One of the places we had really wanted to explore was Siracusa, along with its island counterpart, Ortegia. Syracuse is a city on the Ionian coast of Sicily, known for its ancient Greek and Roman ruins.
Because Mer wasn’t keen on driving into Siracusa, we had sussed out the day before how to get there by bus from Noto. Turned out to be a good decision. The place we had to catch it was not all that far from our flat, cost only 3.60 euros and was only an hour ride!
When we got there, we headed straight for the Archaeological Park Neapolis, where the ruins are found. The most well-known of these is the Teatro Greco or Greek Theatre, which was built in the 5th Century BC and rebuilt in the 3rd Century. Beside the theatre is the Latomie del Paradisio, a limestone quarry where stone for the ancient city was extracted. It is full of catacombs, and was where the 7 000 prisoners of the war between Syracuse and Athens were held in 1493. Another interesting part of the park is a grotto known as the Ear of Dionysius, which is shaped like a human ear, and where the tyrant Dionysius was said to have eavesdropped on his prisoners. Also in the park is the Roman Amphitheatre, which dates back to the 2nd Century and which was used for horse races and gladiatorial combats.
After all that walking we decided we needed some fortification so stopped for lunch. Well, more like dessert. My bad influence sister talked me into getting a brioche filled with two kinds of gelato. Needless to say it was VERY decadent but probably some of the best gelato I have ever had!
After that we wandered over to Ortigia, which is part of Syracuse but actually a separate island which also has several important archaeological sites from the Greek settlement of the area, dating back as far as the 8th Century BC. The first we visited was the Temple of Apollo, built in the 6th Century BC. Then we headed over to take in the Fountain of Diana, built in 1907 to honour the goddess Diana. On then to the Arethusa Spring, a natural spring near the sea. It is said that the nymph Arethusa, tired of being pursued by Alphaeus, appealed to the goddess Artemis who enveloped her in a blanket of clouds and turned her into a spring. Talk about ghosting someone! We continued walking along the seawall path to Maniace Castle, built between 1232 and 1240 and a formidable fortress on a promontory, protecting the island of Ortigia from invaders.
Our last stop was at the Cathedral of Syracuse, once a Greek Doric temple dedicated to Athena and now a UNESCO World Heritage site. The present cathedral was built in the 7th Century and incorporated some of the Doric columns from the original temple. After the 1693 earthquake, the cathedral was rebuilt in the High Sicilian Baroque style we have come to know from our exploration of Noto.
Having taken in just about as much historic and archaeological information as our legs could take (some 20 000 steps!) we headed back to catch the Interbus back to Noto.
After a brief rest we decided that a dinner out was in order and headed down to the main area to a restaurant called Il Libertyno. It was on one of the many side streets and proved to be an excellent choice.. We shared a yummy charcuterie board, followed by a most delicious salad of green beans, tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella, accompanied by four of the best meatballs in tomato sauce I have ever had.
A walk back to the flat to get a bit organized for our departure tomorrow, and another day in Sicily was put to bed.