Siracusa, Sicily: 3 Millennia of History in 3 days | Itinerary

Sicily, an Orientation

Sicily, with an area of over 25 000 square kilometers and almost 5 million inhabitants, is the main island of the Mediterranean sea and its geographical center. Sicily, from the natural point of view, has an incredibly rich geology, morphology, ecology, biodiversity and variety of climates. From the biggest volcano in Europe, snowcapped most of the year, in a half-hour drive, it is possible to enjoy the warm Mediterranean sunlight and exotic vegetation on one of the countless spectacular beaches, just to give an example. All these features reflect an equally rich variety of human landscapes and environments, that can be found hardly anywhere else in the world.  Sicily indeed has an incredibly long, complex and fascinating  history, that is witnessed nowadays by its historical and cultural heritage known worldwide, but also by a plethora of hidden jems and treasures still out off the beaten track.

Sicily today is an administrative Italian autonomous region and its capital and major city is Palermo, on a big gulf on the northwestern coast of the island. Palermo, at the crossroads of people for millennia, is considered the most conquered city in the world and today is a vibrant metropolis of over 600 000 inhabitants and with an astounishing heritage coming from its long history. The other most important cities of Sicily lie on the east coast: they are Catania, with around 300 000 inhabitants, Messina, with a population of over 200 000, and Siracusa, with around 120 000 people.

Siracusa, specifically, is located along the south-east Ionian coast of Sicily, on a bay that whose chosen by ancient colonisers from Greece for being an unique strategic natural harbor.. The city, which is today one of the 9 provincial capital of the region of Sicily, has a glorious history, whose important traces can still be found in every neighborhood, both on the mainland and on the island of Ortigia. For its incredible historic beauty and value Siracusa is nowadays listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 

Why visit Siracusa?

Beginning when it was settled by Greek colonists from Corinth in the 8th century BC, Siracusa (Syracuse) rose to become one of the most powerful cities in the Mediterranean, and according to Cicero it was "the most beautiful of all". At its' peak, Siracusa was much larger than its' modern counterpart, with three times the population, and rivalled even Athens for influence in the ancient world.

Since the Classical period, many other conquers have controlled this strategic city, including Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Norman and Spanish rulers. Today, it is possible to explore the rich historical inheritance of Siracusa, featuring some of the earliest cultures that have conquered Sicily and many of those that followed throughout the centuries.

Here in Siracusa, nowadays recognized and protected as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, it is possible to marvel at one of the largest Greek theaters in the ancient world, admire stunning Baroque architecture in a maze of picturesque alleyways, discover catacombs and precious artwork spanning 3000 years of history, enjoy the Sicilian sun, the clear waters of the Mediterranean sea and taste unbelievable Sicilian cuisine, all in a few days.