Day 7 - Mount Etna
changed to Siracusa & Ortygia from Day 6
Today we take the drive to Siracusa, once one of the richest and most beautiful cities in the ancient world, even rivalling Athens. Its most famous resident was Archimedes, that genius of a man who, whilst in the bath discovered the principle of displacement, ran through the streets naked, exclaiming “Eureka” (I’ve found it!) in a story that has entered folklore. Today the city is one of Sicily’s most attractive, a wonderful collection of limestone buildings, dating mainly from the 17th and 18th centuries. There is an extraordinary Baroque Cathedral incorporating an ancient temple, with a lovely interior, and just opposite is the Bosco Palace.
The old port area is extremely attractive; full of small fishing boats unloading their catch. You will be free to explore the old town at the eastern end of the city, called Ortygia; actually an island, connected to the mainland by three bridges. We will have time during the day to take in a panoramic view of the archaeological park and you will have the option to take a boat trip around the bay before returning to our hotel.
I woke up, and got out of bed shortly afterwards, ca.6.15am. Did a bit of diary write-up. We went down for breakfast, back up the room, and down again in time for the coach’s departure for Siracusa scheduled at 8.45am.
Tuesday 9 June 2015 08:48:04
On the coach about to set out to Siracusa
Notable, Denise told us, as the birthplace of pre-eminent mathematician and engineer Archimedes, it was also where St. Paul visited for three days. (If she’d not mentioned this, I’d have done so!) As yesterday, we transferred from the Via Nationale via the loop through the tunnel onto the Autostrada A18 running parallel at that point to the Via Nationale.
Janet’s feeling ill yesterday might have been deemed attributable to the winding nature of the road ascending to Etna, but in that case her feeling very ill this morning on the almost straight autostrada and lying down on two vacant seats was unaccountable. She’d recovered by the time we got there. We left the Autostrada A18, went through Belvedere, and proceeded eastwards along Viale Epipoli, then southwards along Viale Teracati, with the Archaeological Park to our right. If we’d had time in Syracuse to visit this, we’d have seen among other things the Greek Theatre and the Roman Amphitheatre. As it was, we only saw the north-east corner, the Grotticelle Necropolis, putative location of Archimedes’ tomb. Archimedes died when the Romans stormed Syracuse following their two-year-long siege; although the Roman general Marcellus had given orders that Archimedes’ life be spared, one of the soldiers nevertheless killed him. “Oops!”
Tuesday 9 June 2015 10:25:26
Seen from the coach: the Grotticelle Necropolis, which supposedly contains the tomb of Archimedes
On arrival we visited the gift shop/café at the coach park, handing over 50c apiece for the loos. We all then proceeded across the right one of two parallel bridges to the island of Ortygia, and Denise led us as far as Largo XXV Luglio and the ruins of the Temple of Apollo, where those who had opted to go on the boat-trip were to assemble in about an hour’s time.
Tuesday 9 June 2015 10:56:44
About to cross over the bridge from mainland Siracusa to the island of Ortygia: ahead, Ponte Santa Lucia
Tuesday 9 June 2015 10:58:28
Crossing over from Siracusa to the island of Ortygia by Ponte Santa Lucia: looking left at the parallel bridge Ponte Umbertino
Janet and I found an ATM, withdrew some cash, then had a drink in the
Caffè Apollo (pictured below). Ca.11.50am we met up with Denise and those who were going on the boat trip.
Tuesday 9 June 2015 11:46:00
On Largo XXV Luglio, looking east: Temple of Apollo
Tuesday 9 June 2015 11:47:04
On Largo XXV Luglio, looking east: Temple of Apollo
Tuesday 9 June 2015 11:47:26
On Largo XXV Luglio, looking west: Caffè Apollo, where we had refreshments
Tuesday 9 June 2015 11:48:24
On Largo XXV Luglio: pomegranate tree…
Tuesday 9 June 2015 11:50:30
…in fruit…
Tuesday 9 June 2015 11:51:02
…and in flower
It was two or three hundred yards, more or less south, to the pleasure-boat marina where we boarded the boat after it had discharged the passengers from its previous trip.
Tuesday 9 June 2015 11:56:34
About to board
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:05:40
View southwards
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:05:40 (detail 1)
View southwards
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:05:40 (detail 2)
View southwards
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:05:40 (detail 3)
View southwards
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:05:40 (detail 4)
View southwards
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:06:06
View north-westwards
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:06:06 (detail)
View north-westwards
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:06:40
The marina
We set out into the bay, the Porto Grande, and had a trip round it, though we didn’t venture far beyond Castello Maniace at the southern point of Ortygia into the Ionian Sea.
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:19:32
Views from the boat: view northwards, including Ponte Santa Lucia, the bridge we walked over earlier
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:19:32 (detail 1)
Views from the boat: view northwards, including Ponte Santa Lucia, the bridge we walked over earlier
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:19:32 (detail 2)
Views from the boat: view northwards, including Ponte Santa Lucia, the bridge we walked over earlier
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:19:32 (detail 3)
Views from the boat: view northwards
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:21:20
Views from the boat
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:42:50
Views from the boat: Castello Maniace at the southern point of Ortygia
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:42:50 (detail 1)
Views from the boat: Castello Maniace at the southern point of Ortygia
The cone-shaped structure is the apex of the Basilica of Our Lady of Tears in mainland Syracuse, housing a plaster plaque of the Immaculate Heart of Mary which exuded tears for four days in 1953.
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:42:50 (detail 2)
Views from the boat: Castello Maniace at the southern point of Ortygia
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:43:06
Views from the boat: the east side of Ortygia
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:43:06 (detail 1)
Views from the boat: the east side of Ortygia
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:43:06 (detail 2)
Views from the boat: the east side of Ortygia
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:43:14
Views from the boat: the east side of Ortygia
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:43:14 (detail 1)
Views from the boat: the east side of Ortygia
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:43:14 (detail 2)
Views from the boat: the east side of Ortygia
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:43:14 (detail 3)
Views from the boat: the east side of Ortygia
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:43:14 (detail 4)
Views from the boat: the east side of Ortygia
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:49:16
Views from the boat: Castello Maniace
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:51:56
Views from the boat: back along west of Ortygia
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:52:32
Views from the boat: back along west of Ortygia
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:52:52
Views from the boat: back along west of Ortygia
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:54:24
Views from the boat: back along west of Ortygia
Tuesday 9 June 2015 12:55:44
Views from the boat: back along west of Ortygia
And so we landed at the same location from which we’d set out, and wound our way past those who were waiting to replace us aboard.
Janet and I parted from the rest of the company; we were heading for the Cathedral of Syracuse. We followed the map, photocopies of which Denise had handed out on the coach: through Porta Marina, along Via Ruggero Settimo for two or three blocks, left along Via del Collegio, then at the end right along Via Saverio Landolina the short distance to Piazza Duomo.
Tuesday 9 June 2015 13:06:42
Heading for the Cathedral of Syracuse: through Porta Marina
Tuesday 9 June 2015 13:07:46
Heading for the Cathedral of Syracuse: looking back through Porta Marina
Tuesday 9 June 2015 13:08:12
Heading for the Cathedral of Syracuse: along Via Ruggero Settimo
Tuesday 9 June 2015 13:10:46
Heading for the Cathedral of Syracuse: left into Via del Collegio
Tuesday 9 June 2015 13:14:02
Piazza Duomo, the Cathedral (ahead on this view), and at the end of the piazza (right) the Church of Santa Lucia alla Badia
Tuesday 9 June 2015 13:15:26
Syracuse Cathedral
We wanted to visit the Cathedral, built as it was on the site of the 5th century BC temple of Athena. Indeed, down the side along Piazza Minerva (the Roman name of the Greek Athena), and within, rows of original Doric columns can still be seen. We also wanted to visit the nearby Church of Santa Lucia alla Badia, because Denise had mentioned the “Burial of St. Lucy” that’s on display there, painted by brawler and killer Caravaggio in 1608 who’d escaped from prison on Malta and needed some cash. But first we had lunch under umbrellas outside
La volpe e l’uva ristorante/pizzeria. I had a draught beer and a calzone and
Janet had two Coca Cola Light. We didn’t give them a tip because there was €3.80 on the bill for “coporto” (“tableware”).
Tuesday 9 June 2015 13:25:22 La volpe e l’uva…
Tuesday 9 June 2015 13:28:38
…for calzone, “birra alla spina media” and Coca Cola Light
Thence, to the far end of the square to Church of Santa Lucia alla Badia.
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:04:22
Church of Santa Lucia alla Badia
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:04:22 (detail 1)
Church of Santa Lucia alla Badia
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:04:22 (detail 2)
Church of Santa Lucia alla Badia
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:04:22 (detail 3)
Church of Santa Lucia alla Badia
Photography wasn’t allowed inside, but I bought a postcard of the painting.
Caravaggio Burial of St. Lucy (1608)
Then we went to the Cathedral.
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:09:44
Piazza Duomo
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:09:44 (detail 1)
Piazza Duomo
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:09:44 (detail 2)
Piazza Duomo
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:09:44 (detail 3)
Piazza Duomo
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:11:56
Syracuse Cathedral
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:15:08
Syracuse Cathedral: original Doric columns from the temple’s peristyle
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:15:42
Syracuse Cathedral: archways carved into the temple’s cella
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:16:52
Syracuse Cathedral
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:18:34
Syracuse Cathedral
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:19:44
Syracuse Cathedral
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:19:44 (detail 1)
Syracuse Cathedral
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:19:44 (detail 2)
Syracuse Cathedral
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:19:44 (detail 3)
Syracuse Cathedral
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:20:16
Syracuse Cathedral
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:21:04
Syracuse Cathedral
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:21:44
Syracuse Cathedral
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:23:32
Syracuse Cathedral
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:28:10
Syracuse Cathedral
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:28:22
Syracuse Cathedral
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:28:56
Syracuse Cathedral
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:29:04
Syracuse Cathedral
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:29:40
Syracuse Cathedral: St. Peter
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:29:40 (edited)
Syracuse Cathedral: St. Peter
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:30:00
Syracuse Cathedral: St. Paul
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:30:00 (edited)
Syracuse Cathedral: St. Paul
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:30:40
Syracuse Cathedral
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:31:32
Syracuse Cathedral: Ancient cult bowl used as a baptismal font
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:31:32 (detail)
Syracuse Cathedral: Ancient cult bowl used as a baptismal font
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:31:54
Syracuse Cathedral: side chapels
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:32:32
Syracuse Cathedral: side chapels
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:32:44
Syracuse Cathedral
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:32:44 (edited)
Syracuse Cathedral
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:35:18
Syracuse Cathedral
In a side-room there were mementos of St. Lucy.
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:39:26
Syracuse Cathedral: mementos of St. Lucy
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:40:00
Syracuse Cathedral: mementos of St. Lucy
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:41:10
Syracuse Cathedral: mementos of St. Lucy
Denise had mentioned that the names below the statues of saints on the façade were juxtaposed.
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:45:54
Syracuse Cathedral: St. Marcian labelled as St. Lucy
There were a lot of swifts wheeling around there.
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:46:32
Syracuse Cathedral: St. Lucy labelled as St. Marcian
We had to be back at the coach for 4.00pm, in just over an hour, insufficient time to visit any other historic buildings or museums; but, looking at the map, we decided that a detour via the Jewish Quarter was doable. At the far end of Piazza Minerva we turned left and first right along the gently curving Via del Crocifisso, which brought us out opposite the Church of St. Philip the Apostle in Via della Giudecca. We went down the narrow alley Vicolo II alla Giudecca to the left of the church, turned right and right again, and came back along Vicolo III alla Giudecca parallel to Vicolo II.
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:48:34
Side of the Cathedral along Piazza Minerva
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:48:44
Side of the Cathedral along Piazza Minerva
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:49:36
Far end of Piazza Minerva
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:51:04
Via del Crocifisso
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:52:28
Chiesa di San Filippo Apostolo at the end of Via del Crocifisso
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:54:04
Vicolo II alla Giudecca
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:54:48
Vicolo II alla Giudecca
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:56:30
Vicolo III alla Giudecca
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:56:58
Vicolo III alla Giudecca
We thought the roofing technique, with U-shaped/inverted U-shaped, overlapping/underlapping tiles, was interesting.
Tuesday 9 June 2015 14:57:32
U-shaped tiles, overlapping–underlapping
When we got back to Via della Giudecca, we turned right, and near the end noticed a sign “Laboratorio pupi”. The sign above the door said “La Compagnia dei Pupari Vaccaro-Mauceri”. Denise had told us about the tradition of puppet theatre in Sicily, entertaining with tales of knights, dragons, wizards, castles and paladins; and here was an example of a workshop where the puppets were made.
Tuesday 9 June 2015 15:00:56
“Laboratorio pupi” of La Compagnia dei Pupari Vaccaro-Mauceri
Tuesday 9 June 2015 15:00:56 (detail 1)
“Laboratorio pupi” of La Compagnia dei Pupari Vaccaro-Mauceri
Tuesday 9 June 2015 15:00:56 (detail 2)
“Laboratorio pupi” of La Compagnia dei Pupari Vaccaro-Mauceri: puppet dragon with visible strings
We turned left into Via della Maestranza and a short walk brought us to Piazza Archimede with the Fontana di Artemide (or Fontana di Diana) in the middle. We had refreshments at a café there.
Tuesday 9 June 2015 15:13:12
Refreshments in Piazza Archimede
Tuesday 9 June 2015 15:15:26
Fontana di Diana
Tuesday 9 June 2015 15:15:26 (detail 1)
Fontana di Diana
Tuesday 9 June 2015 15:15:26 (detail 2)
Fontana di Diana
From there we went along Corso Giacomo Matteotti, bore left into Via Salvatore
Chindemi,[i] returned over Ponte Santa Lucia, went a short distance down Via Malta — where a house on the opposite side begged to be photographed! — then left and back to the coach park. We had another 50c loo-visit in the shop before boarding the coach.
[i] According to Janet’s journal, written the same day and much closer to the time I wrote my account above: “Then… off to meet up with Denise at the Temple of Apollo.” If that were the case, though, I’d have expected some evidence of the company in the photo below. When stopping to take a photo I would almost invariably fall behind the others.
If one were to follow Janet’s account, mine would then have to read: “From there we went along Corso Giacomo Matteotti to Largo XXV Luglio and the Temple of Apollo, where we met up with Denise. From there we went along Via Salvatore Chindemi, returned over Ponte Santa Lucia, went a short distance down Via Malta — where a house on the opposite side begged to be photographed! — then left and back to the coach
park.”
Tuesday 9 June 2015 15:47:42
About to go back over Ponte Santa Lucia
Tuesday 9 June 2015 15:50:42
Via Malta, 24, 96100 Siracusa SR, Italy
Our journey back to the autostrada took us along a road, Viale Ermocrate, more or less parallel to the outward one but south of it. We passed a large cemetery (“Cimitero Comunale”) and after that there was the tell-tale regular array of white monoliths that betokened a military cemetery.
Tuesday 9 June 2015 16:08:26
Seen from the coach: Syracuse War Cemetery
Codenamed ‘Operation Husky’ the landing of 160,000 British, Commonwealth and US troops in Sicily on the night of 9 and 10 July 1943 was the Allies’ first foray into what was then Axis territory — the island was then under Nazi occupation and rightly regarded as vital to control the Mediterranean…. Many of the Allied troops who died that night are buried… at Siracusa War Cemetery…. The cemetery contains the remains of 1,059 members of the British and Commonwealth forces, 134 of them unidentified, who died in World War II. The cemetery is owned and run by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission…
Carol King: Siracusa War Cemetery: Lest We Forget (Italy Magazine, Friday, July 6, 2012)
There was very heavy rain, with thunder and lightning, on the way back, which had almost stopped by the time we arrived at the hotel. We went up to the room, and I transferred 93 items (79 photos and 14 videos) from the camera to the
WD Elements HDD (18:05–18:16), rotating 22 photos that needed it (18:18–18:24). We’d bought three postcards in Ortygia; I wrote on two, to Chris and to my Mum, and kept the third.
Meanwhile, Janet started packing the suitcases. She’d got one zipped up and ready, and everything else organised for quick packing in the other tomorrow. We went down for aperativi and for dinner. “We sat with Karen and Colin,
etc., and had a real laugh…” Janet wrote. “At 9pm we said our ‘good nights’, returned to our room, then back down to Reception to pay our bill
([my[ii] calculations proved] correct!), then back to our room.” I took the photo, below, from the balcony, perhaps just before we went down to settle the
account.
[ii] My — i.e. Janet’s.
Tuesday 9 June 2015 21:03:50
View southwards from the balcony
Tuesday 9 June 2015 21:03:50 (detail)
View southwards from the balcony
We had a look at photos and videos before going to bed some time after 10pm.
