SYRACUSE, SICILY, ITALY!

Let's travel to Italy!
Aerial View of SYRACUSE, SICILY, ITALY!
Magnificent!

sicily  is a rugged and attractive island on the southern tip of Italy, and is one of the country's 20 regions. It is separated from the mainland region of Calabria by the 5 km Straits of Messina. It can get very hot during the summer, so it is better to visit during spring and autumn, while it is still quite pleasant during winter.

Sicily has a long history of foreign domination, from the Greeks to the Romans, Arabs, Normans, Aragonese. The result is a mixed culture where every single domination left something to see, to taste, to hear.

Sicily is a huge island where every little city seem to have its own culture. You will find great variety of local specialities in all cities over the island.

Syracuse (or Siracusa) was the most important city of Magna Graecia. It defeated the mighty Athens in 413 and was home to many a great Greek, including the inimitable Archimedes. At the height of its economic, political and military powers, the city had a population of 300,000 and, according to Cicero, was “the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all”.

For those travelling to Sicily today, Siracusa is not to be missed. It is relatively easy to visit in a day, though obviously deserves rather more time. A visit can be split into two easy parts: one dedicated to the archaeological site, the other to the island of Ortygia.