Siracusa: Ortygia Island

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Street Dancin in Ortygia

From Caltigirone we cut across the interior of Sicily passing farm land and distant views of Mt Etna, to the East coast and made a right turn (south). We arrived in Siracusa after about two hours of uneventful driving and spent the next three nights on the island of Ortygia. Orytgia, the site of the original settlement (Citta Vecchia) is the jewel of what remains of ancient Siracusa.

During its prime (Greek Period; 2nd to 7th century BC), Siracusa rivaled Athens in size and importance before falling to the Romans in 212 AD. Several key ancient battles ocurred within the surrounding harbor including the defeat of the Athenian armada during the Sicilian Expedition of the Peloponnesian War and the siege by Rome. (According to our guide, the harbor is probably still littered with the remains of these battles based on what the local fisherman still haul up in their nets). Siracusa's most famous native son, Archimedes, was credited with devising massive catapults and the so called claw of Archimedes to defend Ortygia against the maritime siege by Rome. We spent a day wandering the Neapolis Archaeological Park (located on the mainland) which includes a greek theatre (still in use today), a large stone quarry (Latomia del Paradiso), site of the Ear of Dionysius (Orecchio di Dionisio), a roman amphitheatre (Anfiteatro Romano) and the Museo Archeologico Regionale 'Paolo Orsi'. Dionysius ear (a cave) amplifies the sounds from it's interior. Local lore has it that the tyrant (and paranoid) Dionysius would listen in on the slaves conversations in an attempt to ferret out sedition (sound familiar).

But for us, the highlight of our visit to Siracusa was just wandering the medieval streets of Ortygia and sampling the fantastic food, art, architecture, sea vistas, and vibrant night life (passegiata, street music etc) that it had to offer. The town still retained it's charm even during the busy tourist season (versus beign overrun by non-Italian tourists, such as in Taomina). There were alot of families strolling the promenade (along the harbour wall), partaking in a midday meal in the local trattorie or participating in the passegiata.

Each day we would walk up into the center of the island from our small bed and breakfast L'Approdo delle Sirene a great B&B located at the edge of the harbor. The narrow winding streets lead you to Piazza Duomo, location of the cathedral that has a baroque facade and incorporates the greek Temple of Athena (the doric columns and vestibule walls are still visible in the interior). A little further on, you come upon Fonte Artusa, located a stones throw from the harbor, fed by a freshwater spring and that contains Papyrus. A southeastely route takes you into the Giudecca district where the subterranean jewish ritual baths or miqwe are located (accessed via Residence Alla Giudecca). We enjoyed meeting some of the local artists including goldsmith Massimo Sinatra ( Reoro di Massimo Sinatra; Via S. Landolina, 17) and painter Francesco Cacciatore. To get a sense of the night life of Ortygia, be sure to view the video Dancin in the streets located at the top of the page. We really hated to leave Ortygia!

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Photos

Etna
On the road to Siracusa....

Dionysius Ear
Dionysius's Ear: early surveilance device used to protect state security.

Aquaduct to the Greek Theatre
Built by slaves (goes without saying) and still functioning

Venus Anadyomene
Museo Archeologico Regionale 'Paolo Orsi'

Greek Theatre
Trachinie of Sofocle and Eracle of Euripide ran this year