We left Catania by bus to travel further south to the city of Syracuse and Mt. Etna was in full view…
All along the way there were fields of green and the sun was shining…
We stopped in Syracuse but our accommodation was in the small island of Ortiga which is connected by a series of pedestrian and vehicle bridges and about 20 mins walk from the bus stop…
The local ladies on one of the bridges taking in the sights…
Ortiga is considered the historical center of the city of Syracruse. In 2005 it was recognized as part of the UNESCO Heritage Sites because it recognizes the evolution of the Mediterranean over more than two millennia.
This is a drone shot from the Internet to show its’ shape and size…
It is quite small and made for a relaxing few days as we strolled around to take in the sights around the island. It was also very busy with many tourists including one day a cruise ship…
We stayed in a small Airbnb with a wonderful courtyard…
There are a lot of historical places on the island including the Temple of Apollo which sits directly in front of the bridges when you cross. It is the remains of the oldest stone temple in Sicily dating back to the early 6th century BC.
Over 2600 years the site was repeatedly repurposed as a Byzantine Christian church, an Islamic mosque, a Norman basilica and a Spanish military barracks which shows the number of conquers who inhabited Ortiga over time.
Standing right at the entrance to the island is a modern bronze statue of Archimede, known as one of the greatest mathematicians of all time and a native of Syracruse.
Ortiga has a lot of great Piazzas including this one depicting the goddess Artemis protecting the nymph Arethusa as she transforms in to a freshwater spring…
However the main Piazza features the Syracruse Cathedral which was built in directly into the structure of a 5th Century Greek Temple of Athena.
Rather than demolish the ancient pagan temple, builders absorbed the massive columns into the Christian church walls creating a living monument spanning 2500 years of history…
We were there at sunset when the Cathedral literally glowed.
Inside you can see the original columns of the temple
It is not an overly decorated church, the altar and a small chapel…
Another church in the Piazza…
There is a lovely sea wall walk around the tip of the island…
And lots of places to sit and enjoy the view which we did…
Some of the architecture of Ortiga…
Lots of old fountains…
New and old…
Typical alleyway…
Another one with clothes drying…
Lots of places to eat and drink surrounded by history…
Lots of shopping…
Ortiga is also a fishing town with an active harbour…
The tourist taxi…
The Fountain of Arethusa which is a natural spring which in antiquity made Ortiga ideal for Greek settlement in the 8th century. It is still working today…
There is also a daily market which is quite lively…
Checking out the arancina and the old guy who was joking around…
It was a great stop, not too big so we didn’t have to spend all day walking and time to enjoy the place with some more good Italian food…
Lemon granita…
Delicious tuna cakes…
Octopus and squid pasta…
And Sicilian pizza, no pepperoni and tomato sauce for Don and he was not impressed!
But the restaurant was cool…
We enjoyed our time here and now on to our last stop which is the capital city of Sicily, Palmero.
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