Caravaggio christened this amazing cave in the Latomia del Paradiso quarry: as a result of its exceptional acoustics, the tyrant Dionysus could, it is said, hear everything his opponents whispered. A legend, of course: nevertheless this place, crea..

This 5C BC theatre, one of the largest monuments from antiquity, was carved into the rock using the natural slope of the Temenite hill. Inaugurated with Perseus by Aeschylus (think about it), it was built by Damocope, also known as Myrilla. Transfo..

Apart from the Acropolis in Athens, this ensemble is perhaps the most powerful and evocative site bearing witness to the Ancient Greeks. It has the largest Greek theatre in the world, the amazing “ear of Dionysus” , a Roman amphitheatre and the Gr..

The oldest part of the city, the island of Ortigia is linked to the mainland by the Ponte Nuovo; the road continues as Corso Umberto I, one of Siracusa’s main thoroughfares. Here the sea is of course the main feature, from the waterfront that extends..

This archaeological museum is tucked away in the park of Villa Landolina. It contains Sicily’s most important collections of artefacts from prehistory to the establishment of Greek colonies at Syracuse. Visitors follow a chronological layout that per..

Irregular and slightly concave in front of the cathedral, this charming square is surrounded by attractive Baroque palaces. Notably Palazzo Senatorio, but also Palazzo Benavento del Bosco , which has an attractive interior courtyard. The church of S..

The word Latomia describes the old stone quarries used for the construction of public buildings. And as nothing goes to waste, they made excellent prisons. The Paradise Latonia is the most attractive of these quarries. Now it contains a ravishin..

The Acradina district has since Roman times been devoted to the dead. Carved from solid limestone rock in the 4C-5C and extending over a wide area, the catacombs were centred on the tomb of St Martian, one of the earliest martyrs. Quite complex in st..

It is never a good thing to go against the wishes of Gods: take poor Cyane, for example, a charming nymph, who opposed the raising up of Persephone by Hades. He, in his anger, changed her into a spring. But bad things can be good: today the spring is..

Built in the imperial era, it has, like the Greek theatre, profited from the configuration of the terrain, at least for one of the hemicycles which is carved directly into the rock. In the centre of the arena, the rectangular cavity, linked to the en..

Built in the 14C and, sadly in a bad state, this palace has superb ornamental windows surrounded by richly sculpted arches and separated by fine torso columns.

This is a former temple built in honour of Athena which was transformed into a church in the 7C then, probably into a mosque by the Arabs, before being remodelled in the Norman era and collapsing in the earthquake of 1693. Entrusted with the reconstr..

This street is among the main routes through Ortigia and is flanked by noble houses in the Baroque style. Among the most remarkable are the Interlandi Pizzuti palace (at no. 10), the Impellizeri palace (no. 17), the stern Bonanno palace (no. 33), the..

The nymph Aretusa had had enough of Alpheus who was too forward for her liking. Diana helped her, aiding her escape through an underground route to Ortigia, where Arethusa was changed into a spring. Peace at last? No, Alpheus had more than one trick ..

This museum is set up in a palace built in the Suebian era. It was extended in the 15C, then reconverted when the friars of the Benedictine monastery next door became its owners. It is mainly devoted to Sicilian art and has two major works, an Annun..

This temple, slightly heightened in a dominant position, was built around the 6C BC and it is clear that this building would have been huge!

Built in the 6C BC, dedicated to Apollo or to Artemis, this was transformed over the centuries into a Byzantine church, then into a mosque, then a church again under the Normans. It is the oldest Doric temple surrounded by columns (that is to say per..

The wonder, which occurred in 1953, was certainly not this sanctuary, a gigantic cone of concrete, built by the architects Andrault, Parat and Morandi and where the pilgrims abound in close-knit ranks. It was actually a picture of the Madonna which s..

Hardly imaginable, the persecutors pulled out St Lucy's eyes in 303. Now this place has a completely peaceful air today. The church, built on the site of her martyrdom in Byzantine style, achieved its current appearance in the 15C and 16C. On the squ..

Decorated in the centre with the Fountain of Artemis (19C), this square at the end of the Via della Maestranza, is surrounded by attractive palaces. It honours the most famous son of Syracuse, born in 287 BC, a mathematician and inventor and famously..