Ragusa, the epicenter of the UNESCO site: Modica and Scicli ready for 2027

Ragusa designated as the operational Unesco headquarters of the Val di Noto "Being a Unesco Heritage is not just a plaque to put at the entrance of the city, but an opportunity for strategic growth with access to important opportunities and specific funding. In view of 2027, the year in which the 25th anniversary of the recognition will be celebrated, Ragusa has gained new centrality: on March 11, the assembly of the Tourist District of the South East, which is the managing body of our Unesco site, decided to 'establish the operational Unesco structure of the serial site of the late Baroque cities of the Val di Noto, entrusting its activities and responsibilities to the Municipality of Ragusa.'" This is stated by the mayor Peppe Cassì, announcing the new governance structure of the serial site.

In the same session, the assembly approved the entry of the Municipalities of Modica and Scicli into the board of directors of the District. A choice that, emphasizes the Iblean administration, strengthens the center of gravity in the Ragusa territory: the three Municipalities become the core of the organizational machine from which the management of one of the most significant cultural heritages of southeastern Sicily depends.

The Municipality of Ragusa, identified as the headquarters and operational responsible, now claims direct responsibility for activities related to the Unesco recognition and assures that it is already working to face the challenge entrusted by the more than twenty public and private members of the District. Cassì then expressed gratitude to the president of the District, the mayor of Noto Corrado Figura, for the support of Ragusa's role, and thanked the institutional partners who have relied on the operational capacity of the city, starting with the mayor of Caltagirone and president of the Unesco Operational Unit, Fabio Roccuzzo, with whom a close collaboration is announced.

"The Unesco 2027 project intersects with the celebrations of the centenary of the establishment of the Province of Ragusa – Cassì continued – and we are already working with president Maria Rita Schembari, the provincial councilors, and the structure of the Entity, for a shared and synergistic strategy aimed at enhancing our territory."