Siracusa the first Greek colony in Sicily
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The city of Siracusa, in a splendid position in the E part of the Sici1ian coast, stretches out over the sea with the island of Ortigia, where the major testimonies of its glorious past are to be found. Ortigia is connected by a bridge to the mainland, where the modem city extends. According to the 5th c. BC historian Thucydides the ancient city was founded in 734-733 BC by a group of Corinthian settlers led by the oecist Archias. It took its name from a near marsh called Syraka. Very soon Siracusa became one of the most powerful cities in Sicily. Its expansionist policy began between the 7th and 6th c. BC and led to the foundation of the colonies of Akrai (663 BC), Kasmenai (643) and Kamarina (598), which were to assume a role of primary importance in the defence of the surrounding territory. At first, power was wielded in Siracusa by the Gamoroi (aristocrats and landowners); subsequently, at the beginning of the 5th c. BC, it was exercised more democratically. In the mid-th c. the return of the aristocrats and the establishment of the tyranny of the Deinomenids of Gela coincided with a period of expansion of the city, which set itself at the head of the Hellenist settlements of Magna Graecia in the struggle against the Carthaginians, defeating them at the famous Battle of Himera (480 BC), with the city of Agrigento as an ally. In the second phase of the Peloponnesian War Athens, jealous of Siracusa's economic and military expansion, launched against it a powerful offensive with a naval expedition led by Nicias Lamachos and Alcibiades. Siracusa succeeded in defeating the Athenians, who were annihilated on the banks of the Assinaros, near Eloro (Helorus). The architect of the victory was the democratic faction, which took control of the town. But the Carthaginians returned to the attack and destroyed Selinunte (409 BC), compelling Siracusa to an agreed surrender. When Dionysius I came to power (405 BC), the Carthaginian offensive started again but was held back by a pestilence which proved to be a prelude to peace. Clashes continued in the following years until a new pact was agreed upon in 392: Dionysius obtained control of the Sicel towns, which previously had been independent; Carthage kept its domination of W Sicily. This was the moment of Siracusa's greatest splendour, and it extended the sphere of its influence as far as S and Central Italy. On Dionysius' death he was succeeded by his son Dionysius II. New internal conflicts broke out and the Syracusans turned for help against the tyrant to their mother-city Corinth, which in 344 despatched to Sicily an expedition under Timoleon. The Corinthian leader defeated Dionysius and peace terms were agreed. In 339 Timoleon had to face an offensive by the Carthaginians which ended in their debacle near the River Krimisos (341 BC). Timoleon now devoted himself to the restoration of order in Sicily, the recolonization of the countryside, and the strengthening of the Greek element, while maintaining a moderate political stance. He was succeeded on his death by Agathocles, the leader of the radical democratic party, who got rid of the oligarchs and in 307, during yet another war with the Carthaginians, adopted the title of King. One year later, having won the war, he became master of the whole island. Following his death he was succeeded by Hieron II, who remained in power for over 50 years (269-215 BC). This was the period of the appearance of the Romans on the stage of history. They strove to limit Siracusa's independence to such a next extend that Hieron, realizing their superior strength, eventually declared himself their ally. His successor Hieronymus entered instead into an alliance with the Carthaginians but in the end had to yield to the Romans who conquered and sacked Siracusa in 213 BC and made it part of the Province of Sicily, permitting it however to maintain the role of capital city. After the fall of Rome Siracusa followed the alternating vicissitudes of Sicily; it was occupied by the Vandals, Goths and Byzantines, until in 878 it fell into the hands of the Muslims. Under the Normans and Swabians Siracusa, though ceding the role of capital city to Palermo, continued to be of considerable importance. It also benefited from an ample restructuring of the town. Maniàce Castle is an admirable example of architecture of the epoch of Frederick II and is at the same time a symbol of his military power and of the centralization of the state affected by this sovereign. Under the Angevin domination Siracusa became the capital of an extensive territory with nine communes. In this period a number of elegant baronial residences, churches and convents were built, including the convents of Santa Lucia, San Benedetto and L 'Annunziata. Between the 16th and 17th c., the Spanish age, the presence of the Carmelite Jesuits led to further transformations of the city skyline, according to the dictates of the new baroque style, which in Siracusa however took on specific and characteristic connotations, and imposing bastions were built all around the city, mainly because of the pressing Turkish threat. After the earthquake in 1693 Siracusa was partially reconstructed, the work proceeding throughout the 18th c. Between the 18th and 19th c. there were considerable urban and cultural transformations; many religious buildings were confiscated and destined to public use. This process was accentuated even more after the unification of Italy, when it was decided to demolish the Spanish walls, and the city began to expand in land. New quarters arose which increasingly underlined the great divide between the ancient city and the modern city. A programme of recovery is now being followed which by means of conservative restoration procedures is saving and revivingthe most significant testimonies of the city' s ancient past.
Main monuments and highlights of Siracusa
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It is advisable to begin our visit of Siracusa from the island of Ortigia, the nucleus of the ancient city. Crossing the bridge joining Ortigia to the mainland, we come to the remains of the Temple dedicated to Apollo, as testified by an inscription discovered on a step. The temples, brought to lighting the decade 1930-40, presents two columns on the S side, with part of the epistyle and fragments of the columns on the E side; originally, as in other temples of the archaic age, there were six columns on the short sides and 17 on the long ones (the cella was divided into aisles by columns, without any opisthodomos), and it was covered by polychrome clay decorations (some fragments are preserved in the Archaeological Museum). The Temple of Apollo, in Byzantine times, was a Christian church; later, under the Muslims, it was a mosque. Proceeding S we pass the 18th c. Chiesa di San Paolo and enter Corso Matteotti; then, passing Palazzo Cireco, the seat of the National Institute of Ancient Drama, and the 14th c. Chiesa di San Cristoforo, rebuilt in the 18th c., we come to the 19th c. Piazza Archimede, the meeting-point of the city's two main thoroughfares (Via Maestranza and Via Roma) and the centre of Ortigia. The square, with the Fountain of Artemis in the middle, is bounded by buildings of considerable artistic merit such as the Palazzo dell'Orologio, the seat of the Banca d'Italia, the 16th c. Palazzo Lanza Buccheri and, to the N, the Palazzo del Banco di Sicilia, built in 1928. From the square, proceeding up Via Montalto, we reach Palazzo Mergulese-Montalto, which conserves its fine old facade with a pointed portal and an aedicule with a Latin inscription bearing the date of construction: 1397. Proceeding along Via Roma we come to the Chiesa della Concezione, constructed in the 17th c. on the site of a pre-existing 14th c. building. It contains some noteworthy items: an 18th c. wooden choir: frescoes in the vault representing the Glory of Mary, and three interesting paintings by Onofrio Gabriele: The Madonna of the Letter, the Slaughter of the Innocents and the Martyrdom of St Lucy. Adjacent is a 14th c. building which used to be the Benedictine Convent and which, since the end of the 19th c., has been used for offices of the Prefecture. Next welcome to Piazza Duomo. Excavations carried out here in the early years of the20thc. and in 1963 brought to light testimonies of the presence of man in the pre-Hellenic and the first Greek Age, together with traces of a great archaic Ionic temple dating from the end of the 6th c. BC. The great Temple of Athens was built in the 5th c. BC. This is a Doric edifice with 6 columns on the short sides and 14 on the long ones, standing on a high base with three steps. The cella was preceded by the pronaos and followed by the opisthodomos, both in antis. In the 7th c. AD the Temple of Athen was converted to a Christian church (its columns are visible in Via Minerva) which was elevated to a Cathedral by Bishop Zosimo, dedicated to Madonna del Piliere. Under the Normans the raised roof of the nave was bui1t and the apses were decorated with mosaics. The façade was completely rebuilt by the architect Andrea Palma in 1725- 53; it presents two orders of Corinthian-style columns. The statues are by Ignazio Marabitti. The interior is divided into a nave and two aisles - the nave is covered by wooden beams - and has at the beginning two 19th c. holy water stoups and at the end two ambos constructed in 1926 in Romanesque style. At the entrance and along the nave and aisles incorporated in the walls we can see the columns of the Temple of Athen. Three chapels open on to the right-hand aisle: the first contains a precious 12th-I3th c. font with a marble basin, decorated with bronze lion- cubs; adjacent is the 18th c. Chapel of Santa Lucia, where we can see a fine 16th c. silver statue of St Lucy standing on a chest embellished with splendid bas-reliefs. The walls of the last chapel, the Chapel of the Sacrament, are covered in limestone and there are frescoes showing scenes from the Old Testament in the vau1ts. Above the marble altar, with a representation of 278 The Last Supper, there is a ciborium by Luigi Vanvitelli. At the end of the aisle there is a little room containing some fine paintings by Giuseppe Crestadoro. The Chapel of the Crucifix was built in the 18thc. Where the old right- hand aisle used to be. The furnishings of this chapel are conserved in the Cathedral Treasury. Adjacent is the presbytery, which was profoundly altered in 1659, when a baroque altar was placed here and above all in 1693, after the earthquake, when the choir was completed and the great cupola raised. At the far end, in the last apse remaining, we can see a statue of the Madonna della Neve, by Antonello Gagini, 1512. Along this aisle there are other statues of Saints: by the Gaginis and their school. The Archbishop's Pa1ace, adjacent to the S side of the Cathedral, was built in elegant and airy style in the early 17th c. Its present aspect is however due to 18th c. modifications and later additions in the 19th c. The building houses the important Alagonian Library, founded in the late 18th c. Palazzo Vermexio, the seat of the Town Hall, stands on the comer with Via Minerva. The Palace, which survived the 1693 earthquake, still preserves its original features in the lower part. The ruins of a 5th c. BC Ionic temple have been found here. In a room on the ground floor is a display of the history of the place and of the phases and results of the excavations. In the same square are Palazzo Interlandi and Palazzo Francica Nava, of which some origina116th c. features still remain (part of this building is in Via Landolina). Nearby is the powerful mass of Palazzo Beneventano del Bosco, dating from the Middle Ages but considerably a1tered between 1779 and 1788; it has a fine courtyard. In the S part of the square is the Chiesa di Santa Lucia alla Badìa, rebuilt after 1693 with ample projecting baroque forms. The single hall interior is richly decorated with stuccos, frescoes and marble work. Leaving Piazza Duomo by way of Via Picherai we come to Piazzetta San Rocco. This little square is characterized by the l5th c. Palazzo Migliaccio, which is distinguished by its refined lava inlay decorations. A wide terrace opens out here, offering a splendid panorama. Also here is the celebrated Fountain of Arethusa, planted with papyrus. Legend has it that the nymph Arethusa was transformed by Artemis into a river in order to escape the passion of Alpheus. From the Fountain of Arethusa, we go a1ong the promenade by the sea, up Via del Collegio, and reach the Chiesa del Collegio dei Gesuiti, a rich and majestic building in pure baroque architectura1 style. The church contains splendid choir - sta1ls and marbles in the high a1tar, with a silver antependium. From here Via Cavour leads us immediately to Via Santa Maria dei Miracoli and the 13th c. Church of the same name. Opposite the promenade is the Porto Grande, which from remotest antiquity has been a busy commercia1 port. On the extreme point of the Ortigia peninsula stands Maniàce Castle, a splendid example of architecture of the days of Frederick II. The building, strong and massive, is absolutely square in plan and has round towers at the four comers. It has a splendid pointed-arch portal decorated with marbles of various colour. The Spanish coat of arms is at the top of the arch. The interior still preserves parts of its original layout. From here we walk up the Ortigia seafront to the 18th c. Chiesa dello Spirito Santo. Leaving the seafront, we follow Via Capodieci as far as the Chiesa di San Benedetto, built in the 16th c. and redesigned after the 1693 earthquake. In the high altar there is an interesting painting, The Death of St Benedict, in Caravaggio style, by Mario Minniti, a local artist. Here, in what used to be the Convent of San Benedetto, is the Galleria Regionale. The building consists of the 14th c. Palazzo Parisio and the larger 13th c. Palazzo Bellomo, which gives the Gallery its name. The ground floor rooms contain works of sculpture. In particular, Room 3 has an aedicule attributed to Francesco Laurana, representing The Madonna and Child, and a statue, The Madonna of the Bullfinch, by Domenico Gagini. Room 4 contains two splendid l8th c. carriages. On the first floor, among a number of paintings, is The Annunciation, by Antonello da Messina, and The Burial of St Lucy, by Caravaggio. There are a1so church vestments, items of silver (including a splendid 18th c. reliquary of St Ursula), Christmas cribs, and Sicilian and Muslim ceramics. Leaving Pa1azzo Bellomo we fol1ow Via Roma to the crossroads with Via Maestranza: half way along this street is the Chiesa di San Francesco, with an unusual convex façade. The church is of 14thc. origin, but only a portal remains of that period. Between the l5th and 18th c. it underwent a number of modifications. The stucco decorations in the interior and the frescoes on the ceiling are late 18th c. As we proceed a1ong Via Maestranza we pass some imposing pa1aces: Palazzi Bufardeci, Zappata-Gargallo (15th c. but redesigned in the baroque age), Bonanno and Impellizzeri, the façades of which are richly decorative. We must now leave Ortigia to reach the other end of the city, the modem part, which also possesses significant testimonies of ancient Greece. It is advisable first of all to have an overall view of the city from above. Climbing the slopes of the Epipolae, the vast plateau that dominates the city, we come to the Castle of Euryalus, on the highest point. Built by Dionysius the Elder between the end of the 5th and the beginning of the 4th c. BC, it is a most interesting example of ancient military architecture. It is protected on the most exposed W side by three deep ditches, with a series of ingenious underground passages and 280 narrow tunnels that enabled the defending soldiers to reorganize without being seen by the enemy and rapidly confront him. From the Castle we can follow a stretch of walls that surrounded the city and reach the Greek stairway or Hexpylon, the ancient entrance to the city. Descending from the Epipolae and entering the city by way of Via Necropoli Gratticelli, we soon come to Viale Rizzo, which flanks the monumental park of the Neapolis, where the most interesting edifices of Graeco - Roman Siracusa are to be seen. Here stands the Roman amphitheatre, a majestic construction dating from the First c.BC (or, according to others, the 3rd-4th c. AD). It is elliptic in plan, with an outer portico. Two entrances, N and S, lead into the arena, which is surrounded by a high podium; behind this there is a covered corridor, at which point the tiers of seats for the spectators begin to rise. In the centre of the arena there is a vast underground cavity that was used as the amphitheatre storehouse. Next to this is the Altar of Hieron, a great altar one stadium long (198 metres), built by Hieron II for the public celebration of animal sacrifices. Opposite the Altar are the Greek Theatre and the latomìe. The Theatre, one of the most splendid of its kind, played an extremely important role in the city's cultural life. Ancient sources mention the existence of a theatre in Siracusa from the mid- 5th c. The structure we see today dates from the time of Hieron II (3rd c. BC). The cavea is one of the largest in the Greek world: 67 rows, divided into 9 sections with 8 aisles for access to the seats. In the lower part there were the semicircular orchestra and the scena, of which only a few traces remain. In Roman times the theatre was much altered, to adapt it to the style of Roman theatres and their circus games. The Theatre is still used: every year a cycle of plays is performed before large audiences attracted by the considerable cultural interest, as well as by the evocative natural scenery and the particular atmosphere. Near the theatre are the latomie, great stone quarries known since time immemorial and one of Siracusa's most characteristic features. According to Thucydides, they were also used as a prison. This is confirmed by Cicero, who exalted their magnificence and their depth. W of the theatre is the largest latomìa, that of Paradiso, in some points 45 metres deep. But the most celebrated latomìa is the Orecchio di Dionisio (Ear of Dionysius), with its pointed vaulted roof. It was given this name by Caravaggio, who visited it in 1586 and created the legend that the tyrant Dionysius used to exploit the particular acoustics of the cave in order to eavesdrop on the whisperings of his prisoners. Nearby is the Grotta dei Cordari (Rope-makers' Cave), so called be- cause of the trade that used to be carried out here. From here we proceed to the Grotta del Salnitro (Saltpetre Cave) and the Intagliatella latomìa, which leads through an archway cut out of the rock to the Latomìa di Santa Vènera, smaller than the others but particularly evocative because of the luxuriant vegetation all around. It is also interesting to visit the nearby Grotticelli necropolis, with its Greek, Hellenistic and Roman Imperial Age tombs. One of these is the so-called Tomb of Archimedes, erroneously believed to be that of the great scientist of Siracusa. Leaving the Neapolis Park, we take Viale Augusto and Viale Teòcrito and come to the Chiesa di San Giovanni, built by the Normans, destroyed by the earthquake in 1693 and later partly restored. A stairway leads to the Crypt of San Marciano. To the right of the church are the Catacombs of San Giovanni, (4th c. AD), characterized by a maze of passages and tunnels, with thousands of tombs and occasional frescoes and Christian symbols. Also in Viale Teòcrito is the Villa Landolina Park, which is the site of the Archaeological Museum dedicated to Paolo Orsi, the great archaeologist who worked for years in Siracusa. Star-shaped in layout, it covers 9000 sqm. The three sectors, A, B and C, offer a choice of collections. There are numerous illuminated display screens, charts and information sheets so that visitors can view the exhibits in their historical and cultural background and appreciate them more thoroughly. Sector A has collections from the prehistoric and proto-historic period. The Bronze Age material includes Mid-Bronze Age (l5th-l3th c. BC) items of the Thapsos culture, with its characteristic graffito-decorated impasto ceramics. The late Bronze Age (13th-9th c. BC) is represented by material from Caltagirone, Cassibile and also Pantàlica, which was one of the most advanced civilizations in the period between 1270 and 650 BC, as testified by some items of extraordinarily fine workmanship, such as the burnished red ceramics and the refined metal objects, jewels, mirrors and fibulae. Sector B is devoted to the phenomenon of Greek colonization, with material from Megara HybIaea and Siracusa. Among the material from Megara, especially noteworthy are an extraordinary Kourotrophos (nursing mother) in painted limestone (rnid-6th c. BC) and a funeral statue with an inscription recording the name of the dead man (Samb roditas the doctor, son of Madrokles). The space devoted to Siracusa begins with the celebrated statue of Venus Anadyomene, a Roman imitation of a 2nd c. BC original. Also displayed here is materia1 from Ortigia, starting from prehistoric times with an extraordinary succession of ceramics that gives a precise idea of the continuity of the presence of man in the area. The most interesting piece of statuary is a standing male figure, a draped Kouros (5th c. BC). Also worth seeing are: the votive of ferings found in the area of the Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore; a great black-varnished vase with a dedicatory inscription to Arternis of Pherae; tomb from the great Syracusan necropolises; the archaic globular arballoi; the famous stylized little bronze horse (late 8th c. BC); and numerous proto-Corinthian and Corinthian vases. We next come to the spaces devoted to the great temples: that of Apollo, the lonic temple, and the Athenaion with some of the architectural terracotta work that decorated its interior; there are also models of this and two other temples. The material from extra-urban sanctuaries provides us with valuable information about the relations between Siracusa and its surrounding territory. Sector C is devoted to material from Siracusa's sub-colonies, Akrai, Kasmenai and Kamarina, from Helorus, as well as from numerous Hellenized indigenous centres in E Sicily. The last part of this sector is devoted to Gela and Agrigento. From Kasmenai comes, among other items, a limestone alto-rilievo representing a Kore with a dove (570-560 BC). From Kamarina there is a great clay temple acroterion (5th c. BC). From Gela come extraordinary architectural terracotta from temples, numerous ceramics, and an interesting pelike (a kind of amphora) signed by Polygnotus (440-430 BC). The exhibition concludes with interesting artefacts from Agrigento, with ceramics and terracotta statuettes. Also in Viale Teòcrito, close the Archaeological Museum is the Museum of Papyrus, founded in the 1989. Leaving the Museum and taking Via Von Platen, we pass by the Catacombs of Vigna Cassia and of Santa Marìa di Gesù (not open to the public) and, turning down Bassa Acradina, we come to the 17th c. Chiesa dei Cappuccini, which contains a painting attributed to the Neapo1itan Mattìa Preti, The Madonna with St Agata and St Lucy. Here a1so is the latomìa dei Cappuccini, with its luxuriant and picturesque vegetation. We now proceed almost to the end of Via Teocrito, turn right along Via Monte Grappa and arrive at Piazza di Santa Lucia, with the Chiesa di Santta Lucia, the sepulchre chapel and the catacombs. The church, which has a nave and two aisles, is Byzantine in origin; it was rebuilt in Norman times and partly rebuilt after the earthquake in 1693.
Text taken from: "Sicily and its islands" by Ugo La Rosa editore.
Other main destinations in Sicily
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