Teresa

Juxtaposition of ancient and modern Siracusa

We had a great guided tour this morning of the archeological sites of Siracusa with Elizabeth, a very well educated local tour guide.

Like most of Sicily there are layers of history – Greek, Roman, Bizantine, Arabic, Norman and Spanish. We started with a tour of the limestone quarry which shows the size and extent of the Greek city sate of Siracusa. The quarry is now a garden – paradisio – but you can see how it was critical to the supply of building materials for Siracusa in its heyday during the Greek period.


Amazing acoustics inside the man-made cavern but everyone was too shy to sing!
We then saw an ancient Greek theatre from 5th century BC which was carved out of the limestone. It is well preserved and still used for performances of Greek tragedies and comedies in the summer. Workmen were constructing the stage for the forthcoming season. 

This contrasted with the nearby Roman amphitheatre which is the 3rd largest in Italy. This would have been used for gladiatorial combats after Sicily became a territory and granary of the Roman Empire! 

The tour also included the historical part of Ortigia.
The remnants of the oldest Doric temple to Athena are in the town square, surrounded by modern life. 
The church of St Lucy is on the site of what would have been the Acropolis of ancient Siracusa. The church shows the layers of Greek, Norman and a 17th century rococo reconstruction after damage in an earthquake. Amazingly, the church was built onto an Ancient Greek temple and has been the site of workship throughout the ages. 

An ancient Greek amphora now used as a baptismal font.

We loved wandering around Ortigia after the tour. Amazing narrow streets which are navigated by cars and pedestrians alike, little cafes and shops and seascape of the Ionian/ Mediterrranean sea.

Looking forward to our free day tomorrow!






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