Hotels in Siracusa
What to see by foot: Siracusa
 
Filled with medieval streets but graced with an essentially baroque aura in
architecture, Siracusa (Syracuse), Italy, is visited mainly for its classical
ruins and works of art.
Set in a garden dotted with ancient sarcophagi, the Museo Archeologico Regionale
is one of the most important archaeological museums in southern Italy, surveying
the Greek, Roman and early Christian epochs in sculpture and in fragments of
archaeological remains. The building is crafted from glass, steel and Plexiglas,
and designed as an ultra-modern showcase for the objects unearthed from digs
throughout Sicily.
At the western edge of town, Syracuse's Archaeological Park contains the town's
most important attractions. Situated on the Temenite Hill, the Teatro Greco
(Greek Theatre) was one of the great theatres of the classical period. Hewn
from rock during the reign of Hieron I in the 5th century BC, the ancient seats
have been largely eaten away by time but you can still stand on the remnants
of the stone stage where plays by Euripedes were mounted.
Outside the entrance to the Greek Theatre is the most famous of the ancient
quarries: Latomia del Paradiso (Paradise Quarry). This quarry is one of four
or five from which stones were hauled to erect the great monuments of Syracuse
in its glory days. Upon seeing the cave in the wall, Caravaggio is reputed to
have dubbed it the 'Ear of Dionysius' because of its ear-like shape. At nearly
60m long, you can enter the inner chamber of the grotto where the tearing of
paper sounds like a gunshot.
Also in the park, the Anfiteatro Romano (Roman Amphitheatre) was created at
the time of Augustus and ranks among the top five amphitheatres left by the
Romans in Italy. The amphitheatre is near the entrance to the park but you can
also view it in its entirety from a belvedere on the road.
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