Town: Syracuse - Pop. 123000 - Alt : 17 m a.s.l. - Location:
Sicily
 Description:
Unesco World Heritage Site and Province capital located on the Eastern coast of Sicily.
Commercial industrial center, city of fishermen
and safe harbor built on a small island (Ortigia) and part of the
mainland. Syracuse is very famous thanks to its ancient past.
Historic Syracuse offers a unique testimony to the development of
Mediterranean civilization over three millennia. It was founded by
the Greeks in 742 b.c. flourished and became the most
important Greek town in Sicily. Then was dominated by Romans. Arabs,
Byzantines and Normans. Then it was 2nd World War damaged by bombing raids but still preserves many
very interesting things to see.
 Sights and Attractions: The Greek Theater, whose cavea is one of the largest ever built by Greeks
• The Ara di Gerone • The Latomia del Paradiso a large quarry transformed in garden
including the "Orecchio di Dionisio" (Ear of Dionysus) and the "Grotta dei Cordari"
• The "Latomia dei Cappuccini" and the "Latomia di Santa Venera"
• The remains of the Gymnasium • The Roman Amphitheater
• The Catacombs • The Arethusa Fountain
• Palazzo Bellomo, seat of the medieval museum
• The Baroque style Duomo, built over a preexistent Greek temple
• The Castello Maniace, a square fortress with circular towers
to each of the four corners. The most striking feature is the pointed portal,
decorated with polychrome marbles • The Temple of Apollo • The Tomb of Archimede • The Temple of Zeus •
The Basilica of Santa Lucia (Byzantine style) •
Museums: The Archaeological Museum, with a large collection of finds from the mid-Bronze Age to 5th century BC
• Bellomo museum (paintings)
Events: From Aug 29 to Sept 1, takes place the feast in The
Sanctuary of Madonna delle Lacrime • December 13, Feast and Procession to honor Santa Lucia
which starts from the Cathedral and arrives at the Church of
Santa Lucia, outside of the walls, to which the faithful
participate barefoot. The parade is closed by a group of horsemen in
18th century costume
 Market day: Wednesday (300 stalls)
but the most important market is that of Ortigia (old town)
Fair: Many fairs take place throughout the year but the
most important is Santa Lucia, from Dec 11 to Dec 20, with about 100 stalls.
Typical products: Syracuse's Potatoes • The cultivation of
Papyrus • The Lemon of Syracuse.
Neighboring towns: Avola, Canicattini Bagni, Floridia, Melilli, Noto, Palazzolo Acreide, Priolo Gargallo, Solarino
Nearby seaside resorts: Fontane Bianche,
Nearest airport: Catania Fontanarossa (CTA)
Nearest train station: Syracuse has a very important Train
Station with many domestic destinations.
Public transportation:
website
Distances from towns: Orvieto
km;
Rome 199 km;
Siena 49
km;
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