Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Eating
D1
10
Red Moon
D3
Drinking & Nightlife
11
Bar Zen
D1
Sights
1
Ortygia
Duomo
(Piazza del Duomo; 8am-7pm)
Built on the skeleton of a 5th-century BC Greek temple
whose Doric columns are still visible underneath, Syracuse's cathedral was converted into
a church when the island was evangelised by St Paul. Its most striking feature is the
columned facade (1728-53), added by Andrea Palma after the church was damaged in the
1693 earthquake.
The original temple, dedicated to Athena, was renowned throughout the Mediterranean,
in part thanks to Cicero, who visited Ortygia in the 1st century BC. Its roof was crowned
by a golden statue of Athena that served as a beacon to sailors at sea (nowadays replaced
by a statue of the Virgin Mary). In the baptistry, look out for a 13th-century Norman font,
adorned by seven bronze lions.
CATHEDRAL
