The
Island of Ortygia
From
Jesse's Journeys in Italy
The Ancient City of Ortygia, first
inhabited by the Greeks, is a
compact area and a pleasure to
amble around without getting
unduly tired. It is strongly
recommended to tourists from Siracusa's
tourist information
centre that visitors do not bring a
vehicle on to the island.
Many of the streets are narrow and only
navigable by foot. Cars can be
brought on to the island but are directed
to the sea-side streets.
Ortygia was, at one time, one the great
ancient capitals of Western civilization,
founded in 734 BC by Greek Colonists from
Corinth. It grew to rival and even
surpass, Athens in splendour and power.
Upon first entry to the island by way of
Ortygia Island Bridge or by water taxi, a
visitor arrives in the centre of Piazza
Pancali. Directly behind the piazza
stand the remains of the Tempio di
Apollo. Little, of this noble
Doric temple still remains today, except
for some crumbled walls and scattered
columns.
From the Tempio di Apollo, it is best for
visitors to proceed up the street directly
to the right of the ruins. This will
take visitors along high end shops, to
Piazza Archimede, which plays home to
the famous Fontana di Diana,
festooned with fainting sea nymphs and
dancing jets of water.
From the fountain, in under 2 minutes, it
is possible to arrive at the Piazza del
Duomo, considered one of Italy's most
beautiful piazzas and home to Siracusa's
ancient and splendid Duomo. The
piazza also boasts, Sicilian Baroque
architecture which can be admired from one
of several cafès which line the piazza.
The Duomo is an archive of the island's
history. The deepest excavations
have revealed that Siculi inhabitants
worshipped their deities here, during the
5th C. BC, the same time as Agrigento's
Temple of Concord was built), the Greeks
built a temple to Athena over it, and in
the 7th C. AD, Siracusa's first Christian
Cathedral was built on top of the Greek
structure.
There are several other impressive
buildings to see in the piazza, including:
the Palazzo Beneventano del Bosco,
which sits on the corner of the piazza and
Santa Lucia alla Badia, which
stands at the far end of the Piazza.
It is currently being restored and will
most likely be a work in progress for
years to come, though if you ask
construction workers to let you have a
peak, they will most likely say yes.
Just around the corner from Piazza del
Duomo is Palazzo Bellomo, which
houses the famous Museum Bellomo,
which is Siracusa's principal museum of
art. Among the paintings and
sculptures is a Santa Lucia by Caravaggio
(1573-1610).
The Bellomo museum is open from Monday to
Saturday from 9AM to 5PM and on Sundays
from 9AM to 2PM. It costs 4 Euros to
enter.
Walking from the Bellomo Museum or from
Piazza Del Duomo, will most likely bring
visitors to the ocean. On the
southern side (left of the piazza),
visitors will easily locate the Alfeo
Promenade, which is lined by many
restaurants which cater to tourists.
Walking along this promenade will
inevitably bring visitors to Castello
Maniace at the southern tip of Ortygia
island. It was built by Frederick II
(1194-1250) and is now an army barracks.
There are beautiful views to the sea from
here.
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