Noto is a city in southeastern Sicily that was completely rebuilt with local limestone after the 1693 earthquake. All the buildings are therefore the same colour and built in the Sicilian Baroque Style. In 2002, the city was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Italy has the most UNESCO Sites in the world.
After visiting the historical buildings, it was time to visit the shops!
In Syracuse, we got to visit the old Greek and Roman ruins, including the largest altar in the world and the cave named Dyonesius Ear due to its shape. All these ruins were hand carved from the stone already there by slaves, several of whom died during the building of them. The echo in Dyonesius’ Ear is incredible. I don’t have a singing voice but there were other people there giving it a go.
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Largest Sacrificial Altar
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Dionysus’ Ear
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The theatre is the oldest still in use. Actors from all over Italy perform Greek plays, in Italian though, throughout the summer months.
In the evening I made my way to Ortigia, a small island which is the historical centre of the city of Syracuse. It is connected to the mainland by a bridge. Only local inhabitants can drive into the town so most people cross over on foot. It is synonymous with the early history of Syracuse and is one of the prettiest places in Sicily I’ve visited, with a vibrant crowd of artists and locals out enjoying their evening. Like them, I walked about the town and had one of my best meals in Sicily at one of the local restaurants. As I ate, a singer serenaded us with classic Italian songs that I grew up listening to with my parents.
As soon as you cross into Ortigia, you are greeted with the Temple of Apollo, one of the most important Ancient Greek monuments of Magna Graecia. It dates to the 6th century BC.
The Temple of Athena was built in the 5th century BC. Incredibly, the columns of the old temple have been incorporated into the Duomo (Cathedral). Most visitors see the grand Baroque exterior of the Duomo and take lots of photos of it but they don’t realize that the most important parts of the church are actually the ancient columns of the original temple. The entrance to the church, where mass is still celebrated, can in fact be called the oldest ever since the door is fitted in between the 5th century BC columns.
I absolutely loved Ortigia and will put it on my list of places to re-visit.