Syracuse, from antiquity to the
present day
Sicily in the ancient Greek times had its champion, the city state of
Syracuse. It was always the first, from the tyrants who have made the
strength of Greek Sicily and their defence against the Carthaginians to
the most famous scientist and philosopher of antiquity, with much more
in between.
Here we can see the remains of the birth of the stone Greek temple. We
can walk into the theater that saw popular representations of dramas of
ancient authors. We can see the latomie and tell the ancient stories,
especially the most famous of them, the "eye of Dionysus".
The myth of Alfeo and Aretusa is represented by two fountains in the
Ortygia island.
Here are vivid memories of early Christianity with St. Paul on his way to
Rome. We can see the metamorphosis of the Greek temple in the Christian
basilica, in an architectural form that puts the two universes together
in an harmoniously way.
Syracuse preserves the oldest Mikveh in Europe, in the neighborhood of
Giudecca.
The Gothic of the 12th-century and the Sicilian Gothic style in the
following centuries. And even the Renaissance and the baroque of the
18th century are to be contemplated here.
In this city lived Caravaggio for a shot time. We can see the witness of
this in a painting, dedicated to the patron Sainte of the city, Sainte Lucia.
All this in the context of the beautiful island of Ortiggia with its
medieval street system and the magnificent Gulf full of history, and, of
course, the Archaeological Park.