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The city, included in the UNESCO World Heritage list, captivates with its historic centre on the island of Ortigia, where Baroque monuments and ancient remains intertwine. Syracuse is also famous for its traditional Sicilian cuisine and its Mediterranean atmosphere. A must for anyone wishing to explore history, art and warm Sicilian hospitality.

Discover Local - Siracusa - EN

There is another hypothesis, again of animal nature, concerning the name of the  island connected to mainland by three bridges – Calafatari, Santa Lucia, and the central bridge Umberto I, also  called Umbertino –: Ortigia may derive from coturnice,  a bird belonging to the same family as quails which still  now lives both in Greece and Sicily.

Ortigia island

Caravaggio likened the cave’s form to an ear and the comparison reinforced the legend connected to the tyrant who had prisoners put in there. The high volume would have represented a form of torture for inmates and a way for Dionysius to listen in on their secrets.

Orecchio di Dioniso

Its most evocative room, the Latomia del Paradiso (the paradise dungeon), was the place where hemp ropemakers have worked hemp for centuries, due indeed to the perfect humidity of the cave for rope manufacturing. Despite such craft has perished in the past few decades, the magic of this special workplace is still very much alive.

Grotta dei Cordari

Despite the earthquake that destroyed  numerous towns on the island in 1693, the Duomo and the  ancient columns of the Greek temple remained intact.  Not even the shaking ground could bring down what is, and has always been, the holiest place in Siracusa.

Duomo of Siracusa

Due to this feature, the fountain contains aquatic plants, fish and ducks above all it hosts the only spontaneous papireto in Europe. It is hard to imagine that in the past the water basin was used Nowadays Fonte Aretusa is the mirror of Siracusa.

Fonte Aretusa

Preserved in the stone, almost 60 feet below the ground, the Mikveh of Syracuse is no less than the most ancient purification site out of all synagogues in Europe, as it is dated 6th century A.D. Just walk down the stairs, the Byzantine era is a couple minutes south.