What to See in Syracuse - Top Sights and Attractions

Limestone cave known as Ear of Dionysius. The Ear of Dionysius is a limestone cave carved out of the Temenites hill in the city of Syracuse, on the island of Sicily in Italy. Its name, given by the painter Michelangelo da Caravaggio, comes from its similarity in shape to the human ear. The name is also linked to the acoustic effects inside the cave: it is said that people's voices echo up to 16 times.^[1]

Catholic cathedral in Syracuse, Italy. The Cathedral of Syracuse, formally the Cattedrale metropolitana della Natività di Maria Santissima, is an ancient Catholic church in Syracuse, Sicily, the seat of the Catholic Archdiocese of Siracusa. Its structure is originally a Greek doric temple, and for this reason it is included in a UNESCO World Heritage Site designated in 2005.

The cathedral stands in the city's historic core on Ortygia Island.^[2]

Historical place in Syracuse, Italy. The Temple of Apollo is one of the most important ancient Greek monuments on Ortygia, in front of the Piazza Pancali in Syracuse, Sicily, Italy.^[3]

Amphitheater in Syracuse, Italy. The Roman amphitheatre of Syracuse is one of the best preserved structures in the city of Syracuse, Sicily, from the early Imperial period.^[4]

Tourist attraction in Syracuse, Italy. The Grotta del Ninfeo is an artificial cavity in the rock of Temenite Hill located in the Archaeological park of Neapolis in Syracuse.^[5]

Castle in Syracuse, Italy. The Castello Maniace is a citadel and castle in Syracuse, Sicily, southern Italy. It is situated at the far point of the Ortygia island promontory, where it was constructed between 1232 and 1240 by the Emperor Frederick II. It bears the name of George Maniakes, the Byzantine general who besieged and took the city in 1038. Originally, one could only enter the castle over a bridge spanning a moat. A feature of the castle is the decorated portal. Today the castle is open to public and is a local tourist attraction in Syracuse.^[6]

Historical landmark in Italy. The Euryalus Fortress located in the frazione of Belvedere, was the key point in the fortifications of the ancient Greek city of Syracuse. It is located on the highest point of the hill of Epipolae, around 7 km northwest of Syracuse.^[8]

Performing arts theater in Syracuse, Italy. The Greek theatre of Syracuse lies on the south slopes of the Temenite hill, overlooking the modern city of Syracuse in southeastern Sicily. It was first built in the 5th century BC, rebuilt in the 3rd century BC and renovated again in the Roman period. Today, it is a part of the Unesco World Heritage Site of "Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica".

Despite its abandoned state, it remains one of the most beautiful locations in the world, offering the most grandiose and picturesque spectacle that there is.^[9]

Museum in Syracuse, Italy. Bellomo Palace Regional Gallery is an art museum in Syracuse, Sicily.^[10]

Palazzo. The Palazzo Beneventano del Bosco is a large urban palace, located on piazza Duomo, across from the present city hall and diagonal to the Cathedral of Syracuse, in the island of Ortigia in the city of Syracuse in Sicily, Italy.^[11]

Museum in Syracuse, Italy. The Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi of Syracuse, Sicily is one of the principal archaeological museums of Europe.^[12]

Historical landmark in Syracuse, Italy. The Temple of Athena is a hexastyle peripteral Doric temple built in Syracuse in the 5th century BC by the tyrant Gelo after his victory over the Carthaginians at the Battle of Himera. The temple was preceded by a cult site which dated back to the 8th century BC, with an altar discovered in excavation at the beginning of the twentieth century, and by an earlier temple from the middle of the sixth century BC.^[13]

Beach

The Neapolis Archaeological Park is a natural area filled with archaeological finds belonging to several periods of Syracuse history. Due to the quantity and significance of its monuments, it is considered one of the most important archaeological areas in Sicily and among the largest in the Mediterranean.

Burial ground. Syracuse War Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial ground for the dead of World War II located near Syracuse on the island of Sicily.^[14]

Palace in Syracuse, Italy. Palazzo Montalto, also known as Palazzo Mergulese-Montalto, is a late 14th-century palace on the island of Ortygia in Syracuse, Sicily.^[15]

The shrine of Saint Lucy at the tomb is a shrine erected on the site where the Syracusan saint was martyred in 304 during the great persecution ordered by Emperor Diocletian.

The church, the convent of the Franciscan Friars Minor and the Saint's nearby tomb, at the Santa Lucia neighborhood of the city, were defined as extra moenia because they were isolated from the remaining part of Syracuse. For this very reason it was also known as the church of Santa Lucia outside the walls.

The church of San Nicolo ai Cordari was one of the first churches built in Syracuse.

Monument in Syracuse, Italy. The Altar of Hieron or the Great Altar of Syracuse is a monumental grand altar in the ancient quarter of Neapolis in Syracuse, Sicily. It was built in the Hellenistic period by King Hiero II and is the largest altar known from antiquity.^[16]