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| partial view of the gardens at Donnafugata Castle |
Nestled among the carob trees (as we all know by now, the area around Modica and Ragusa is famous for chocolate...), lies the 17th century castle of Donnafugata. The name literally means "fugitive woman" and there have been many legends about it. It is actually, however, named from the Arabic "Fountain of Health" which became Ronnafugata in Sicilian, and somehow Donnafugata...who knows how or why...?
It was built by nobility, and added to continuously in various styles until it was purchased by the Provincial Administration of Ragusa in 1982. There are over 122 rooms in the castle, but only a select few are open to the public at this time. It has a Venetian facade, and many movies have been made on the castle grounds...
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| entry to the castle grounds |
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| outside the castle grounds...still a working farm... |
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| still under construction ?? |
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| entry to the castle |
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| scale model of Donnafugata Castle |
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| one of the grand staircases |
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| the parlor |
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| silk wallpaper...nice ! |
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| Chandelier from Murano |
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| hand painted mural in one room |
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| more hand painted detail... |
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| hand painting of Donnafugata Castle in the 1600s |
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It was nice to see how the "upper crust" lived in the 17th century, but I'll stick with today's modern conveniences...
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