Vittoria is one of the most expanded city, after Ragusa. It is located in the north-west part of the area and represents a quite new establishment, developed by the Spanish countess Vittoria Colonna Henriquez-Cabrera, who used her own name to give a new identity to the area.

The King of Spain assigned this territory to the countess, who wanted to create a new village to recover the name of her family, due to the debts and problems caused by her husband in the past. This is one of the main reasons why in Vittoria there are not so many historical places or buildings. Although, it is true that there are some remarkable ancient family palaces such as the Traina Palace, the main Theater, the Cathedral and the church in baroque style dedicated to Virgin Mary, both of them damaged by the earthquake of 1693.

Vittoria is also a very sparkling city that hosts every year different events. The two most significant occurrences are the “Fiera EMAIA”, a very famous agriculture exhibition (in fact, Vittoria is known as one the biggest producers of vegetables in Italy) and the Jazz Festival, organized during the month of June in the main square of Vittoria.

Picture’s courtesy of © Sidney Cirnigliaro.