Siracusa
When we arrived in Siracusa, our guide Alfio took us for a walk in the city's historic old town on the island of Ortygia. In the square sits the Cathedral of Siracusa. This Cathedral spans centuries of different architectural styles. There are Doric columns visible on the left nave dating from when the Temple of Athena stood on this site. In the Seventh Century, when the first Christian church was built there, the Doric columns were incorporated into its structure. The present baroque facade was rebuilt in 1700 after the earthquake of 1693.
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Buon giorno! This morning we are with our local guide Rosa. Today Rosa is taking us on a tour of Siracusa's Archeological Park. Here we visited the Greek Theater. It measures 455 feet across and was able to seat 15,000 spectators.
Did you know that if you position yourself in the center of the stage and whisper, a friend sitting in the top row could hear you? Rosa also showed us one of two man-made grottoes. The one pictured hear is called the Ear of Dionysius. The fugitive painter Caravaggio gave it this name due to its form of a huge elfin ear. Arrivederci Rosa, and thanks for your informative tour! |
After our tour with Rosa, Alfio our Rick Steve's guide led some of us through the marketplace on the island of Ortigia. It was a very colorful market with lots of seafood and cheese.
We bought our fixings for our lunch (bread, meat, and cheese) from the friendly vendor at left. |
After lunch we had some free time to enjoy walking around Ortigia. We enjoyed some cookies and coffee on the main square and did some people watching. Great pastime!
We also spent some time just walking and enjoying the typical narrow streets before our puppet show this evening. |
We decided to be adventurous for our evening meal and ordered pasta with squid (including the black ink). We found it very delicious.
Did you know that Sicily's most famous pasta dish is pasta alla Norma? Pasta alla Norma is simmered eggplant paired with tomato sauce and herbs and garnished with ricotta salata. Tomorrow we are off to Piazza Armerina. |