The beach of Kamarina extends along the southeastern coast of Sicily in the area of Santa Croce Camarina, about 30 km from Ragusa. It consists of a wide beach of golden and fine sand with shallow waters that slope gently towards the open sea. At the end of the beach, there are stretches of bathing rocks. The beach is 1 km long from Scoglitti to Punta Braccetto.
This beach, which is ideal especially for families with children, is free and equipped with a beach club, which rents umbrellas and deckchairs, a bar and a restaurant. There are also free parking spaces. The area could be very crowded in July and August, especially in the weekend.
The archaeological site of Kamarina
The archaeological site of Kamarina, one of the most important in Sicily, is a precious heritage of land and underwater archeology. Kamarina, whose name would mean "Settled after a great effort" according to Stabone, was an important colony of Syracuse, built on the Ippari river's mouth in the province of Ragusa. Nowadays only some ruins and important archaeological finds remain, mainly located on the Cammarana hill located in the municipality of Ragusa.
Founded at the beginning of the 6th Century B.C. by people from Syracuse with the aim of holding back the south expansion of Gela, Kamarina quickly became an important rural centre and landmark for the thriving trade exchanges in the actual area of Ragusa. Destroyed after a conflict against the town of Syracuse, it was built again by Gela between 492 B.C. and 461 A.C., retrieving its magnificence thanks to a strong alliance with Athens against Syracuse during the Peloponnesian war. In 403-401 B.C., Kamarina was destroyed again by Hannibal's army. After the Punic dominion, a new period of prosperity came at the end of 4th Century B.C., hitting the maximum level of its urban expansion under Timoleonte (339 B.C.). After the Roman conquest in 258 B.C., Kamatina was destroyed by the Arabs in 827.
Situated on a hill, the acropolis shows nowadays the ruins of Athena's temple. The best-retained ruins of the boundary walls are located under the hill of Heracles. The discovered finds are kept in the Archaeological Museums of Kamarina, Ragusa and Syracuse. The Regional Museum of Kamarina, a rural building of the late 19th Century, offers a private section showing underwater archaeological finds, illustrates the political, economic and civil history of Kamarina and exhibits several objects of worship, as well as hosting temporary exhibitions.
