Must-see attractions in Syracuse

  • ancient greek theater in Syracuse, Parco Archeologico della Neapolis, Sicily, Italy, Unesco world heritage list

    Parco Archeologico della Neapolis

    Syracuse

    For the classicist, Syracuse's real attraction is this archaeological park, home to the pearly Teatro Greco. Constructed in the 5th century BC and rebuilt…

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    Duomo

    Syracuse

    Built on the skeleton of a 5th-century BC Greek temple to Athena (note the Doric columns still visible inside and out), Syracuse's 7th-century cathedral…

  • Italy, Sicily, Siracusa, Greek theater

    Teatro Greco

    Syracuse

    The highlight of the Neapolis archaeological area is the Teatro Greco, a masterpiece of classical architecture that could accommodate up to 16,000 people…

  • Piazza del Duomo

    Syracuse

    Syracuse's showpiece square is a masterpiece of baroque town planning. A long, rectangular piazza flanked by flamboyant palazzi, it sits on what was once…

  • Museo Archeologico Paolo Orsi

    Syracuse

    Located about 500m east of the archaeological park, Syracuse's archaeological museum claims one of Sicily's largest and most interesting collections of…

  • Basilica & Catacombe di San Giovanni

    Syracuse

    The city's most extensive catacombs lie beneath the Basilica di San Giovanni, itself a pretty, truncated church that served as the city's cathedral in the…

  • Miqweh

    Syracuse

    Buried 20m beneath the Alla Giudecca hotel in Ortygia's old Jewish ghetto (known as the Giudecca) is an extraordinary ancient Jewish miqwe (ritual bath),…

  • Galleria Regionale di Palazzo Bellomo

    Syracuse

    Housed in a 13th-century Catalan-Gothic palace, this art museum's eclectic collection ranges from early Byzantine and Norman stonework to 19th-century…

  • Castello Maniace

    Syracuse

    Guarding the island's southern tip, Ortygia's 13th-century castle is an evocative place to wander, gaze out over the water and contemplate Syracuse's past…

  • Chiesa di Santa Lucia alla Badia

    Syracuse

    The Chiesa di Santa Lucia alla Badia is dedicated to the city's patron saint, St Lucy, martyred in Syracuse during the reign of the Roman emperor…

  • Latomia del Paradiso

    Syracuse

    It was out of this deep, precipitous limestone quarry that stone for the ancient city was extracted. Riddled with catacombs and filled with citrus and…

  • Museo dei Pupi

    Syracuse

    The small Museo dei Pupi chronicles the history of Sicilian puppetry, with a particular focus on the role local puppeteers Alfredo and Saro Vaccaro played…

  • Anfiteatro Romano

    Syracuse

    This 2nd-century Roman amphitheatre was originally used for gladiatorial combats and horse races.

  • Santuario della Madonna delle Lacrime

    Syracuse

    Supposedly modelled on the shape of a tear drop, the 102m-high spire of this church dominates modern Syracuse's skyline. The church itself houses a statue…

  • Palazzo Municipale

    Syracuse

    The Palazzo Municipale or Palazzo Senatoriale was built in 1629 by the Spanish architect Juan Vermexio, who was nicknamed 'Il Lucertolone' or 'the lizard'…

  • Fontana di Artemide

    Syracuse

    At the heart of Ortygia is handsome Piazza Archimede, home to Giulio Moschetti's Fontana di Artemide. Constructed between 1906 and 1907, the fountain's…

  • Artemision

    Syracuse

    Loitering beneath Palazzo Municipale are the scant remains of a 6th-century-BC Greek temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis, as well as the modest traces…

  • Orecchio di Dionisio

    Syracuse

    A renowned curiosity at the heart of the Latomia del Paradiso (Garden of Paradise) is the ear-shaped artificial grotto known as the Ear of Dionysius…

  • Museo del Papiro

    Syracuse

    Ortygia's Museo del Papiro offers a fine collection of papyrus documents and products, including artefacts from antiquity. There's also an English…

  • Fontana Aretusa

    Syracuse

    Down the winding main street from the cathedral is this ancient spring, where fresh water still bubbles up just as it did in ancient times when it was the…

  • Palazzo Beneventano del Bosco

    Syracuse

    In the northwestern corner of Piazza del Duomo is the Palazzo Beneventano del Bosco. While its origins are medieval, the baroque palace you see today is…

  • Ara di Gerone II

    Syracuse

    West of the Roman amphitheatre is the 3rd-century-BC Ara di Gerone II. This monolithic sacrificial altar was a kind of giant abattoir where 450 oxen could…

  • Palazzo Arcivescovile

    Syracuse

    The elegant, 17th-century Palazzo Arcivescovile is home to the Biblioteca Alagoniana and some rare 13th-century manuscripts.

  • Palazzo Lanza-Bucceri

    Syracuse

    Syracuse's 'drawing room', Piazza Archimede is flanked by Catalan-Gothic palazzi, including Palazzo Lanza-Bucceri.

  • Palazzo Platamone

    Syracuse

    A handsome palazzo on the western flank of airy Piazza Archimede.

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