Syracuse Hotels
Hotels in Syracuse are often required by tourists who want to visit the fine city. Syracuse is a city of great architecture, culture, history and beauty. Some may want hotel that overlooks the city's most attractive areas. It is the largest Irish city and is a city well known for many activities. It has historical, cultural and entertainment activties. Some tourists may want to see the super historical attractions. It has a list of activities to cater for many different types of people. Often tourists who vist the city need a hotel in the city. They may want to spend some time in the city to see the great attractions. Some may want to have a hotel that is luxury or cheap or has good parking.
Syracuse is a historic city in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Syracuse. The city is noted for its rich Greek history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture and association to Archimedes, playing an important role in ancient times as one of the top powers of the Mediterranean world; it is over 2,700 years old. Syracuse is located in the south-east corner of the island of Sicily, right by the Gulf of Syracuse next to the Ionian Sea.
The city was founded by Ancient Greek Corinthians and became a very powerful city-state. Syracuse was allied with Sparta and Corinth, exerting influence over the entire Magna Grecia area of which it was the most important city. Once described by Cicero as "the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all", it later became part of the Roman Republic and Byzantine Empire. After this Palermo overtook it in importance, as the capital of the Kingdom of Sicily. Eventually the kingdom would be united with the Kingdom of Naples to form the Two Sicilies until the Italian unification of 1860.
Ancient buildings
The
Temple of Apollo, adapted to a church in Byzantine times and to a mosque under
Arab rule.
The Fountain of Arethusa, in the Ortygia island. According to a
legend, the nymph Arethusa, hunted by Alpheus, took shelter here.
The Theatre,
whose cavea is one of the largest ever built by the ancient Greeks: it has 67
rows, divided into nine sections with eight aisles. Only traces of the scene and
the orchestra remain. The edifice (still used today) was modified by the Romans,
who adapted it to their different style of spectacles, including also circus games.
Near the theatre are the latomìe, stone quarries, also used as prisons
in ancient times. The most famous latomìa is the Orecchio di Dionisio ("Ear
of Dionysius").
The Roman amphitheatre, of Roman Imperial age. It was
partly carved out from the rock. In the centre of the area is a rectangular space
which was used for the scenic machinery.
The so-called Tomb of Archimede,
in the Grotticelli Nechropolis. Decorated with two Doric columns, it was a Roman
tomb.
The Temple of Olympian Zeus, about 3 km outside the city, built around
6th century BC.
Other edifices and sights
The Castello Maniace, constructed between 1232 and 1240, is an example of the
military architecture of Frederick II's reign. It is a square structure with circular
towers at each of the four corners. The most striking feature is the pointed portal,
decorated with polychrome marbles.
The important Archaeological Museum, with
collections including findings from the mid-Bronze Age to 5th century BC.
Palazzo Lanza Buccheri (16th century).
Palazzo Mergulese-Montalto (14th century),
which conserves the old façade from the 14th century, with a pointed portal.
The Archbishop's Palace (17th century, modified in the following century). It
houses the Alagonian Library, founded in the late 18th century.
The Palazzo
Vermexio, the current Town Hall, which includes fragments of an Ionic temple of
the 5th century BC.
Palazzo Francica Nava, with parts of the original 16th
century building surviving.
Palazzo Beneventano del Bosco, originally built
in the Middle Ages but extensively modified between 1779 and 1788. It has a pleasant
internal court.
Palazzo Migliaccio (15th century), with notable lava inlay
decorations.
The Senate Palace, housing in the court an 18th century coach.
The Castle of Euryalos, built nine kilometres outside the city by Dionysius the
Elder and which was one of the most powerful fortresses of ancient times. It had
three moats with a series of underground galleries which allowed the defenders
to remove the materials the attackers could use to fill them.
Churches
The Cathedral was built by bishop Zosimo in the 7th century over the great Temple
of Athens (5th century BC), on the Ortygia island. This was a Doric edifice with
six columns on the short sides and 14 on the long ones: these can still be seen
incorporated in the walls of the current church. The base of the Greek edifice
had three steps. The interior of the church has a nave and two aisles. The roof
of the nave is from Norman times, as well as the mosaics in the apses. The façade
was rebuilt by Andrea Palma in 1725–1753, with a double order of Corinthian
columns, and statues by Ignazio Marabitti. The most interesting pieces of the
interior are a font with marble basin (12th–13th century), a silver statue
of St. Lucy by Pietro Rizzo (1599), a ciborium by Luigi Vanvitelli, and a statue
of the Madonna della Neve ("Madonna of the Snow", 1512) by Antonello
Gagini.
Basilica of Santa Lucia extra Moenia, a Byzantine church built, according
to tradition, in the same place of the martyrdom of the saint in 303 AD. The current
appearance is from the 15th-16th centuries. The most ancient parts still preserved
include the portal, the three half-circular apses and the first two orders of
the belfry. Under the church are the Catacombs of St. Lucy.
Church of San
Paolo (18th century).
Church of San Cristoforo (14th century, rebuilt in the
18th century).
Church of Santa Lucìa alla Badìa, a Baroque edifice
built after the 1693 earthquake.
Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli (13th
century).
Church of the Spirito Santo (18th century).
Church of the Jesuite
College, a majestic, Baroque building.
Church of St. Benedict (16th century,
restored after 1693). It houses a painting of the Death of Saint Benedict by the
Caravaggisti Mario Minniti.
Chiesa della Concezione (14th century, rebuilt
in the 18th century), with the annexed Benedictine convent.
Church of San
Francesco all'Immacolata, with a convex façade intermingled by columns
and pilaster strips. It housed and ancient celebration, the Svelata ("Revelation"),
in which an image of the Madonna was unveiled at dawn of November 29.
Basilica
of St. John the Evangelist, built by the Normans and destroyed in 1693. Only partially
restored it was erected over an ancient crypt of the martyr San Marciano, later
destroyed by the Arabs. The main altar is Byzantine. It includes the Catacombs
of San Giovanni, featuring a maze of tunnels and passages, with thousands of tombs
and several frescoes.
Southern
Italy (Italian: Italia Meridionale) generally refers to the southern portion of
the continental Italian peninsula historically forming the Kingdom of Naples.
It encompasses the modern regions of Basilicata, Campania, Calabria, Apulia and
Molise, which lie in Italy's south, and Abruzzo which is located in central Italy.
Some would also include the most southern parts of Lazio (Sora, Cassino and Gaeta
districts), which historically were part of the southern kingdom. Sicily is sometimes
included due to its historical political and cultural connections.
The Province of Syracuse (Italian: Provincia di Siracusa; Sicilian: Pruvincia di Sarausa) is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy. Its capital is the city of Syracuse.
Cites and tows in the province include or have included ; Syracuse, Augusta, Avola, Lentini, Noto, Floridia, Pachino, Rosolini, Carlentini, Francofonte, Melilli, Priolo Gargallo
Find a Villa from Across Europe
Grand World Villas - Find a Villa from anywhere in the world
Grand Global Villas - Find Villas from Around the Globe
An Index with links to almost all our sites
Holiday
to - Great places to go on Holiday to
Holiday
to 2 - More Great places to go on Holiday to
Holiday to 3 - More places to go on Holiday to
Holiday to 4 - More places to go on Holiday to
Find a Cottage in Britain or Ireland
Find more Cottages in Britain, Ireland, North America or the world