Archaeological Treasure Syracuse is on Sicily Vacation Itineraries Siracusa

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Sicilia Syracuse Sicily itineraries are popular on this Mediterranean island.

Greek settlers founded the city seven hundred and thirty three years before Christ.

It was in the past the most powerful city in the Mediterranean and on the island of Sicily.

Extensive archaeological excavations have revealed many treasures from the ancient city.

The city that you see today is nowhere near the size of the powerhouse that once was. It is only around a third of what it was. The city fell to the Romans two hundred and eleven years before Christ, after a two-year siege. There then began a slow decline in its influence and power, which was accelerated when the invading Arabs burned the city in 878 AD.

Located facing the Ionian Sea in the southeastern corner of Sicilia it was in its heyday full of impressive buildings and works of art. Cicero said it was, “the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all”. The population was around three hundred thousand and it had five distinct areas. The districts were Ortegia, Akradina, Epipolae, Neapolis and Tyche. It was here that Archimedes the famous mathematician, philosopher and inventor was born and lived.

Today Syracuse is a popular tourist destination and is easily visited if you hire a car. Alternatively there is a regular train service from Catania and a direct bus service from Catania airport. It is a good base for exploring other regional towns such as Catania, Noto and Ragusa.

Among the many things to see there is an excellent museum that specializes in Greek artefacts and objects that have been found over the years by various archaeological digs. The ‘Paolo Orsi’ Regional Archaeological Museum is a great visit to set the scene for your other city sites.

Just short distances from the museum are the archaeological treasures of the area that are grouped together in the northwest part of the city.

The star is the Greek theatre that dates back to around the sixth century BC and was Sicily’s largest theatre. The seating area of the theatre was carved out of solid rock. The fifty-nine rows could seat a fifteen thousand audience. If you visit between the middle of May to the end of June, during the Greek Theatre Festival you will be able to enjoy a performance.

There is also a Roman amphitheatre, which was built in the third century AD. This at one hundred and forty meters long, it was one of the largest to be built. The normal Roman activities took place here, with gladiators and wild animals providing the sport!

Other places of interest are;

The Catacombs of San Giovanni, which is a series of limestone burial chambers of different sizes.

Castle di Euriato, which was built in the fourth century BC by Dionysus the Younger.

The old stone quarries Latomia del Paradiso is where the stone to build the city came from and there is a twenty-meter high entrance to a cave known as the Ear of Dionysius because of its acoustic qualities.

Also in the quarries is the Necropoli Grotticelli where there are lots of tombs carved out of the rock. It is here you will find the Tomb of Archimedes that was used for holding the funerary urns of the time.

The Altar of Hieron the second, which was built around two hundred and twenty five BC and was dedicated to Zeus Eleutherious the god of freedom. Sadly only the base remains.

Syracuse and Sicily vacation itineraries are not only to do with antiquities but they do dominate the area.

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