The Neapolis

The Museion and the Grotta del Ninfeo

Above the Greek theatre there is a terrace where in ancient times there was a sanctuary dedicated to the muses. In this place, called the museion, actors would gather before going on stage and performing at the theatre.
In the middle of a rock wall on this terrace, there is a cave with a vaulted ceiling.
Inside, a rectangular basin collects the water that flows from a small waterfall.
Grotta del Ninfeo
The fountain is linked to the Greek worship of nymphs, the deities of nature, hence the name of this place: il ninfeo (the nymphaeum). At the entrance to the ninfeo, there were statues dedicated to the muses. Three of these statues, dating from the 2nd century BC, are kept at the Paolo Orsi Archaeological Museum.
The water that reaches the interior of the cave came from two aqueducts built in Greek times: the Nymphaeum Aqueduct and the Galermi Aqueduct. To the east of the Grotta del Ninfeo there was a complex of water mills from the Spanish era.
They received water from the cave and poured it into the theatre after it was used to grind grain. Currently, only the “millers’ cottage” of this complex remains visible today: a tower connected to the historical period of the Mulini di Galerme, the Galerme Mills.

The Culture of Pantalica

Where seas and civilisations meet

Pantalica: where nature and history merge

Legends and magic echoes in the Latomie of Syracuse

The Museion and the Grotta del Ninfeo

The Dionysian Walls: a masterpiece of Greek engineering

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

The catacombs of San Giovanni

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

The cultural significance of tragedy

The Spanish fortification

The architecture of the Piazza

Byzantine Pantalica

Traces of Christianity in Syracuse

The Venationes

Syracuse during the tyranny of Dionysius

Ortygia. Venus rising from the waters of the port

Temple of Apollo

Castello Maniace

Crypt of San Marciano

The Jews, a wandering people

The Gladiator performances

The Cathedral of Syracuse

The Athenaion of the tyrant Gelon

Piazza del Duomo, a sacred place of the ancient Greeks

The Altar of Hieron II: Blood and fire place

The Church of San Giovanni alle Catacombe

The Church of St. Lucia to the Abbey

Giudecca, the hidden Jewish heart of Syracuse

The Roman Amphitheatre

The Greek Theatre of Syracuse

Inside the Cathedral of Ortygia

The functions of Castello Maniace

The Ear of Dionysius and the Grotta dei Cordari

Neapolis from past to present

The Senatorial Palace

The Euryalus Fortress