Syracuse Sicily, which is also known as Siracusa in Italian and Saragusa in Sicilian, is 2,700 years old. Founded in 734 BCE by Greek colonists from Corinth, it became the most important city in Magna Graecia, that collection of colonies that extended west into present-day southern Italy and east into present-day Turkiye.
And so we have some very impressive ruins in this city. When I went there on my solo trip of Sicily in 2012, I stayed at a hotel in Ortygia, the beautiful baroque part of the city located right on the Ionian sea. The chief thing I remember were all the lemons in the main piazza, peeking out between the leaves of small trees in large terracotta pots, or sunning themselves over the walls of the nearby baroque mansions
Of course I visited the Greek theatre (Teatro Greco), set up high above the city so that those sitting in those ancient seats have a splendid view of the sea. Then there is the Ear of Dionysus (Orecchio di Dioniso), a cave with glorious acoustics.
Siracusa is a lovely place to visit. If you travel to Sicily you should definitely stop there.
