Cheeses of Ragusa
A baroque hill city of south-east Sicily, home of Ragusano, the brick-shaped stretched cheese hung in pairs to age.
Made, aged and sold here
Best time: April to June and September to October.
Ragusa is a baroque city in south-east Sicily, rebuilt after an earthquake in 1693 on two hills, the upper town and Ragusa Ibla. The limestone plateau around it, the Monti Iblei, is crossed by dry-stone walls and grazed by Modicana cows. Their milk makes Ragusano, a large, rectangular pasta filata cheese, one of the few protected cheeses of Sicily.
Ragusano
Ragusano is made from raw milk of cows grazed on the Iblei pastures, heated in wooden tubs, set with rennet, then stretched in hot water and shaped into long blocks of about twelve to sixteen kilograms. The blocks are tied with rope and hung in pairs over beams to age, so it is also called caciocavallo, cheese on horseback. Young it is mild; aged, it becomes sharp and spicy.
The Iblei towns
Ragusa Ibla is a maze of baroque churches, palaces and steps, with the cathedral of San Giorgio at its heart. Modica, known for its grainy chocolate, and Scicli lie close by and are, with Ragusa, part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing for late baroque towns. Farms called masserie dot the plateau, many making cheese and ricotta.
A trail idea for Ragusa
- Ragusa Ibla The baroque old town and the cathedral of San Giorgio.
- A masseria See Ragusano stretched and hung where visits are offered.
- Modica The neighbouring town of baroque churches and chocolate.
- Iblei plateau Drive the dry-stone walled pastures where the Modicana cows graze.
Written by the EveryCheese desk with AI assistance. Background: "Ragusa, Sicily" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets, caves and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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