I woke up this morning covered in mosquito bites. I counted 10 bites on my face alone and felt that I looked like a leper. Not a happy camper.... so I talked to the hotel, as my eye was swollen from the number of bites around it. Should I see a Dr? What could they do to prevent this from happening on my final night? I didnt get much sympathy, so that tells me this is not an uncommon occurance. Cell phone has still not been found.....
Hired a private driver so that I could go to Siracusa and Ortigia. My driver was a young man (Marco) who drove a Jaguar. He and his father hire out as drivers for tourists like me. Marco would not speak to me in Italian, as he insisted that for the price, he had to improve his English.... at $100euro for the day. I was initially not sure was worth it, but it was an incredible day, and very long, and the sights were something that I could not miss.
Siracusa pronounced is a historic Greek city in Sicily, famous for history, culture, amphitheters, architecture, and the birthplace of Archimedes. The City is believed to be more than 700-years old city played a key role in ancient times, when it was one of the major powers of the Mediterranean given it location on the Gulf of Syracuse and next to the Ionian Sea. The city was founded by Ancient Greek Corinthians and was allied with Sparta and Corinth. It later became part of the roman Republic and Byzantine Empire. Later, Palermo to the west overtook it in importance, as the capital of the Sicily.
First stop: Neapolis Archeological Park: This park covers about 240,000 square meters of land and has a large number of Greek and Roman monuments inside it. These include the Roman amphitheater, the Greek Theater, the Ara di Ierone, and the Latomia del Paradiso.
Ara di Ierone (Altar of Hieron) shown above, was once used by the Greeks for spectacular sacrifices involving hundreds of animals. The first attraction in the park is the Latomia del Paradiso (Quarry of Paradise), a lush tropical garden full of palm and citrus trees. See the photo of the covered pathway. This series of quarries served as prisons for the defeated Athenians, who were enslaved.
At one end is the famous Orecchio di Dionisio (Ear of Dionysus), with an ear-shape entrance and unusual acoustics inside, as you will hear if you clap your hands (a group was doing Gregorian chants while I was there. This is a deep cave about 220 feet deep, 36 feet wide and 75 feet high. It is famous for its special acoustics, which are due to the acute angle-shape of the ceiling that is similar in shape to the outer ear, hence its name “Orecchio” which means “Ear”. It has unbelievable acoustic powers: a sound produced inside the cave is amplified up to 16 times.
The Teatro Greco (Greek Theater - see below) is the chief monument in the Archaeological Park—and one of Sicily's greatest classical sites and the most complete Greek theater surviving from antiquity.
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The well-preserved and striking Anfiteatro Romano (Roman Amphitheater) was next (See below). I started to climb to the top, when what seemed liked three bus loads of kids came through, so I went down to the bottom and took pictures of them being seated for a class. This area will hold 15,000) which was built in the 5th century BC. Greek tragedies are still performed here every year in May and June. Where drama in the Greek theater was a kind of religious ritual, the Roman amphitheater emphasized the spectacle of combative sports and the circus. This arena is one of the largest of its kind and was built around the 2nd century AD. The corridor where gladiators and beasts entered the ring is still intact, and the seats, some of which still bear the occupants' names, were hauled in and constructed on the site from huge slabs of limestone. You can see the bus loads of kids seated.
Next so that we could go before having lunch, was the catacombs - Catacomba di San Giovanni – are below the church of San Giovanni are one of the earliest-known Christian sites in the city. Inside the crypt of San Marciano is an altar where Saint Paul preached on his way through Sicily to Rome. The frescoes in this small chapel are mostly bright and fresh, though some dating from the 4th century AD show their age. The guide spoke both Italian and English, but as almost impossible to understand, as she barely moved her mouth. While I am sweating like a pig because of the humidity, she is bundled up in a heavy coat. It was very interesting to see how they placed bodies in the crypts in the inner parts and then added people as time progressed. They would then decorate over the earlier decorations, and those layers were visible.
After this, we then went to a nearby island that is connected to Siracusa, Ortigia. The island of Ortigia is the historical city heart of Siracusa. The island is densely developed with narrow medieval lanes, past romantically-crumbling - or lovingly-restored - Baroque palaces and churches. Ortigia is joined to the mainland by three bridges. The central bridge, Ponte Umbertino. Piazza Archimede is at the centre of Ortigia. The fountain depicts the myth of the nymph Aretusa.
Piazza Duomo, an elliptical open space lined with impressive buildings. I had lunch across from the Duomo. Siracusa's Duomo is one of the town's most celebrated sights. It was once the Greek Temple of Athena, with a giant gold statue of the goddess on its roof. The huge Doric columns of the temple are still visible but suffered earthquake damage. Inside the Duomo, is a shrine to Santa Lucia, the patron saint of Siracusa, and contains offerings to the saint, as well as the usual relics. As much as I love cats, this was a sad resaturant, as there were about a dozen cats, and one was seriously sick and in need of care. I called the waitress over an in Italian pointed out the cat and asked her to call a veterinarian... she looked at me as if I was pazza (crazy).
Got back to the hotel after stopping at the farmacia as my face had 10 mosquito bites from last nite. My room temp was over 24, which means my room is over 75F. I could not sleep with the window open due to the bugs. Despite how ornate the hotel is, and as friendly the people, I have come to really dislike this hotel - Hotel Royal, a supposedly 4 star hotel. When I complained, they said it was not their fault and they would not even pay for the medicine. But i scratched my self silly as I walked toward the Duomo after spening the day with Marco in his Jaguar -- and consoled myself with some gelato.
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