Siracusa, ancient Syracusae, the Greek city that Thucydides called the greatest and most beautiful of all Greek cities and that Cicero described as the largest city in the ancient world, is the historical capital of Sicily and one of the most layered archaeological and urban environments in the Mediterranean. The specific Siracusa quality: the history isn't merely visible (most Italian cities have visible history) but physically continuous in a way that few cities anywhere can match. The Cathedral of Siracusa isn't built over a Greek temple, it is built within one, the fifth-century BC Doric temple of Athena whose columns are still standing inside and visible on the baroque facade exterior, incorporated into the church walls when the temple was converted in the fifth century AD. Walking through the Siracusa cathedral is the single most condensed architectural history available in Italy: Greek colonnade, Roman adaptation, Byzantine conversion, Norman rebuilding, and baroque facade all present simultaneously in the same building.
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What to See in Siracusa
Neapolis Archaeological Park
The Neapolis park (the ancient western district of the Greek city, outside the original inhabited area) contains: the Greek theater of Siracusa (fifth century BC, carved into the rock of the Temenite hill, seating approximately 15,000, the largest Greek theater in the ancient world at its construction. The INDA classical drama festival performs here in May-June). The Roman amphitheater (first century AD, smaller than the Greek theater but exceptionally well preserved in the rock-cut sections). The Latomie del Paradiso (the ancient quarries that served as prisons for 7,000 Athenian prisoners after the failed Athenian expedition against Siracusa in 413 BC, their description in Thucydides is the most vivid ancient account of the specific misery of imprisonment). And the Ear of Dionysius, a 23-meter-high S-shaped cave with extraordinary acoustic resonance, named by Caravaggio who visited in 1608 and claimed it amplified sound for the tyrant Dionysius to hear prisoners' conversations. The acoustic resonance is real. The Dionysius story is Caravaggio's invention.
Siracusa: tours & tickets
Compare guided tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips for Siracusa.
See availability & prices →We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.Ortigia: The Island City
Ortigia (Ortygia), the small island connected to the mainland by two short bridges that forms the original Greek settlement and the medieval-baroque historic center of Siracusa, is the most complete example of a layered Mediterranean urban island in Italy, with Greek foundations, Roman remains, Norman and Byzantine architecture, and an eighteenth-century baroque fabric above all of it. The specific Ortigia sights: the Cathedral (as described above, the temple columns visible inside the nave). The Fonte Aretusa (the fresh-water spring that flows directly at sea level on the waterfront, the specific miraculous spring described by Pindar and Cicero, now surrounded by a retaining wall with papyrus plants and ducks, maintained as a public garden). And the Castello Maniace (the Norman-Hohenstaufen fortress at the southern tip of the island, built by Frederick II in 1232).
Q&A: Siracusa
How long should I spend in Siracusa?
Two days minimum for Siracusa done properly: Day 1 Ortigia (archaeological museum + Cathedral + Fonte Aretusa + the island streets, lunch at a waterfront fish restaurant). Day 2 Neapolis archaeological park (Greek theater + quarries + Roman amphitheater) plus optional visit to the Noto baroque circuit (30 km, 30 minutes by car). Siracusa is the logical base for the Val di Noto circuit. Sleeping in Ortigia (the island has excellent hotel accommodation in restored palazzi) provides the specific quality of the island city morning before the day visitors arrive.
Is Siracusa suitable for first-time Sicily visitors?
Siracusa is one of the best entry points for Sicily, the combination of first-rate archaeology, beautiful baroque urban fabric, excellent food and accommodation, and relatively straightforward access (direct Frecciargento from Rome, regional trains from Catania airport) makes it easier to get around than Palermo for visitors unfamiliar with Sicily. The specific Siracusa food: arancine (the local version of the Sicilian rice ball, in Siracusa they are called arancine, feminine, and have a specific elongated cone shape distinct from the Palermitan round version), pasta alla Siracusana (with aubergine, tomatoes, capers, olives, the specific Sicilian vegetable combination), and the granita (Sicilian crushed-ice dessert) di mandorla (almond granita) available at the historic Caffè Minerva in Piazza del Duomo since 1892.
What Nobody Tells You About Siracusa
The Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi in Siracusa (Via Teocrito 66, approximately 10 minutes' walk from the Neapolis park) is one of the finest archaeological museums in Italy and one of the least visited by international tourists, the collection covers the prehistoric, Greek, Roman, and Byzantine phases of Sicily with extraordinary material (the Venus Landolina, the most celebrated Hellenistic marble figure in any Sicilian museum. The specific votive objects from the Thesmophorion sanctuary. The prehistoric pottery from the Malta-Sicily cultural connection) in a well-designed modern museum building. Allocate 2 hours here in addition to the Neapolis park.
