Siracusa in the Sunshine

During the final week of my small ship adventure, I was excited to be returning to Sicily, one of my favorite places. I’d visited Sicily on an OAT adventure back in October 2019, my last European trip before the pandemic. We had glorious weather except for the one day we were in Siracusa. That day started with drizzle that turned into a downpour as we walked through the old town of Ortygia. Even with an umbrella, my clothing and shoes were soaked through within minutes. And much to my disappointment, the archaeological park was closed because of the inclement weather. As our bus pulled away from Siracusa, I made a promise to myself that I’d return one day, to explore and enjoy Siracusa properly. 

 

Now I was in luck. There was plenty of sunshine when our ship docked in Siracusa, exactly twenty-four hours after leaving Otranto. All thoughts of the previous night’s seasickness were quickly forgotten as I stepped onto the shore.

 

The previous evening, Marco and Flo, our two OAT tour leaders, had reminded us that Sicily has a very long history. Like the rest of southern Italy, it had been ruled by the Greeks, the Romans, the Normans, the Muslims, the Angevins, the Aragonese, and the Spanish until the mid-1800s. The unification of Italy in 1861 brought economic distress and social upheaval to the island. This is when organized crime became more prevalent. The Sicilian mafia, known as the Cosa Nostra, began by extorting money from local farmers in exchange for protection. The protection money was called “pizzo.” Over the years, the Cosa Nostra grew to control waste management, weapons, drug dealing, construction, and smuggling. According to Marco and Flo, although there has been a major government effort to rein in the Cosa Nostra, about 80% of Sicilian businesses still pay pizzo, totaling more than 160 million dollars or Euros a year. 

 

We also learned about the three historical waves of emigration from Sicily. The first wave lasted from 1880 to 1920, when many Sicilians left their poverty-stricken homeland for better economic opportunities in the United States or South America. The second wave came in response to Mussolini’s rise to power in the 1930s and early 1940s. Then, in the late 1940s and ‘50s, there was a wave of internal movement from southern Italy, where unemployment was high, to the North, where factory jobs were available. At the present time, a new wave of emigration, a “brain drain,” is taking place in Sicily and the rest of southern Italy. Large numbers of educated young people are emigrating to other countries in Europe and to the United States in order to find good jobs. 

 

As soon as we walked across the small Santa Lucia bridge that connects the mainland of Siracusa to island of Ortygia, we could see evidence of the original Greek settlement. The Greeks controlled Sicily for 500 years until they were ousted by the Romans in 212 BCE. The ancient Greek fortifications, now in ruins, were built in the 4^th century BCE. The Apollo Temple, a monolithic structure, dates back to 508 BCE, making it the oldest temple in Siracusa. The Romans converted the Apollo Temple into a basilica, and it was later turned into a mosque. 

Not all of Ortygia is ancient. Piazza Archimede, a large plaza, is surrounded by impressive historical palazzos that date back to the 14^th-18^th centuries. And the Artemis Fountain (or Fontana di Diana) is a 20^thcentury addition to the plaza. 

At one time Sicily had a significant Jewish population, estimated at 15,000 people. However, in 1492, when Sicily was ruled by Spain, all Jews were forced to either leave the island or convert to Christianity. We walked with a local tour guide through the area of Ortygia that had once been the Giudecca, or Jewish quarter, and stopped to look at a church that had once been a synagogue. 

 

Although there’s no longer a Jewish community in Siracusa, I noticed a shop selling Judaica (ritual objects), obviously to tourists. 

We also saw a display of 15^th century tombstones from a Jewish cemetery that were discovered in 1892. 

Our guided walking tour of Ortygia included a stop at the Arethusa Fountain, a fresh water spring overlooking the harbor of Siracusa. Papyrus plants are growing in the water.

 

During my free time, I enjoyed wandering around the narrow streets of Ortygia. 

I was able to visit the oldest mikveh (Jewish ritual bath) in Europe, which dates back to the 5^th-6^th century CE. The underground mikvehwas discovered fairly recently, during excavations under a small hotel. The owner of the property charges seven Euros for a guided tour. To reach the mikveh, I descended three flights of rough stone steps into the deep cave-like space and peered into the small pools of water. I tried to imagine what it must have looked like centuries ago, without any artificial illumination. Since no photos were allowed, I bought some postcards, pictured below. 

I spent some time relaxing in the Piazza Duomo (Cathedral Square). It’s always a lively spot, popular with tourists and locals alike. At an outdoor table at one of the big cafés, I sampled lemon granita, a refreshing icy treat that is typically eaten for breakfast (!) in Siracusa.  

While I was eating the granita, I noticed a large crowd outside the Cathedral. Guests were gathering for a wedding. The groom was a member of the carabinieri (a police force) and several uniformed attendants were stationed outside the entrance to the church. 

I was able to take a quick look inside. The interior, which I’d seen in 2019, is especially interesting. The cathedral was built over a 5^th century BCE Greek temple dedicated to Athena and it incorporates the ancient Doric columns. 

The Palazzo Vermexio, a 17^th century Baroque building, also faces the Piazza Duomo. It was originally used by the governing Sicilian Senate and now houses a museum. Over the portal, you can see the coat of arms of the Spanish monarchs.

 

Our ship stayed overnight in Siracusa, and the next morning, our group visited the archaeological park of Neapolis (literally, “new city”), which dates back to the Greek period. At one time, 400,000 people, including 200,000 slaves, lived here. The archaeological park is the site I was unable to visit during my first visit to Siracusa. This time, the weather was spring-like, the jacaranda trees were still in bloom, and lizards were scurrying across the sun-baked stones. 

We started at the ancient limestone Paradise Quarry. During the Greek and Roman period, the quarry was used as a work area and a prison. The quarry contains several caves. Some are natural formations. 

However, the Ear of Dionysus is an artificial grotto measuring 76 feet high, 214 feet deep, and about 25 feet wide. We tried out its amazing acoustics. 

 

The roof of the quarry collapsed during an earthquake in 1693. Nowadays, the quarry is a beautiful garden area, with orange and lemon trees, palms, and ficus trees. 

The semi-circular Greek theater faces the sea and has excellent acoustics. It was cut into the stone of the hill in the 5^th century BCE and originally accommodated 5000 people. Later, additional seating from cut stone was added in order to accommodate another 15,000 to 18,000 people. It is still used for performances today. 

The large rectangular platform was part of the altar of Hieron, which was dedicated to Zeus. At nearly 200 meters long, it is the largest stone altar built by the Greeks. On certain feasts, up to 450 bulls were sacrificed here. 

Not much remains of the 1^st century BCE oval-shaped Roman amphitheater that was used for gladiator fights. Many of the stones from this structure were taken by Charles V in the 16^th century to build fortifications against the Ottomans.

 

After a wonderful seafood lunch (including grilled octopus, mussel salad, and fried calamari) on the Athena, I had some time on my own to continue exploring historic Siracusa.  

The Archimedes Museum was definitely worth a visit. Archimedes, the Greek mathematician, engineer, physicist, astronomer, and inventor, was born in Siracusa in the 3^rd century BCE. This museum presents his ideas and works alongside those of later genius, Leonardo da Vinci. I enjoyed seeing the very informative interactive exhibits with models of their inventions. It reminded me of how much I don’t know, and almost made me want to sign up for a physics class back home. No, it’s probably too late for that, but the museum was fascinating. It’s too bad no photos were allowed. But check out the website. 

 

There was one item on my Siracusa agenda that I didn’t accomplish. I was hoping to eat cannoli and arancini, two Sicilian specialties that I remembered from my first visit to the island in 2019. I passed several places where I could have gotten them but I simply couldn’t swallow another morsel of food after the big seafood lunch on the ship. I guess I now have a new reason to return to Sicily someday.

Finally, it was time to head back to the ship for another delicious dinner (fortunately, my appetite returned) and an overnight sail to our final destination.