Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights & Activities
1
Ortygia
A tangled maze of atmospheric alleyways and refined piazzas, Ortygia is really what
Syracuse is all about. It is a joy to wander. Its skinny lanes are lined with attractive
palazzi,
trattorias and cafes, and the central square, Piazza del Duomo, is one of Sicily's
most spectacular. The entire mini-peninsula is framed by beautiful houses and walls that
look out onto the sea; there is swimming off the rocks in the summer months and incred-
ible views all year round. Get away from the tourist crowds and explore the mesmerising
maze of La Giudecca, Ortygia's old Jewish Quarter. The area, accessed by way of Ponte
Nuovo, is best explored on foot.
Duomo
(Piazza del Duomo; 8am-7pm)
The Duomo was a 5th-century BC Greek temple that was con-
verted into a church when the island was evangelised by St Paul. Its most striking feature
is the columned facade (1728-53) that was added by Andrea Palma after the church was
damaged in the 1693 earthquake. It barely hides the Temple of Athena skeleton beneath.
The huge Doric columns are still visible both inside and out. The temple, dedicated to
Athena, was renowned throughout the Mediterranean, in no small 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 a statue of the Virgin Mary
stands in the same spot.
Inside, look out for a 13th-century Norman font in the baptistry, adorned by seven
bronze lions.
CATHEDRAL
Piazza del Duomo
Syracuse's showpiece square is a masterpiece in baroque town planning. A long, rectan-
gular piazza flanked by flamboyant
palazzi,
it sits on what was once Syracuse's ancient
acropolis (fortified citadel). Little remains of the original Greek building but if you look
along the side of the Duomo, you'll see a number of thick Doric columns incorporated in-
to the cathedral's structure.
PIAZZA
