Ortygia, Syracuse
Ortigia, Siracusa
The island that forms Syracuse's old town, where Greek temple columns are embedded in a Baroque cathedral. The Arethusa Spring and the seafront promenade make it Sicily's most enchanting old town.
Syracuse was once one of the most powerful city-states of the ancient Greek world and the birthplace of Archimedes. Together with the nearby Pantalica necropolis, it was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2005. The old town is concentrated on Ortygia, an island linked to the mainland by two short bridges. It covers less than 1 square kilometre and is easily explored on foot. At the entrance stand the ruins of the Temple of Apollo, the oldest Doric temple in Sicily. Piazza Duomo is considered one of Italy's most beautiful squares. The cathedral was built directly on top of a 5th-century BCE temple of Athena, and Greek stone columns can be seen embedded in its outer walls. The Fonte Aretusa is a freshwater spring by the sea, filled with papyrus and linked to Greek mythology. Walking the seafront promenade to the Maniace Castle offers sea views. The Mercato di Ortigia market in the morning sells seafood, cheese and freshly made sandwiches. Off the island, the Neapolis Archaeological Park (about EUR 17) contains a Greek theatre that seats 16,000 people, where ancient Greek tragedies are staged each May and June, a Roman amphitheatre, and a huge limestone cave known as the Ear of Dionysius. It is about 20 minutes on foot or by bus. Syracuse is roughly 1 to 1.5 hours by train or bus from Catania. Ortygia has a ZTL traffic restriction, so if you drive, park at the Talete car park. The square is most beautiful in the evening, when the lights come on.
Opening hours
Open all day; cathedral 09:00–19:00; archaeological park 08:30 until 1 hour before sunset
Nearby sights
- Fountain of Arethusa
- Ortigia Market
- Castello Maniace
- Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Lacrime
- Paolo Orsi Regional Archaeological Museum
- Catacombs of San Giovanni
- Neapolis Archaeological Park
- Ciane River Papyrus