Pantalica

Pantalica: where nature and history merge

Pantalica is a place where history blends with the harmony of nature in an atmosphere of peace and quiet. Over the centuries, the two rivers, the Calcinara to the north and the Anapo to the south, silent witnesses to human presence, have carved out the rock and created waterfalls, ravines and small lakes. The stages of humankind’s technical and cultural evolution survive in this unspoiled and primitive environment, which has preserved its identity over time.
Pantalica : natura e storiaA source of inspiration for intellectuals and travellers, such as the poet Salvatore Quasimodo  or the art historian Cesare Brandi , the Pantalica reserve preserves a fascination unchanged over time, animated by mysteries and legends, such as Ovid’s tale about the origin of the Anapo river.
In the Anapo valley, where you can immediately smell the strong scent of orange blossom, the buzzing of flies and bumblebees breaks the silence, as does the rustling of lizards and iguanas crawling among the leaves. The sound of the river accompanies human footsteps along the paths, while hawks and buzzards soar above the peaks of Pantalica, almost as if guarding this place and observing its visitors from above.
The cultural stratifications of Pantalica are reflected in the extraordinary biodiversity of this valley, which explodes in a riot of colour and smell: plane trees , oleanders, poplars, willows, daisies, cyclamen and orchids silently populate this place.

Crypt of San Marciano

Pantalica: where nature and history merge

The cultural significance of tragedy

Byzantine Pantalica

The Altar of Hieron II: Blood and fire place

Ortygia. Venus rising from the waters of the port

The Venationes

Roman Syracuse, a military power thanks to the genius of Archimedes

Traces of Christianity in Syracuse

Neapolis from past to present

Temple of Apollo

Legends and magic echoes in the Latomie of Syracuse

The Church of St. Lucia to the Abbey

The Ear of Dionysius and the Grotta dei Cordari

The Church of San Giovanni alle Catacombe

The catacombs of San Giovanni

The Greek Theatre of Syracuse

The Cathedral of Syracuse

Where seas and civilisations meet

The Jews, a wandering people

The Athenaion of the tyrant Gelon

The Culture of Pantalica

Syracuse during the tyranny of Dionysius

The Euryalus Fortress

Giudecca, the hidden Jewish heart of Syracuse

The Senatorial Palace

Castello Maniace

Piazza del Duomo, a sacred place of the ancient Greeks

The Roman Amphitheatre

The Spanish fortification

The Dionysian Walls: a masterpiece of Greek engineering

The architecture of the Piazza

The functions of Castello Maniace

King Hyblon’s kingdom: Pantalica, between history and legend

Inside the Cathedral of Ortygia

The Gladiator performances

The Museion and the Grotta del Ninfeo