Syracuse is one of the loveliest cities in Sicily. We tend to forget that it was once the most important city in Western Europe. The city owes its origin to the Greek settlers who, from 733 BC onwards, turned Sicily into Magna Graecia, when Greece ruled not only the Mediterranean but also the known world.
Colonialists from various Greek City States soon took over the whole of Sicily, however the Corinthians in Syracuse prevailed over the rest with Syracuse eventually ruling all of Sicily for over 500 years. Testimonies to this splendid era are the Greek monuments which are known and admired by visitors from all over the world.
The illustrious Greek period came to an end with the epic two year Roman Siege of Syracuse which ended in 212 BC. It will always be remembered for the slaying of the Greek mathematician Archimedes.
Every schoolchild will have heard of Archimedes’ Principle, what they may not know is that he was responsible for the prolongation of the Siege of Syracuse by designing the most elaborate war machines to counter every Roman attempt to take the city.
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The quarries in the Parco Archeologico have an indirect connection with Malta. The Latomia del Paradiso (the Quarries of Paradise) are truly paradise on a hot summer’s day where the now shaded gardens and breezes provide respite from the hot summer sun.
The Malta connection, a little farfetched, is the Orecchio di Dionisio, the cave which according to Caravaggio, Michelangelo di Merisi, fleeing from Malta after his imprisonment here, looked like the Ear of Dionisio.
What we see today is a Teatro modified by the Romans but still enjoyed not only by thousands of visitors but also by those who in the summer months go there to enjoy concerts and performances of Greek drama. This Teatro is the largest in Sicily, it enjoys a worldwide reputation.
The Romans unlike the Greeks did not use their theatres for Drama but for fights to the death by gladiator. These differences can be seen in the much smaller Anfiteatro Romano, close by. This teatro is no longer used but is of interest; there is a concrete structure at one end which reminds us that concrete was invented by the Romans but forgotten only to be rediscovered centuries later.
Ancient Syracuse, is in fact an island, now joined to the mainland by a short bridge. It is the heart and soul of Syracuse, where the Greeks, for reasons of defense, decided to found their new city.
Ortygia was in recent years given a face lift and is attracting more and more visitors. The Porto forms one of the boundaries of the city and is well known to Maltese sailing enthusiasts.
At the centre of Ortygia is the Piazza Duomo, with the Duomo taking pride of place. The Duomo is unique, no other word for it. It was built by the Greeks as the Temple of Athena. When the Byzantines conquered Syracuse, instead of demolishing the temple, as so often happened, they converted it into a Christian church.
The Normans modified the interior and built a more Christian façade. When the façade was destroyed in the 1693 earthquake the baroque façade which we see today was erected.
The Duomo, one of the oldest sites of continued worship in the world is uniquely an example of Greek, Byzantine, Norman and Baroque architecture all in one.
One end of Piazza Duomo leads to the Piazza Archimede with its magnificent XX Century Fountain of Diana, the Roman Goddess of the Hunt, now the symbol of Syracuse; the nymph Arethusa is seen at Diana’s feet.
The other end of the Piazza Duomo leads to another fountain, the Fonte Aretusa, a fresh water spring that attracted the Greeks to Ortygia.
Another thing that Caravaggio did for Syracuse during his very short stay after his escape from Malta, he left behind the painting Burial of Santa Lucia. This is now in a small church at the Aretusa end of Piazza Duomo.
Worth a mention are two other Malta connections. A statue of St Paul, in front of the Duomo, records the saint’s visit to Syracuse on his way to Rome from Malta in AD 60, when he brought Christianity to Syracuse.
The other is closer to our times; Syracuse is where Nelson got his fresh water for his Royal Navy squadron during the Blockade of Malta in 1798.