Ortygia and Syracuse

Ortygia is an island suburb of Syracuse, although it's more like a peninsula with a narrow canal separating it from the mainland. Syracuse is a 2,700 year old city notable for its rich Greek history, culture, amphitheatres and architecture. It played a key role in ancient times, at one stage it was the greatest city in the world. It’s even mentioned in the bible. Paul the Apostle came here for three days after he’d been shipwrecked and bitten by a snake at “Melita” (now known as Malta).

Today Syracuse is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It has a population of around 125,000 people. 

We started the day with a 6.00 am walk  around part of Ortygia (Ortigia in Italian). We saw the Piazza Duomo before the crowds arrived.

Then we visited Syracuse, which provided a great view of Ortygia, and a reminder of the Mafia, before we went to the Greek and Roman Amphitheatres.

A memorial to a journalist killed by the Mafia

First pizza in Italy for lunch then some shopping, the Temple of Apollo, the Duomo (which was a little underwhelming after St John's Cathedral in Valletta) and the narrow streets of the Giudecca, the Jewish Quarter.

In the Giudecca we visited a 6th century Jewish bath that is 20 metres under the ground. It was only discovered in 1986. We weren't allowed to take cameras underground.

Speaking of baths, Syracuse's most famous son is Archimedes.

It was very warm today so we went back to the hotel and had cold showers. Unlike Archimedes we don't have a bath.

More seafood for dinner.