A day trip to Syracuse

The ancient city of Syracuse is still alive and thriving until this very day. It has been growing since the seventh century before Christ after ancient Greek people landed on the island of Ortigia, where they established a new Greek city. At this time, Syracuse was considered to be the most beautiful city in the whole known ancient world and people were not wrong, as the city is captivatingly beautiful even today. An interesting fact is that the famous Greek mathematician and astronomer, Archimede, was born in the city of Syracuse and later made most of his discoveries there.

Syracuse was a city that was considered to be the most well-known port in the whole Mediterranean Seas. This made Syracuse be a tempting city for many ancient rulers at the time. That is why there was a long period of time when the city was constantly under attack by the people of the south like the Carthaginians. To prevent this, one of the rulers of Syracuse built a huge wall around the city, so that it can be protected better and the attacks were reduced.

Later in time, when Syracuse was the capital of Sicily during the governance of the Roman Empire it was still thriving and developing, which can be seen from the ruins that can be found in the city today. At that period of time, Christianity was spread around Sicily making it one of the first regions in the Roman Empire to accept it.

Nowadays, Syracuse is a wonderful destination all year round, as even in January, when I visited it, the weather was sunny and warm and there was no sign of winter. While I was in the city, I managed to visit most of its landmarks and my favourite part of the city became the Ortigia island or Isola Ortigia, as it is mostly known. This is the island of Syracuse, where everything started and this can be seen by the many ruins all around the city, that suggest that the city was inhabited since ancient times.

How to get to Syracuse from Catania?

My day trip to Syracuse started early in the morning when I went to the train station of Catania, so I can buy tickets. The train tickets to Syracuse cost around eight euros each way and were available every hour. However, I went there on the weekend and apparently I have missed the previous train and the next one was in two or more hours. Thus, I went to Bus Station Autolinee Giamporcaro, which was just a few meters away from the Catania Central Railway station. There I managed to buy a two-way bus ticket to Syracuse for around twelve euros and they gave me the schedule of the bus, so I know when is the last one. Then, I went a bit to the left, as there was the bus stop for the buses that are operating in Sicily and waited for my bus to come. I would admit that it was a bit stressful, as people around did not speak English a lot and it was hard to understand, but with some gestures and a bit of repeating I was able to find the right place for catching the bus. The bus came at the right time and there was a sign on it that it was going to Syracuse (Siracusa), thus it was easy to recognize it among the other buses around it. The ride took around an hour and in no time I was in Syracuse.

Things to visit in Syracuse for a day

Honestly, a single day spend in Syracuse is simply not enough. The city has so much to offer and its beauty and charming coastal alleys and gardens for sure make it a place where you would like to stay for more time. Even though I had one day to visit it, I tried to visit as much as possible and I will share my experience below.

Statue of Archimede

After getting off the bus, I started walking straight to Ortigia island, where most of the landmarks of Syracuse were. The island is connected to Syracuse with two bridges that you can cross and between them is the statue of Archimede. The statue of Archimede can be reached by crossing the Umbertino bridge.

There is no chance that you will miss the bronze statue of Archimedes, as it is quite huge and can be seen from afar. It is located in a very nice mini island on which you can sit and enjoy the vastness of the sea. The statue of Archimede shows him holding a mirror, which, as per the legend, he used to direct the sunlight to the foreign ships, so they can burn.

Porta Urbica

Right after I found myself on Ortigia island I found the Porta Urbica or what was left of it. The Urbica gate was built by Dionysius the Great and the reason for its creation was to provide an easier way to the fortress of Ortigia. The remains of a couple of towers and the Urbica were enclosed with a fence so that they can be better preserved. It is quite interesting to see such huge remains in the middle of the city suggesting the greatness of the city in the past.

Temple of Apollo

A bit to the side was the Temple of Apollo, which is one of the most prominent landmarks in Syracuse and the island of Ortigia. It was built in the sixth century before Christ and at first, it was a pagan temple worshipping the god of medicine and health. Then, when Christianity was spread it was turned into a church, which was destroyed and re-created as a mosque during the ruling of the Emirate of Sicily. Finally, the mosque was rebuilt and made into a church once again from which the remains can be observed today. The archaeological site is quite huge and there are many columns left from the ancient temple of Apollo there. This is a very nice stop on the way to the sidewalks near the Mediterranean Sea.

The coastal pathway

Walking a bit through the narrow yellowish streets of Syracuse often leads to the seaside of the city. One of the must-do things in Syracuse is to go to its sidewalks near the Mediterranean Sea where you will find one of the best views in Sicily. Truly, the vistas from the sidewalks are breathtaking while the warm breeze is gently brushing through you.

The Lungomare di Levante is one of the famous paths on Ortigia island and is spreading almost around the whole island. It is a truly beautiful and peaceful walking area with some beaches, ancient remains and a fortress that is on its middle side. On one side the path is full of the colourful houses of Syracuse that are built both in Italian and Carthaginian colourful style and on the other side the vast Mediterranean sea.

Then, going a bit further is the Forte Vigliena, which stands next to the natural swimming pools of Ortigia. There are lots of benches where you can sit and rest from the long walk. Going further on the sidewalk I found the Castello Maniace.

Castello Maniace

The Maniace castle is a very simple building, compared to other buildings in Sicily, but is for sure one of the largest castles. It was built by George Maniakes after he defeated the Arabs in the tenth century and freed the city. When the castle was ready he used it as a residence for him and his family and later many royal families were living in it. however, at some point around the fifteenth century, it was turned into a prison for one of the most dangerous citizens of the island.

Nowadays, it is possible to visit the castle, but it is mostly overlooked from outside, as it provides the visitor one of the best viewpoints over the Mediterranean sea. Unfortunately, I was not able to visit the castle from the inside, as I was late and it was already closed, but the price to enter is four euros.

The Arethusa Spring

After that, I found the famous fountain of Arethusa, which was located on the southwest part of Ortigia island. Apparently, this place was an important one, as there were many people walking by it. It was a fountain that was under the ground level and was enclosed by tall walls. Inside the fountain of Arethusa, there were many ducks and fishes swimming around along with lots of flowers and papyruses. It for sure was a nice place to enjoy the beauty of the island of Syracuse and chill for a bit under the hot sun.

However, while I was there I wanted to learn more about the importance of this fountain, as the locals considered this place to be one of the most important places in Syracuse. This is related to the legend that was passed from generation to generation and it is about the nymph Arethusa that tried to escape from the river god Alpheus. She seeks protection from the goddess Artemis, but even though she turned her into a stream, but eventually the river god Alpheus managed to mingle with the waters of Arethusa and they stayed together. Arethusa was a very important character for the ancient people in Syracuse and they even put her on their coins, which only shows how much they were and still are worshipping her.

Piazza Duomo

Piazza Duomo is the most famous square in Syracuse and gathers all the prominent and venerable buildings in the city. It is a huge square near the seaside and it is quite different from most of the squares in Italy, as it is built in the typical Sicilian Baroque style, where most of the buildings look a bit yellowish.

The Cathedral of Syracuse or Cattedrale Metropolitana Della Natività di Maria Santissima, as it was known before, was an ancient Catholic church. However, before becoming a church it was a Doric temple built around the fifth century before Christ, but some archaeologists would say that it was even older. Anyway, the Cathedral of Syracuse was built around the seventh century and the columns of the ancient Doric temple were used for the new cathedral, which can be seen on the front part of the cathedral. The interior of the cathedral is quite a fascinating and entirely built-in rich Baroque style. It has a huge altar in the middle with lots of golden arches. On the sides, there are a couple of smaller altars, statues of saints and next to the door there is a huge vase-like basin for Christianizing people and more specifically the Vikings that were walking on these lands ages ago. The Cathedral of Syracuse is definitely a must-see, as it is simply gorgeous.

A bit to the right is the Church of Saint Lucia, which is another beautiful Sicilian church holding one of the most beautiful altars on the island. The church is brighter than the cathedral and its interior is in white. However, there is one masterpiece that attracts many people to visit the church and it is the prominent painting of Caravaggio, the Burial of Santa Lucia. The painting shows the death of Santa Lucia in detail and is put exactly at the entrance of the church, so there is no chance you will miss it.

Next to the church is the Gelateria Bianca, which offers one of the best gelatos I have ever tried. It is also quite cheap, so for two euros I got a whole cone and I was very happy and satisfied with it. Absolutely delish!

Parco del Foro Siracusano

Finally, I ended my long day of strolling through Syracuse I went to the nearest park Foro Siracusano, where I enjoyed the serenity and beauty of the city. The park was also overlooking at Piazza Pantheon and the Catholic Church of Saint Thomas. After my little break, I went to the bus stop to catch my bus back to Catania where I was staying for the night and prepare for my next day trip in Sicily.

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