispica.[1] There are a number of processions which take place on Holy Thursday.[2] If traveling to Ispica, the bus station is in a much safer and more convenient location than the train station, which is located on the outskirts of town.
The Cava d'Ispica (Cave of Ispica) consists of a series of housing units.
The Cava d'Ispica (Cave of Ispica) consists of a series of housing units carved in rocky formations. Built prior to the Greek colonization, these houses were used until the end of the nineteenth century. This cave, the most important in Eastern Sicily, is 13km (08miles) long and is divided among two other comunes, Modica and Rosolini.