Ortigia Island Tour All Inclusive - Syracuse

The temple of Apollo does not contain a single story, but multiple. Born as a temple for the cult of Apollo in the 6th century BC, it is transformed into different structures and today it is possible to see not only this Doric temple, the oldest in Sicily, but also small details that tell us about its troubled history.

Like an inscription on one of the remaining walls, which tells us of when it was a mosque during the Arab domination, or that pointed door that reveals a Norman history. However, this temple has also become a Christian church, a Spanish barracks and a residential building.

Its remains steeped in history are now visible to everyone thanks to the recovery works that began in the 1800s.

This square is dedicated to one of the most famous historical personalities in the world, Archimedes, born in Syracuse. The focal point of the square is certainly the Diana Fountain, which with its sculptures tells us the myth of Arethusa, transformed into a source by Diana to make it escape the god Alfeo.

Precisely because the fountain attracts the most attention, we often forget that it is surrounded by structures that speak of the history of Syracuse: the Palazzo del Banco di Sicilia, with its neoclassical style; Palazzo Pupillo, built in the late Baroque style in the 1700s; the Palazzo Interlanti Pizzuti, built in the 18th century in Baroque style and then embellished with Liberty details; or even the Palazzo Lanza-Bucceri dating back to the '300.

In Piazza Minerva there is a real treasure declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO: the Cathedral of Syracuse.

It is located in Piazza Minerva, a name dedicated to the Greek divinity to whom a sacred Doric style temple dating back to 500 BC was dedicated.Only on that temple the Byzantines built a Christian cathedral, partially destroyed by the earthquake of 1693 and then rebuilt in Baroque style . Inside the Duomo you can still see the columns of the ancient temple, which make this structure truly unique.

Piazza Minerva is not just a square. It has been the vital center of Ortigia since ancient times and continues to be so today, preserving its magical air.

Named after the patron saint of the city, this church dates back at least to the 15th century. Made in Baroque style, the most suggestive part is certainly the floor, in painted ceramic. Inside the church there is a painting by Caravaggio depicting the burial of Saint Lucia.

An unmissable stop on a tour of the Island of Ortigia is the Fonte Aretusa, suspended between legend and reality. It is said that the goddess Diana transformed the nymph Arethusa into a source to protect it from the god Alphaeus. This man, destroyed by pain, was in turn transformed into the river that bears his name, which from Greece would reach Syracuse to meet again with his beloved.

The source looks like a small lake surrounded by vegetation, a corner of paradise in the oldest part of Ortigia which becomes a perfect place to admire the sunset.