A weekend in Syracuse
We are staying in a delightful b and b which is a converted convent near the railway station. We have decided to spend the weekend here as there is so much to see and do, on a scale of 1 – 10 Syracuse is without doubt a 10 and definitely high up in our top 10 favourite places so far. The weather is fantastic which is always a bonus. We set off to explore the old town on the Island of Ortygia which is delightful. First of all we circumnavigated the town around the harbour walls and stopped for a photo opportunity as it was so picturesque.
A banyan tree which reminded us that it is 12 months since we were in Bangalore for Venetia A's wedding.
A typical street in the 'old town' Ortygia.
Typical tourists - easily distinguished because everyone else is wearing full length fur coats and woollen hats!
One for any yachties reading this.
Lovely old street house in the centre of Ortygia
The streets are full of baroque buildings and we had a very happy time exploring down the small side streets. There are so many churches it is difficult to know where to start but fortunately most are locked. We enjoyed looking in St Lucy’s church where they have a lovely Caravaggio painting of St Lucy after she had died. The painting has been well restored but is now hanging so far away behind the altar that it is difficult to see well. After we arrived on Friday night we had tried to visit the Greek and Roman ruins on the outskirts of town. They are supposedly open until 1 hour before sunset, so today we had planned it well and arrived there at 3.20 ( sunset is about 6.20) and needless to say they decided to close early. We retired rather annoyed so visited the Archeological Museum instead, which was very interesting but there were an AWFUL lot of broken pots and vases so our eyes were slightly glazed (good pun there!) by the 4th room.
Strawberries in the market which looked and smelt delicious but were in fact crunchy and tasteless - ah well!
Our backs to St Lucy's and the Duomo up on the right.
yet another Baroque fronted church.
We then called in on the 1960’s Duomo which was huge and circular, with a very tall concrete spire coming up from the middle. A bit like a squat circular marquee with an enormous pole in the middle. There are little rectangular pods coming off the sides which are gradually being put into use as chapels. It actually had a very nice feel to it all, so we left in a better frame of mind and forgave the archaeological site keepers and the Museum curators!
We walked into the old town on both nights and had good suppers, we are so used to being on our own that we are always surprised to hear other British people in the restaurant. Being a popular place to visit, there were several so we sat in a different room as our manners might be too bad to be seen in public these days! On the Friday night the restaurant recommended by the hotel was about 15 minutes walk in the ‘old town’. Most of the route was ‘light’ but there was a gap of about 100yds in the middle where there were gardens traversing the road and a large ornate church at one end.
Church by the dark part of town!
It was in this dark bit that we spotted 2 girls dressed as if they were going swimming, or something. No need to guess any further but call me ‘old fashioned’ I still find it uncomfortable walking with Vivi past scantily clad hookers! Anyway enough said and on we went to supper. An hour and a half later I reckoned it would be pretty safe to go back the same way as obviously if they were any good then by now they would be busy and therefore not there. Hah – not a bit of it, there must have been 15 of them if there was 1, all yellin’ and shoutin’ at each other, flirting with boys on motorcycles in fact anyone who came into their orbit. It was all extremely good natured and almost looked as if it was a community service they were providing which I suppose it is.
Sadly I had forgotten my camera so we had to go back the next night to see if I could get a record of the scene. But, trying to take a surreptitious photograph knowing that if you are caught a man in black with a baseball bat will probably show you the error of your ways does not make it easy. So I bottled out and only managed a rather blurred attempt but expanded you can see a swirl of legs and car headlights!!
Sadly I had forgotten my camera so we had to go back the next night to see if I could get a record of the scene. But, trying to take a surreptitious photograph knowing that if you are caught a man in black with a baseball bat will probably show you the error of your ways does not make it easy. So I bottled out and only managed a rather blurred attempt but expanded you can see a swirl of legs and car headlights!!
Bit too scared to set up a professional photo here but if you click on it there are definitely lots of long legs!
On Sunday morning we made sure that we went to the ruins first, and we had a glorious morning wandering around. The area is vast, encompassing remains of both Roman and Greek civilisations. It was fascinating but without a guide book a certain amount of guesswork is required understanding what everything was for. There were guides but you had to be in a group of 20, so we lurked around the English and French ones and learned a little more. The shop was shut so no chance of buying a book either. The amphitheatre is enormous and a group of French students were enacting a Greek drama we think, which was fun to watch while we chomped our picnic sitting on the steps. It is a strange thought that people had been sitting on these same steps for at nearly 3000 years. Every second summer they put on a season of Greek plays in it which would be lovely to be around for. It was very spring like with lots of butterflies, spring flowers and birds and terribly peaceful.
This cave known as Dionese' ear goes a very long way underground and is very dark!!
And it's right beside the Corderi's cave who are now know as Cordwainers!
The Roman amphitheatre where they held markets, elections, lectures, plays, fights and there were shops, offices in fact life in general in 300BC went on in this oval. Unfortunately Tekso Romanicus opened an out of town superstore with excellent slave trading and covered facilities and since then it has been allowed to decay somewhat.
The Greek Theatre (please admire my first attempt at 'stitching' a photograph. Where we had lunch in the seats to the left. BC 700!!Click to open.
Known as Archimedes' well. And we presume that is the same Archimedes who invented the 'screw'.
Afterwards we chained the bikes to the Duomo and took a look inside. This church is absolutely splendid. For a start it has been magnificently restored but also after walking about for a while you realize that you are in a Greek temple but that the gaps between the Doric columns
The 'infilled' Doric columns and a couple a pictures of the stunning ceiling paintings.
have been filled in making it into a modern building. The huge stone slabs that lie across the top of the columns are all still there it must be thousands of years old. There are Chapels along the southern side which have been added subsequently. They have spectacular ceiling paintings and in one a small silver box a ‘relic’ of St Lucy of whom we still know nothing, but are relying on JS-B to enlighten us!
Relic of St Lucy, we weren't able to see which part of her it was.
Later that evening I was determined to visit the ‘grand port’ as I had hoped we could get a ferry to Malta from there. Firstly getting to the seaside is incredibly difficult as most of the foreshore seems to be privately owned, fenced and locked up and secondly on this occasion it was all warehouses and factories. Eventually we found a gap and discovered a small world of fanatical fishermen and for the first time in 5 months actually saw a man catch a fish. About as big as your little finger mind you but into the bucket it went and undoubtedly by now will have fed the smallest member of his family.
Man unhooking his catch!
Caught fish swirls in the water!!
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