Ortigia Island

Having finally completed our two week quarantine into Sicily, and having not stepped off the boat since leaving Tunisia, we were VERY happy to once again be on terra firma. We’ve spent the past couple of days exploring the island of Ortigia, which constitutes the oldest part of the city of Syracuse.

Throughout the city are references to the classical mathematician, physicist and engineer, Archimedes. He was born in Syracuse, which at the time was a part of Greater Greece, and he is credited with inventing defensive war machines to protect his native home from invasion. However, he was killed during the two-year siege of Syracuse by a Roman soldier, despite orders from the General that he should not be harmed.

Nonetheless, Ortigia is a beautiful town full of visible layers of history. Something that is so common in this part of the world, yet we never tire of these archaeological zones; they always astonish us. The overgrown ruins from the Temple of Apollo sit fenced off in the bustling heart of the island. The baroque architecture of the Piazza Duomo in the highest part of Ortigia is simply breathtaking. The Sicilian alleyways that meander through the oldest parts of the city are so attractive. And the strategically placed Castello Maniace that dominates the city and the sea, sits on its rocky outcrop like a stone alligator awaiting is prey.

We happily wandered this historic haven in the quiet of siesta. We picked up fresh fruit and vegetables from the open-air market, a street of semi-permanent stalls where venders are renowned for crying out the prices and quality of their goods. We been gifted olive oil, fresh ricotta, strawberries, and roasted pistachios. And we treated ourselves to gelato and pizza and coffee and pasta - the perfect antidote to weeks at sea.