Syracuse is a historic city and the capital of the province of Syracuse. The city is notable for its rich Greek history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture, and as the birthplace of the preeminent mathematician and engineer Archimedes. This 2,700-year-old city played a key role in ancient times, when it was one of the major powers of the Mediterranean world. Syracuse is located in the southeast corner of the island of Sicily, right by the Gulf of Syracuse next to the Ionian Sea. In the central area, the city itself has a population of around 125,000 people. The inhabitants are known as Siracusans. Syracuse is mentioned in the Bible in the Acts of the Apostles book at 28:12 as Paul stayed there. The patron saint of the city is Saint Lucy; she was born in Syracuse and her feast day, Saint Lucy’s Day, is celebrated on 13 December.
Since 2005, the entire city of Syracuse, along with the Necropolis of Pantalica which falls within the province of Syracuse, were listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. This programme aims to catalogue, name and conserve sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity. The deciding committee which evaluates potential candidates described their reasons for choosing Syracuse because “monuments and archeological sites situated in Syracuse are the finest example of outstanding architectural creation spanning several cultural aspects; Greek, Roman and Baroque”, following on that Ancient Syracuse was “directly linked to events, ideas and literary works of outstanding universal significance”.
Besides several buildings from ancient times and a lot of buildings of the Christian period, Syracuse is home to several other noteble buildings. Among them are:
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 9 kilometres (6 miles) 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.
