Today Syracuse is a dynamic, modern town,
with many visible signs of it’s grand and noble past.
However, the haphazard growth of the new part
of Syracuse has not affected the little island
of Ortygia, just off the coast,
where the ancient Greek colony was founded,
and neither has it spoiled the fascination of it’s classical
monuments and the splendor of it’s Baroque facades.
Visiting Syracuse it’s like taking a journey back in time.
The ancient Greek city was as important as Athens
and Rome in the Mediterranean,
especially under the tyrant of Gelon,
in the 5th century BC.
In medieval times, the arrival of the Arabs and Normans
brought changes to the town’s appearance and layout,
and enriched it economically and culturally,
Although,
the 1693 earthquake led to reconstruction on a vast scale,
making Syracuse into an important capital of the Baroque
style in Europe.
Syracuse not only has an extremely rich cultural past.
It is also set in a breathtaking beautiful natural surroundings,
for instance;
the peaceful bay of Porto Grande, with the Maddalena
peninsula on one side,
the magic of the Monti Iblei and Etna on the background.
Many famous contributors to culture and learning have
been born in Syracuse like:
Epicharmus, the great Greek playwright;
Theocritus, the bucolic poet;
Archimedes, one of the greatest scientist of the ancient
world;
Ibn Hamdis, the Arab poet;
and the modern Italian men of letters,
Salvatore Quasimodo and Elio Vittorini.
An important cultural event in Syracuse is the performance
of the classical Greek tragedies in the summer months.
The beauties of Syracuse
To watch the full version visit :https://t.co/sasvYM0aAF#Sicilia #Sicily #Syracuse #Siracusa #tourism #25maggio pic.twitter.com/rTaZ58I0Kv— Sicily private tours by Luca (@SicilyPrivTours) May 25, 2020
The Neapolis Archeological Park
The Neapolis Archeological Park was created in 1952,
and contains most of Greek and Roman Syracuse’s
classical monuments.
For security reasons, today tourists only have
access to the Greek theater and part of the Latomie del
Paradiso,
one of the ancient stone quarries;
the other monuments can be viewed from a distance.
However,
this doesn’t detract in any way from the powerful fascination
of this unique place,
where the work of both man and nature has such a strong
impact.
A wonderful view,
taking from the Santa Venera latomie and Grotticelli necropolis,
can be seen from Via Romagnoli.