Ortigia (Siracusa)
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The tiny island of Ortigia is packed with history. This is where scientist Archimedes ran through the streets shouting “Eureka!” and its streets have seen illustrious visitors such as Marcus Cicero, Admiral Lord Nelson, Benito Mussolini and General Sir Bernard Montgomery when he landed there during World War II.
Linked to the mainland by three small bridges this is the ideal spot to stay if you are visiting the Siracusa’s Teatro Greco amphitheatre. But the island is also a place you can spend a week or more exploring what’s on offer. When Siracusa was the most powerful colony in ancient Western Greece, Ortigia was the sacred island inhabited by priests and rulers such as the tyrant Dionysius I (c. 432 – 367 BC). It is home to the remains of three Greco-Roman temples: the Temple of Apollo, the Temple of Minerva that forms the foundations and exterior of the Duomo cathedral, and the Temple of Diana. The island has always had a place in ancient history since, according to myth, the spring that attracted the Greeks to settle there was where the nymph Arethusa was transformed into a spring by the goddess Artemis at the Fonte Aretusa.
Later inhabited by the Arabs, Byzantines, Swabs and Spanish, the town is a labyrinth of winding streets and alleys laid out to a medieval plan. It was the Spanish that fortified the island against attack, meaning that it is encircled by a large stone wall broken only by its marina that during the summer is home to yachts both large and small, and owned by bypassers such as designer Giorgio Armani. At the tip of the island is a thirteenth-century castle, Castello Maniace, which was adapted by the Spanish, and its glistening white walls stretch out into the Ionian Sea.
This is a place to wander: you can marvel at the medieval stonework and Baroque façades and balconies, pop in on the ancient Jewish baths and numerous churches, choose from a vast array of bars, cafes and restaurants, and shop until you drop at the bustling market and chic shops.
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