 Introduzione
Siracusa, is a city with a glorious past that was a worthy rival of Athens, Carthage and Rome for winning over domination of the island, today it is one of the most interesting cities in Sicily, the cradle of theatre and a fantastic monument to Baroque style. It has retained an atmosphere all of its own, aided by its mild climate and has a superb archaeological zone and a lovely historic centre on the island of Ortigia. Poets and writers, from Cicero to D'Annunzio were inspired by the beauty of this place and by the legends linked to this area.
Come Si Arriva Plane
The nearest airport is Catania Fontanarossa Airport which is situated 5 kms southwest of Catania. The airport offers extensive domestic connections within Italy as well as scheduled flights to major European cities including Amsterdam, Munich and Paris. The E45 motorway runs south to Syracuse, at about 50 kms distance. Alibus shuttles depart every 20 minutes, from 5:00AM until midnight, to and from the city. There is a direct bus service from the Airport to Siracusa offered by Interbus. Current timetables can be obtained at the airport's information booth.
Train
Trains run from mainland Italy along the Golfo di Catania on a daily basis. Hourly trains from Catania and Taormina are also available. If you are coming from other major Sicilian destinations, you must make a change. From Palermo you will need to change at least once (usually at Messina), and the journey will take 6-7 hours. From Rome there are some direct trains for Siracusa (via Naples), the trip lasts 11-12 hours. The railway station is located on Via Crispi, a twenty-minute walk from Ortigia.
Car
From the airport of Catania follow Statale 114 up to Siracusa. From Palermo take highway A19 Palermo-Catania and continue on Statale 114 until Siracusa. From Taormina take highway A18 for Catania, travel the whole length of the ring road of Catania towards Siracusa, and continue on State highway 114. From Agrigento follow Statale 640 towards Caltanisetta, then take highway A19 towards Catania and then take 114 up to Siracusa. Another option is to take the beautiful coastal road 115 via Gela, Ragusa, Noto. Those coming from Continental Italy must take highway A3 Salerno-Reggio Calabria and exit on Villa San Giovanni to get to the ferries that go to Messina. From Messina you must take A18 up to Catania and state highway 114 up to Siracusa.
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History and Culture
In the late 5th century BC, Syracuse found itself at war with Athens, which sought more resources to fight the Peloponnesian War. The Syracusans enlisted the aid of a general from Sparta, Athens' foe in the war, to defeat the Athenians, destroy their ships, and leave them to starve on the island. The war had weakened the victorious Syracuse as well. This encouraged Carthage to seek revenge for its defeat in 480 B.C., and in 409 it launched a general attack, taking Selinunte, Himera and Akragas among other places. The city placed itself under the protection of the tyrant Dionysius in order to survive built a massive fortress on the Otrigia island of the city, as well as another 22 km-long walls line that encircled the whole of Syracuse.
Under the reign of Ierone II (269-215 B.C.) Siracusa enjoyed a period of peace and splendor, that was the last before the city lost its independence and liberty after it was conquered by the Roman Empire. By 262 BC, the Greeks had begun to make peace with the Romans, who sought to annex Sicily as the Empire's first province. They eventually succeeded, but only after much bloodshed in the Punic Wars. When the Roman Empire fell in 476 A.D., the city was at the mercy of other populations: in 493 was sacked by the Goths and then in 535 A.D. it was conquered by Belisarius and annexed to the Byzantine Empire. In 878 the Arabs took over a large part of Eastern Sicily including Siracusa, and the city stayed in their hands for about 2 centuries.
For Syracuse the period of Arab rule came to an end in 1038 when Georgios Maniakes - the builder of the Maniace castle - won it back for the Byzantines but they were soon replaced by the Normans (1081), who managed to hold onto power for more than a century. In 1209 the Swabians ruled by Frederick II took over the city. After the Swabians it was the turn of the Spanish who occupied the city in the 14th century and built several fortresses and defense walls around the city.
The city in the following centuries was struck by two ruinous earthquakes in 1542 and 1693, and, in 1729, by a plague. The 17th century destruction changed forever the appearance of Syracuse. The city was completely rebuilt in the early decades of the eighteenth century and thus became one of the best examples of the Sicilian Baroque style together with the nearby Noto. Between 1800 and 1900, Siracusa enjoyed a period of economic, urban and cultural expansion, greatly helped by the fact that it was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy (1870).
Not until the 20th century, when Syracuse was found to be an ideal port for the Italian Empire which had developed in North Africa in 1912, did its economic position gradually improve. In 1921 its population reached 40,000, since then it has tripled.
Chiese e Musei
The Cathedral was built by bishop Zosimo in the 7th century over the great Temple of Athens (5th century BC), on the Ortygia island. The building contains influences from various cultures within its wall: Greek, Byzantine, Arabic and Norman. The main facade was rebuilt in Baroque style after the earthquake in 1693. The most interesting artipieces of the interior are a font with marble basin (12th-13th century), a silver statue of St. Lucy by Pietro Rizzo (1599), a ciborium by Luigi Vanvitelli, and a statue of the Madonna della Neve (“Madonna of the Snow”, 1512) by Antonello Gagini.
Santa Lucia
Basilica of Santa Lucia extra Moenia, a Byzantine church built, according to tradition, in the same place of the martyrdom of the saint in 303 AD. The current appearance is from the 15th-16th centuries. The most ancient parts still preserved include the portal, the three half-circular apses and the first two orders of the belfry. Under the church are the Catacombs of St. Lucy.
San Giovanni
Originally built in the Early Christian period, the church of San Giovanni was extended in the sixth century, destroyed by the Saracens in the ninth century, restored by the Normans in the 12th century, and has remained a ruin since the 1693 earthquake. The main section still standing is the 14th century portal wall. It is possible to enter the San Giovanni Catacombs from the church.
St. John the Evangelist
Built by the Normans and destroyed in 1693. Only partially restored it was erected over an ancient crypt of the martyr San Marciano, later destroyed by the Arabs. The main altar is Byzantine. It includes the Catacombs of San Giovanni, featuring a maze of tunnels and passages, with thousands of tombs and several frescoes.
Paolo Orsi Museum
Has a fine collection of Greek and Roman finds from the Syracuse area. Several, such as the Landolina Venus, are world-famous, leading certain critics and historians to consider this Sicily's finest archeological museum.
Papyrus Museum
The area of Siracusa is the only one in Italy where papyrus grows and for this reason there just has to be a museum dedicated to this rare plant in the city. The museum contains ancient papyruses, some of them dating back to the 15th century B.C. It is also possible to see many objects made from this plant, and a collection of materials that were once used by the Egyptian scribes.
Museum Bellomo
This museum is situated in the heart of Ortigia, in Palazzo Bellomo, and houses several works of medieval and modern art it is Siracusa's principal museum of art. Among the paintings and sculptures is a “Seppellimento di Santa Lucia” by Caravaggio.
Regional Archeological Museum
The second most important archeological museum in Sicily after that in Palermo. Its collections range from Pre- and Early History to Early Christian and Byzantine times. Up to the present only items up to the Classical period (fifth-fourth centuries B.C.) are exhibited; it is planned to display those from the Greek, Roman and Early Christian periods when the upper floor is ready, when visitors will be able to see such famous pieces as the Centuripe Head of Augustus and the Adelphia Sarcophagus.
Historical buildings and monuments
Built nine kilometres outside the city by Dionysius the Elder and which was one of the most powerful fortresses of ancient times. It had three moats with a series of underground galleries which allowed the defenders to remove the materials the attackers could use to fill them.
Castello Maniace
The Castello Maniace is a citadel and castle, constructed between 1232 and 1240, it is an example of the military architecture of Frederick II's reign. It is a square structure with circular towers at each of the four corners. The most striking feature is the pointed portal, decorated with polychrome marbles. It bears the name of Giorgio Maniace, the Byzantine general who besieged and took the city in 1038.
Greek Theater
This wonderful theater was hewn into the rock of Colle Temenite around the 5th century B.C. It is the largest in Sicily and is still one of the main hubs of cultural life in Siracusa: each year several famous Greek Tragedies are played out in this magical place so full of history.
Roman Amphitheater
This amphitheater was built during the Augustan period and was recently rediscovered just a short distance from the Greek Theater. It is the third largest amphitheater in Italy after the ones in Rome and Verona. The elliptical-shaped amphitheater is almost entirely hewn into the rock and was built to hold gladiator contests, fierce animal fights and simulations of naval battles.
Grotta dei Cordari
This grotto is called in this manner as this was the place where the “cordari” (rope makers) carried out their work for centuries, making use of the humid atmosphere so they could twist the ropes more easily. This grotto is extremely pretty and is covered with musk and ferns inside.
Eventi
Siracusa celebrates its patron saint each year with a procession during which the solid silver statue of Santa Lucia is carried from the Cathedral to the Basilica del Sepolcro, where it remains on shown for 8 days. It takes 60 believers to carry the heavy statue, which was made by the goldsmith Pietro Rizzo in the 16th century.
Theatrical season at the Greek Theater - May-July
The Italian National Institute for Ancient Drama has been promoting classical theater in Siracusa since 1913 by organizing a Festival which was at first held every two years and since 2002, each year that is totally dedicated to ancient theater. From May to July dramas by famous authors such as Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides are staged in the wonderful surroundings of the Greek Theater in Siracusa. Tragedies that first appeared centuries ago in this very theater, the oldest in Sicily.
Ortigia Festival - July
This is an artistic and cultural gathering that is full of international events, held in the Isle of Ortigia (and in the Neapolis archeological area). The shows include plays, ballets, concerts, poetry readings and lots more too.
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