Sicily - Italy - page 567

ATTRACTIONS ELSEWHERE IN SIRACUSA
There is plenty to do in Siracusa outside the old town of Ortygia, starting with
what is unquestionably one of the finest archaeological museums in Italy, the
Museo Archeologico Regionale “Paolo Orsi”

(Via Cadorna; % 0931-
464022; € 4.50, or € 6 when combined with Parco Archeologico della Neapolis,
below; Tues-Sat 9am-2pm). Sector A of the museum offers insight into the
island's Stone Age and Bronze Age cultures, with rare prehistoric tools on display.
Sector B focuses on the Greek and Roman settlements in the Siracusa area. It's
here you'll find the museum's most important possession, the headless Venus
Landolina, from the Hellenistic period in the 2nd century B . C . The last sector is
primarily home to artifacts found in eastern Sicily, including sculptures found
near Agrigento. The Greek vases have great style and elegance.
The nearby Parco Archeologico della Neapolis (Via del Teatro; % 0931-
66206; € 4.50, or € 6 when combined with Museo Archeologico; daily 9am-2pm)
is an excellent accompaniment to the museum. Pick up a map with your ticket
because this is a working excavation in a constant state of evolution. Don't miss
the Latomia del Paradiso (Garden of Paradise) on the north side of the park.
The Greeks used this as a prison work camp, forcing penitents to mine limestone
blocks. At the center is a man-made grotto called the Orecchio di Dionisio.
Twenty-three meters (75 ft.) high and 65m (213 ft.) deep, it was used for theatri-
cal performances after the prison closed down. Nearby is the Grotta dei Cordari,
a pillar-supported cave where rope was manufactured. In the park you'll find the
gigantic Teatro Greco (Greek Theater), one of the greatest ancient theaters,
which could seat 16,000 people. The Italian Institute for Drama presents plays
here in the summer in even-numbered years. Across the park is the Anfiteatro
Romano (Roman Amphitheater), which is Italy's third largest. During the 2nd
century A . D ., gladiators fought to the death here, and mock sea battles were staged
for the people of Siracusa and surrounding villages.
CATÁNIA & MT. ETNA
Catánia is a working-class town that relies far too heavily on Mt. Etna tourism.
It's not worth feeding into the overpriced frenzy and kitschy volcanic souvenirs
that seem to dominate Sicily's second city. It just doesn't have the same sort of
wonderful chaos as Palermo, nor does it possess the warm charm of Siracusa. You
should only swing through Catánia for a coffee break on your way up or down
Mt. Etna, or if you're going to or coming from Fontanarossa Airport.
You must go through at least the outskirts of Catánia to see Sicily's best natu-
ral disaster in waiting, Mt. Etna (get latest information from Parco Naturale
dell'Etna, Via Etna, 107, Nicolosi; % 095-821111; daily 9am-2pm and 4-7pm;
www.parcoetna.ct.it; or from the Linguaglossa tourist office, Piazza Annunziata,
5; % 095-647-352; daily 9am-3pm; www.prolocolinguaglossa.it). No matter
what, you should always check with the authorities before starting up the peak.
This is Europe's largest active volcano and, as recently as 2001, the monster show-
ered the city of Catánia with ash, and lava seeped within kilometers of the tiny
village of Nicolosi—where residents brought out their trusty relics of Sant'Agata
to ward off the volcano's wrath (Sant'Agata, by the way, has been called on to pro-
tect this tiny village for centuries). Again in 2002, the mountain stirred, this time

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