Page 549 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Italy

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Norman campanile, and occupies Emanuele. The magnificent
the site where St Lucy, patron Palazzo Trigona (1781) stands
saint of Siracusa, was martyred on Via Cavour behind the
in AD 304. Achradina is now the Duomo. On Via Nicolaci, the
centre of modern Siracusa. Palazzo Villadorata (1730s)
To the north, in Tyche, is the features a splendid façade
Museo Archeologico Regionale adorned with elaborate stone
Paolo Orsi, with its important carvings. At the north end of Via
collection of artifacts from the Nicolaci, the Monastery of
Palaeolithic to the Byzantine era, Montevergine has a striking
taken from southeastern sites in curved façade. In mid-May, Via
Sicily. Included are vases, coins, Nicolaci is the site of the Infior ata
bronzes, sculpture and fragments flower festival. Gagliardi’s church
from Siracusan temples. The façade of the Duomo in Noto rises of the Crocifisso (1728) stands
The Neapolis quarter and its above a huge staircase on the town’s summit. It contains
Parco Archeologico feature a sculpture of the Madonna by
the Teatro Romano, the Altar the local white tufa, a limestone Francesco Laurana (1471). The
of Hieron II and the spectac ular that has turned a honey-brown Municipio (1740s), facing the
Teatro Greco, carved from colour from the sun. Noto is a Duomo, has a fine “billowing”
the hillside. Beyond the UNESCO World Heritage Site, ground-floor design.
Nymphaeum is the 2nd-century- but unfortunately much of its
AD Roman amphitheatre and beauty is behind scaffolding Environs
the stone quarries – the Latomia due to ongoing restoration. The earthquake of 1693 also
del Paradiso featuring the The twin-towered Duomo devastated the towns of
Ear of Dionysius. It is thought (completed 1770s) that Modica, around 30 km
that 7,000 Athenians were dominates Noto is by architect (19 miles) to the west, and
incarcerated here and left to Rosario Gagliardi, who also Ragusa, a short distance further.
die after their calamitous defeat designed the eccentric tower Like Noto, they were rebuilt in
in 413 BC, in a battle described façade of the seminary of San the region’s rich Baroque style.
by Thucydides as “the greatest Salvatore (18th century) in Gagliardi worked on Modica’s
action in Hellenic history”. Piazza Municipio, the convex San Giorgio (early 18th cen-
façade of San Domenico tury), on Ragusa’s San Giorgio
Environs (1730s) in Piazza XVI Maggio, (begun around 1746, and one
At Epipolae, 8 km (5 miles) and the oval interior of Santa of his masterpieces) and San
north of Neapolis, is the Castle Chiara (1730) on Corso Vittorio Giuseppe (mid-18th century).
of Euryalus – the most
important ancient Greek
fortification to have survived.
E Galleria Regionale di
Palazzo Bellomo
Palazzo Bellomo, Via Capodieci 14.
Tel 0931 695 11. Open 9am–6:30pm
Tue–Sun (to 1pm public hols). & 7
E Museo Archeologico
Regionale Paolo Orsi
Viale Teocrito 66. Tel 0931 48 95 11.
Open 9am–6pm Tue–Sun (to 1pm
Sun). Last adm: 1 hr before closing.
& 7

p Noto
Siracusa. * 24,000. V @ n Piazza
XVI Maggio (0931 83 67 44). ( Mon
& 1st & 3rd Tue of the month.
∑ comune.noto.sr.it
Noto was built from scratch in
the early 18th century to replace
Noto Antica, which was devas-
tated by an earthquake in 1693.
The town was comprehensively
designed in Baroque style, using Boisterous carving on the façade of the Palazzo Villadorata in Noto

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