Page 142 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Sicily

140  SICIL Y AREA B Y AREA

1 Syracuse

For three centuries, from around 500 BC, Syracuse (in
modern Italian, Siracusa) was the most powerful city in
the Mediterranean. Birthplace of Archimedes and home
to Pythagoras and Plato, the city’s history, from prehistoric
populations through to the introduction of Baroque archi­
tecture, is still clearly visible in many streets and buildings.
The Greek theatre survives in good condition, and you can still
see the stone quarries, or Latomie, which provided stone for
many of the ancient monuments, but also served as prisons.

T The Neapolis T Greek Theatre
Archaeological Zone See pp142–3.
Viale Paradiso 14. Tel 0931-66206.
Open summer: 9am–6pm; winter: } Latomie
9am–3pm. Closed Mon. & A huge hollow separates the
The Neapolis Archaeological theatre area and the southern
Zone was established in 1955 section of the site. This is the
with the aim of grouping the area of the Latomie – stone
antiquities of Syracuse within quarries – from which the
one site, enabling visitors to architects of ancient Syracuse
make an uninterupted tour of extracted millions of cubic Entrance to the Orecchio di Dioniso, in the
the city’s most remote past. Not metres of stone for building. Latomie area
far from the ticket office for the The enor mous caves were also
park is medieval San Nicolò dei used as prisons for centuries. acoustics of this cave enabled
Cordari, built over a reservoir The Ear of Dion ysius (Orecchio the local tyrant Dionysius to
(piscina) cut out of the rock, di Dioniso) is one of the most hear the whispers of his most
which was used for cleaning the impressive quarries. According dangerous prisoners and take
nearby Roman amphitheatre. to legend, the extraordinary due precautions. Caravaggio
Castello Euralio
8 km (5 miles)
Syracuse Catacombs
1 Latomie VIALE RIZ Z O of San Giovanni TYCHE
Evangelista
2 Greek Theatre Latomie VIALE TERACATI Museo
Archeologico
pp142–3 Greek Regionale
3 Altar of Hieron II Theatre VIA LE AUGUSTO VIALE TEÓCRITO VIA TORINO RIVIERA DIONSIO IL GRANDE
Altar
4 Roman of Hieron II Santa
Lucia
PIAZZA
Roman
Amphitheatre Amphitheatre VITTORIA VIA ENNA VIA MONTE GRAPPA
VIALE
PIAZZA
5 Catacombs of San PAOLO ORSI VIALE LUIGI CADORNA S. LUCIA
Giovanni Evangelista CORSO GELONE C. TIMOLEONTE
VIA D'ARSENALE
6 Museo Archeologico REPUBBLICA VIA STATELLO
PIAZZA
Regionale pp144–5 Train Station
7 Ortygia pp146–7 ACHRADINA Porto Píccolo
FORO
SIRACUSANO
Bus
CORSO UMBERTO I
VIA ELORINA
Station
RIVA LUNG. DI
DELLA LEVANTE
POSTA
CORSO UMBERTO I
VIA MALTA
Temple of Apollo
V. SAVOJA
LARGO
XXV LUGLIO MIRABELLA
VIA
Palazzo Montalto
Porto
Grande Palazzo PIAZZA ORTYGIA
Beneventano DUOMO
Duomo VIA LARGA
Fonte Aretusa VIA NIZZ A
Galleria Regionale ORTIGIA
LUNGOMARE
0 metres 600
Castello
0 yards 600 Maniace
For keys to map symbols see back flap
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