It is an island of just one square km where the historical center of Syracuse rises. It is here that Archias of Corinth arrived in 734 A. C. to found the ancient Greek city of Syracuse which soon became the capital of Magna Grecia. Walking in Ortigia is like going back in time and retracing all the civilizations that in the past have left their mark with their respective architectural styles: from the Greeks to the Byzantines, from the Arabs to the Normans, and ending with the French and Spanish dominations. From the Greek temples, like that of Athena, whose columns and base still support the Baroque Cathedral, to the Maniace Castle, passing through the fourteenth-century and baroque palaces, Ortigia pulses with culture and ancient history.

What to see:

• Il Duomo e la sua piazza

• le vie e i palazzi storici

• Fonte Aretusa

• Palazzo Bellomo

• Quartiere dei pescatori “La Graziella”

• Tempio di Apollo

• Bagni Ebraici

• Castello Maniace

• Chiesa di Santa Maria alla Badia

•  “Cala Rossa” o al (public beach) lido Nettuno (lido with fee).

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* We suggest you buy a guide or rely on a tour guide that gives you all the details.

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