XX Maratona di Ragusa

The Ragusa Marathon presents the first 5 km in the city, among the outskirts of Ragusa Ovest. The next 32 km are mostly in the countryside between the villages and rural hamlets of the plateau, among which the passage from Cilone, the village of Tre Casuzze, is very suggestive, with a route characterized by "dry stone walls", true rural icons of the landscape. In the first 21 km of the route there are some "dirt" sections with lengths ranging between 50 and 300 meters. Around the 24th km, where the StraRagusa route joins that of the Ragusa Marathon, it skirts the western outskirts of Ragusa, with the large roundabout of Viale delle Americhe. From here, the route continues towards other residential villages, such as Monachella, Cisternazzi, Fortugno, and then begins the part that will involve the Industrial Zone and also the Mining Zone, characterized by oil wells and especially by the two tunnels close to the A.B.C.D. At the 32nd km, the route becomes almost constantly downhill. The 38th km is characterized by the entrance to the Upper Historic Center, by the passage on the characteristic "Ponte Vecchio" and the Piazza della Cattedrale di San Giovanni, and then continues along suggestive streets and then projects towards the hairpin bends of Corso Mazzini. From the 38th km (from Corso Mazzini, to the finish line) the event passes by numerous monuments declared by UNESCO, World Heritage Sites, such as the church of Santa Maria delle Scale, Palazzo Cosentini, the Church of Purgatory and Palazzo Sortino-Trono. The last kilometer of the route includes 300 meters of challenging climb, of Via XI Febbraio, between old paving stones and narrow streets, before the final entrance to the pedestrian area of ​​Piazza Duomo, from the splendid and suggestive arch of Via S. Tommaso. Overall the route is to be considered "fast", with a first part "very undulating", typical of hilly routes. The second part is certainly faster, apart from the "particular commitment" that the last kilometer requires.