Cathedral square
A Baroque facade.
Harvey Barrison — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Alfonso Messina Siracusa — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Andrea Schaffer from Sydney, Australia — CC BY 2.0 · Andrea Schaffer from Sydney, Australia — CC BY 2.0 · Rabax63 — CC BY-SA 4.0
Ortigia is a small island that forms the historic centre of Syracuse on Sicily's east coast, about 53 km south of Catania in a straight line. It is also known as the Città Vecchia, the old city. Its name comes from the ancient Greek word for quail. It holds many of the city's oldest landmarks, including the Temple of Apollo, the Fountain of Arethusa and the Cathedral of Syracuse, originally a Greek temple. In 2005 it was inscribed as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site «Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica». Narrow lanes wind between golden stone houses with ornate iron balconies hung with plants, opening onto the wide white cathedral square with its Baroque facade. Blue sea wraps around the island's edges, and old walls and fortifications line the waterfront. Visitors wander the lanes and the cathedral square, stop at the papyrus-filled Fountain of Arethusa at the sea's edge, and shop at the morning market. Some swim from rock platforms in the sea, and evenings on the waterfront are lively.
A Baroque facade.
Papyrus plants.
Sicilian food.
Ortigia island, Syracuse, Sicily, Italy
Yes, from Catania.
Yes, from rock platforms.