Comiso Attractions
Communications
SS 115 Ragusa-Agrigento; railroad station.
Location
This south Sicilian farming town between Vittória and Ragusa, at the foot of the Monti Iblei, can be traced back to a Sikel settlement on the same site. In 644 B.C. Syracuse founded the colony of Kasmenai here and the town later became Roman.
In the Middle Ages Cómiso belonged to feudal lords of the Naselli, Chiaramonte and Ruggio families. After the earthquake of 1693 Cómiso was rebuilt, which gave the town a pronounced Baroque appearance. The town now has a NATO base nearby with nuclear weapons. The writer Gesualdo Bufalino (b. 1920) lives and works in Cómiso. In his books ("The Book of the Shadows", 1982; "The Powerless Man", 1986) he takes an uncompromising look at life in Sicily.
SS 115 Ragusa-Agrigento; railroad station.
Location
This south Sicilian farming town between Vittória and Ragusa, at the foot of the Monti Iblei, can be traced back to a Sikel settlement on the same site. In 644 B.C. Syracuse founded the colony of Kasmenai here and the town later became Roman.
In the Middle Ages Cómiso belonged to feudal lords of the Naselli, Chiaramonte and Ruggio families. After the earthquake of 1693 Cómiso was rebuilt, which gave the town a pronounced Baroque appearance. The town now has a NATO base nearby with nuclear weapons. The writer Gesualdo Bufalino (b. 1920) lives and works in Cómiso. In his books ("The Book of the Shadows", 1982; "The Powerless Man", 1986) he takes an uncompromising look at life in Sicily.
Ancient Remains
Many necropolises in the area of Cómiso recall the periods of Sikel and Greek dominance. Relics of the Roman era include a mosaic floor in the town hall (on the site of thermal baths dating from the second century A.D.) and the remains of a nymphaeum behind the fountain of Diana (1935) in the Piazza Municipio.
Castle
The castle of the Naselli d'Aragona dates back to the 14th century. (Gothic portal and octagonal tower, which contains a Byzantine baptism chapel with frescoes from the 14th century) and was extended in the 16th century.
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