Circuit of Irminio
A 14 km* loop hike on a path that alternates between dirt tracks, mule tracks, and several river crossings of river Irminio. (*approx. 9 miles)
The departure of the hike is at Ragusa Ibla. The hike runs across the quarry of San Leonardo, up to the confluence with the river Irminio. Then, it continues along an old mule track, till reaching the cove Capra d’Oro.
Capra d’Oro Cove means “golden goat” and as the name suggests, this place led to many fascinating myths.
The myth of Capra d’Oro (source G.Pitrè, “Fiabe e Leggende popolari”)
When Saracens* were forced to flee from Sicily, a goat and two kids (baby goats) were created by one of the captains by melting all of his gold. He chained these gold-created statues inside the cove and decided that only the man who would have kissed the threshold of the cove would have been blessed with such treasure. Once upon a time, a soldier whose name was Bernardo Caprera was crossing that area as he was hunting a wild pig. Since the pig went inside the cove, Caprera by following him, fell and “touched with his lips”** the threshold of the cove. Suddenly, he heard some bleating and the golden goat with the two kids’ statues came out from the cove. Caprera brought them to Palermo to present them to the king. So, he kneeled in front of the king and offered them. And the king who wanted to praise him said: “Stand up, oh Count of Caprera! Thanks, your Majesty; but I cannot stand up from the ground. Stand up, oh Captain General of all my troops! Thanks, your Majesty; but I cannot stand up. Stand up, oh Count of Modica! Thanks, your Majesty!” Whereupon, he stood up not just because he became Count and Captain General, but because he also became the Count of Modica! Unfortunately, the king did not enjoy such treasure; in fact, enchanted treasures cannot be given away and the golden goat with the two kids’ statues came back into the cove. *Arabs **orally contacts
A circuit that is unheard of and will immerse you in the natural beauty of Ragusa and its breathtaking views.
