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SYRACUSE
Syracuse, the city, the Nature Reserves, of the Ciane river and the Salt-flats

Syracuse was founded by the Corinthians in 734 BC in its present beautiful location, over the remains of an older indigenous settlement. It is clearly divided into five city-quarters, the oldest and most evocative of which lies on the small island of Ortygia, while Acradina, Neapolis, Tyche and Epipolis lie on the mainland. It is impossible to tell the entire history of the city and recount the artistic and cultural achievements in these few pages, because Syracuse was not merely an ancient Corinthian colony, but also the focal point for centuries of history where different cultures came together, overlapped and merged to produce unique monuments, temples and churches. Two particularly important places which illustrate the grandeur of the past are the 'P. Orsi' Archaeological Museum which houses objects dating from the Prehistoric period to the time of the ancient Greek colonies, and the Neapolis Archaeological Park, symbol of the Greek and Roman heritage of the city. In 2005, Syracuse became part of the Unesco heritage list.

Acradina was the first part of the city to grow up beyond Ortygia. The area known as the 'Borgata' centres around the 12th-century Basilica of S. Lucia and the Sepulchre which houses a statue of the reclining Saint Lucy by G. Tedeschi. The Norman basilica was probably built over the ruins of a Byzantine church destroyed by the Arabs, and has undergone many transformations, the most important of which under the Syracusan architect Vermexio who also designed the octgonal Sepulchre in 1629. A granite column in the church is tra­ditionally identified as one of the places of the saint's martyrdom.
   The Burial of Saint Lucy by Caravaggio, now in the Bellomo Museum in Ortygia, used to hang over the main altar. Leaving the Borgata and following Riviera Dionisio il Grande, we reach the upper part of Acradina with its evocative rocky outcrops, caves and quarries. From the top of the Riviera at the War Memorial, in an area where steep cliffs drop down to the sea, we can admire the beautiful view over the small harbour and Ortygia. Close by stands the Convent of the Capuchins built at the end of the 16th century. After an outbreak of plague in 1576, the convent was also equipped as a lazaret. Next to the convent lies the Latomia of the Capuchins, a former Greek stone-quarry and now a luxuriant garden, which leads to the Grand Hotel Villa Politi. famous for its illustrious guests, including Churchill, the British statesman.
 Also in Acradina lies Grotta Santa, the sacred grotto, a place of worship in the 17th century which is still used for Mass today. Moving south along Largo Nedo Nadi. we proceed to the 'P. Orsi' Archaeological Museum, inaugurated in 1988 and situated in the park of Villa Landolina.
 The museum is famous for the quantity and quality of its contents, much of which was discovered by the archaeologist Paolo Or si, and which was added to the original collections formerly housed in the old museum in Ortygia.
 The museum is basically divided into three sectors which lie around a central circular auditorium. The numerous archaeological finds, some 18,000 pieces, are displayed by site, in chronological orde
r. We can only mention the most famous objects here; the statue of a Mother Goddess (Megara Hyblaea), a terracotta statue of an enthroned goddess (Grammichele) and the Landolina Venus, a marble statue of the 2nd century AD found at the beginning of the 19th ceSyracuse. Not far from the museum, the great cone of the Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Lacrime, consecrated in 1994 to celebrate a miracle of 1953 rises majestically over the town. Close by stand the splendid ruins of the church of S. Giovanni Evangelista with its Norman fagade with a finely carved rose-window. Inside, a stairway leads down to the ancient Crypt of S. Marciano, and the basilica is linked to the 4th-century Catacombs of San Giovanni, an extraordinary sign of the presence and activity of the early Christian community in Syracuse during the Roman period. In the town-quarter after which it is named lies the Neapolis Archaeological Park, created in 1952-55 with the aim of uniting all the oldest monuments of the area in a single park; the  Theatre, still used every Spring for Classical plays, the Sanctuary of ApollTemenite, the Altar of Hieron II, the Roman Amphitheatre, the so-called Tomb of Archimedes, and the Latomie del Paradiso which includes the famous stone-quarry known as the Ear of Dionysius and the Rope-makers' cave. Leaving Neapolis, we come to Epipolis where the old Greek city fortifications known as the 'Dionysian Walls' lie. On the highest point of Epipolis in the area called Eurialo stand the ruins of the fortress of the same name, the most important element in the defensive system that was one of the most admired in the ancient Greek world.
On the way back towards Ortygia, passing thro ugh Neapolis again, we pass through an open area called the Syracusan Forum, with gardens and archaeological remains. Not far off stands the circular Pantheon of the Fascist period. To conclude this historic itinerary, we must mention the Roman Gymnasium along Via Elorina, the road which heads south towards an area where the Anapo and Ciane riverestuaries lie. The mythical spring which flowed from the nymph Ciane to become a river, is today a nature reserve famous for its salt-flats and luxuriant papyrus-groves. Nearby stand the two surviving columns of a Greek temple dedicated to Olympian Zeus

Resti del Castello Eurialo

Tempio di Apollo

Orecchio di Dionisio

Fonte Aretusa

Tempio di Athena

A Syracusan tetradrachm (c. 415– 405 BC), sporting Arethusa and a quadriga.

ORTYGIA
Syracuse, the Island of Ortygia

Detail of Castello Maniace

Ortygia, a small island laden with history, lies south, just off the mainland, and represents the pulsating heart of the city. This is where we advise you to start your tour of the province of Syracuse, a province which will amaze the visitor for the wealth of monuments, archaeological sites and places of natural beauty which abound. Of all these treasures, Ortygia is the first, containing architecture of many styles and an inestimable heritage of works of art. All the civilisations that left their mark on Sicily are represented here by fascinating remains still visible within the urban network where different styles and atmospheres mingle. Thus Castello Maniace built by Frederick II (1232-1240), an extraordinary example of Medieval construction which was later fortified by Spanish military engineers, dominates the extreme tip of the island, and has become a symbol of the city, creating an ideal link between the Classical period and later ages

View of Archimede Square

We cross the Humbertine bridge, the oldest link between mainland and island, suspended over the former 'darsena' or shipyards, and find ourselves in Piazza Pancali where the ruins of the Temple of Apollo of the Vlth century BC stand, the oldest example of Doric architecture in the Hellenic West. An inscription on the front step indicated that it was dedicated to the god of the sun.

 The main road, Corso Matteotti (formerly Via del Littorio) leads to Piazza Archimede, a square created in the late 19th century, but with many fine buildings from different periods, such as the 15th-century Palazzo Lanza-Buccheri, and the late 18th-century Palazzo Gargallo and Palazzo Pupillo. At the centre stands the Fountain of Arthemis with its lively statues. The narrow Via Montalto leads from the N-E corner of the square to one of the Medieval quarters of Ortygia. Here stands Palazzo Mergulese-Montalto, built in 1397, one of the most important examples of Medieval architecture with its fagade with three mullioned windows, exquisitely decorated with finely carved columns and capitals, and elaborate bands of decoration around the windows.  A walk  down Via Maestranza is obligatory: this ancient street was where the most prestigious noble families had their residences, many of which can still be admired today e.g. Palazzo Landolina Interlandi, Palazzo Impellizzeri, Palazzo Interlandi-Pizzuti and Palazzo Romeo Bufardeci. At the cross-roads with Via della Giudecca lies Piazza S. Francesco, in the past an important meeting place where many of the religious processions  started. Over the centuries, the 14th-century Church of S. Fancesco all'Immacolata has undergone various transformations by famous architects, including Luciano Ali. Via della Giudecca marks the boundary of the former Jewish ghetto where underground Jewish ritual baths can still be seen in Via Alagona. The other important road in Ortygia is Via Roma, lined by many fine buildings such as the late 18th-century Palazzo Alagona, Palazzo Bonanno and Palazzo Ardizzone, the Church of S. Maria della Concezione next to the former Convent, and the Town Theatre. Via Roma crosses Via Capodieci where the 13th-century  Palazzo   Bellomo   stands,home to the Regional Gallery of Medieval and Modern Art known as the Bellomo Museum. The spacious rooms house examples of Arab, Byzantine and Norman sculpture, but the most famous paintings are no doubt Caravaggio's Burial of Saint Lucy of 1608 and Antonello da Messina's Annunciation of 1474.

 The most important square of the island is Piazza Duomo, dominated by the facades of the beautiful buildings such as the Senate House by the architect Giovanni Vermexio, built over the remains of an Ionic temple, Palazzo Beneventano del Bosco, transformed in the 18th century by L. Ali, and theCathedral with its splendid Baroque fagade.

The Christian church is the result of the Byzantine transformation of a Greek Doric temple dedicated to Athena, the Athenaion. The "cella" and the original Doric columns are still visible, incorporated into the walls, both in Via Minerva and inside, along the side aisles. The main altar is decorated by a silver panel by D. Furno. The marble decorative flooring was designed by G.B. Rodolico. Of the various side-chapels, the most important is the one which holds the silver statue of Saint Lucy, the patron saint of the city. Next to the Cathedral stands the Archbishop's palace, a Renaissance building built for Giovanni Torres, attributed to Andrea Vermexio, father of Giovanni. The Alagonian Library, moved to this site in the early 19th century, but founded in the late 18th century, contains precious and rare volumes such as Cicero's De natura deorum.

The Church of S. Lucia alla Badia stands perpendicular to the Cathedral with an elaborate Baroque fagade, rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693. On Via delle Vergini stands another church by Andrea Vermexio Montevergine, today the Town Gallery for Contemporary Art. Leaving Piazza Duomo and following via Picherali, we pass the fagades of the Baroque Palazzo Borgia del Casale and Palazzo Migliaccio with fine black and white zig-zag decoration on the 15th century balcony, and come to the mythical Fountain of Arethusa, with its papyrus and ducks, looking out over the mari­na and the great harbour. As we stroll along Passeggio Adorno, we pass the elegant Hotel des Etrangers. At the far end of the street stands Porta Marina, the only surviving city gate, with a beautifully carved niche over the entrance.



 

Detail of Palazzo Beneventano Del Bosco.

The Maniace Castle.