Escursioni Etna

The so called archaeological park of Neapolis (from greek “new city”) with an extent of 240000 square metres,  hostes the majority of classical monuments of Greek and Roman Syracuse.

The Greek theatre, built for the King Ierone II during the V century A.D., it is the biggest in the city and one of the most important of the Greek world.

Roman amphitheatre, built around the III century, is the third biggest one in the world. Along the avenue which leads to the amphitheatre, there are some rocky sarcophagus, discovered in the Syracuse necropolis.

The Ara of Ierone II, is a great monument of the III century b.C. This ara (altar) is the biggest one of the Greek world. It is supposed that it has been dedicated to Jove.

The basilica of Saint Nicolò from Cordari is a small church of the XI century A.D. The church was built on a rectangular roman swimming pool.

The Mugnai cot was a part of a buiding range, that is mills, realized in XVI century to use the water of the Galermi canal, that supplied water to the whole area.

The Ninfeo cave is an artificial cave, with a ceiling for each vaulting. Inside the caves, there is a rectangular bathtub that receive a branch of the ancient greek aqueduct.

The Latomie are rocky caves used by the Greeks to draw materials to build temples and streets destinated to defend the city. It seems  that from these places around 4.700.000 meters square of rocks were extracted. Once they were used as prisons where the prisoners had to extract the rocks in awful conditions.

The Necropolis little caves was the location of a large Greek cemetary. Here we can admire Archimede’s grave.

The Ear of Dyonisius is an artificial cave, trumpet-shape, digged in limestone, with a strange shape, similar to an ear. The cave has exceptional acoustic properties, sounds are amplified 16 times. For these acoustic peculiarities and its shape is called  Ear of Dyonisius . The legend says that the tyrant used it to make the prisoners hear the echo.

Visiting the catacombs of San Giovanni, the only ones open to the public, offers a very interesting experience. This place is more recent, it dates back to 315-360 A.D.

Ortygia island.

The Maestranze street is one of the main and oldest streets  in Ortygia. At its sides noble baroque buildings, the most important are:  Interlandi Pizzuti Palace, Impallizzeri Palace, Bonanno palace, Romeo Bufardeci Palace, Rizza Palace and Impellizzeri Palace, S.Francesco all’Immacolata.

The Arethusa source is a spring of freshwater that arise from a cave next to the sea. The existence of the source belongs to the Arethusa and Alfeo legend.

Maniace castle is a fortress made of sandstone, built in the first half of the XIII century. The square-shaped structure is the typical swabian building one.

The Apollo temple built by Greek colonizers during the VI century is probably the oldest doric temple of Sicily.

The Duomo square - with its irregualar shape, is surrounded by some beautiful baroque palaces, the Beneventano del Bosco Palace, the Senate Palace and the Saint Lucia church.

The Cathedral - built in the lowest part of Ortygia, the dome of Syracuse rises on the debris of an ancient doric temple dedicated to Athenes, built in the V century b.C. The doric pilars are still possible to be seen.

The sanctuary of the Madonna of Tears is a cone shaped structure that dominates the city with its height of 74 meters. A sign of deep religious faith, built to remember the miracle of 1953: the Madonna plaster statue cried.