Siracusa is quite simply a wonderful place to visit. One can spend many pleasant hours strolling through the narrow lanes of the old town, Ortygia. The Piazza del Duomo is the center of the area. We found a good lunch cafe there and stuck with it. The archeological museum and park are excellent. We may go back!
1 Piazza del Duomo, on the island of Ortygia, the old part of Siracusa
2 Fonte Aretusa and boats in the bay on a sunny Sunday afternoon
3 Fonte Aretusa
4 Papyrus plants in the Fonte Aretusa
5 Boats next to the ramparts of Ortygia
6 Huge boats (actually, ships) and local sunbathers
7 An aquatic social gathering
8 The Castello Maniace, on the southern tip of Ortygia, dates from the 13th century.
9 Castello Maniace
10 Duomo in setting-sun light
11 Saint and balloons in front of the Duomo
12 Saint, lighted by the setting sun, and balloons in front of the Duomo
13 The Duomo incorporates the ancient Temple of Minerva, whose columns are visible along the north wall.
14 Wonderful spring flowers
15 The Greek theater, unfortunately masked by bleachers
16 Pretty flowers in the Neapolis Archeological Zone
17 Orecchio di Dioniso (Ear of Dionysus), a quarry in the Neapolis Archeological Zone
18 Orecchio di Dioniso
19 Funny stone pillar
20 Old quarries and carved-out houses in the archeological zone
21 Altar of Hieron II, in the Parco Archeologico
22 Park and Roman amphitheater
23 Roman amphitheater
24 Ruins of the Temple of Apollo
25 Through a window of the Temple of Apollo, the daily market
26 Ortygia market
27 Really fresh fish
28 Fruit
29 Charcuterie
30 A street in Ortygia
31 Fountain in the PIazza Archimede
32 Another narrow street
33 Salad Capresi at the Caffé la Piazza in the Piazza del Duomo
34 Park of the Museo Archeologico Regionale
35 Museo Archeologico Regionale
36 Museo Archeologico, door slabs with reliefs "thought to be a diagrammatic representation of the sexual act." Early Bronze Age, 22nd-15th c. BCE.
37 Museo Archeologico
38 Museo Archeologico, restored pots and vases
39 Corinthian perfume vase in the form of a lion, end of 7th to first quarter 6th c. BCE.
40 Beautiful Greek vases
41 The so-called Landolina Venus, beloved of Maupassant; a 2nd c. Roman copy of a Greek statue from around 300-400 years earlier. (Arm supports airbrushed out.)
