Top Things to do in Syracuse
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Top 10 Nature & Parks in Syracuse, Sicily
Once one of ancient Greece’s most important cities, today Syracuse (Siracusa in Italian) is a lively town of about 125,000 on Sicily’s southeast coast. The city overflows with amazing remnants from its long history. Romans, Vandals and Normans are but a few of those who ruled here after the Greeks. In Syracuse’s harbor, Ortygia Island (also called Città Vecchia or Old City) is the site of many of the main attractions, including the seventh-century cathedral and the Fountain of Arethusa.
Restaurants in Syracuse
1. La Casa delle Farfalle
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 7 reviews
The butterfly house is a covered tropical garden. inside the garden there are hundreds of beautiful and colorful butterflies that fly around you
2. Ortigia
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 15,488 reviews
This offshore island was occupied by the Greek colonists who fortified it and constructed the earliest structures, including the temples of Athena and Apollo, whose remains can still be seen today.
Reviewed By pedrol366 - Madrid, Spain
This is a really beautiful island next to Siracusa (you can access it by car) with really beautiful streets, a magnificent Piazza del Duomo with beautiful buildings and where you can enjoy Sicilian gastronomy. Its streets are full of wonderful corners, shops and restaurantes... it is worth a visit if you are in the eastern part of Sicily
3. Ear of Dionysius (Orecchio di Dionisio)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,107 reviews
Reviewed By venedom - Hallandale Beach, United States
Visit the amphitheater which is unbelievable and step into Dionysius Ear, a natural cave with a natural echo. If one of the guides sing is beatiful
4. Riserva Naturale Orientata Cavagrande del Cassibile
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 821 reviews
Reviewed By Timthetravelled - Brighton, United Kingdom
It was due to be a very hot day so we decided to get up early and go out. As it happened we slept in and so when I and 2 teenage boys got tot the gorge it was about 1ish and 42 degrees. Not the best timing but the walk down so fine if very hot. The entrance gate is locked and so someone has put out some milk crate steps to help you climb over the fence. Uneven steps and a bit slippy in places. At the bottom (20 mins later quick walk) is a river and various pools to leapt in to. The water is cool but not icy and the area is absolutely beautiful. We messed about until about 4 when we thought the walk up would be OK. I consider myself to relatively fit and go to the gym at least once or twice a week. The walk up is hard. Probably a bit of overheating and possible dehydration although we had several litres of water between us but it was not easy at all. We needed several stops to get the heart rate down to sensible levels. Don't be put off as this is a great place. Don't be an idiot and go at 1 on the hottest day for a fortnight like I did Early morning probably best and I would recommend it.
5. Tecnoparco Museo di Archimede
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 516 reviews
Archimedes Museum with display of reproductions of the most famous machines and ideas of the great archimedes mathematician. Inside the museum park there is an area dedicated to virtual reality. The museum's path is open-air
Reviewed By jessicafE4140FZ
Our 5 year old just loved the guided help to try the machines. Lucia, the guide, was great and patient and soon understood what a small boy would enjoy most about the machines and principles. They give you a digital tablet to take around which explains everything in many languages, but the guides made something that could have been quite academic into something really fun. Our boy said that he would really miss Lucia and she was really great.
6. Parco Marino del Plemmirio
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 471 reviews
Reviewed By Just_Tina_C
We stayed 8 days in Siracusa in October and so one day we took bus number 23 to visit the Plemmirio area. There was a problem with the bus route that day (!) so we got off in the southern part of the reserve near 'Varco' (access to sea) 22 and walked along the road, this was ok (no stray dogs etc) and we arrived at the Capo Murro di Porco lighthouse where there are good views. After that we found the path (from the lighthouse you have to walk back towards the road and the path is evident on your right) along the north coast of the headland. This part is SPECTACULAR, from the lighthouse to Varco 33 included we saw no-one at all, and no rubbish either -beautiful landscapes first of dwarf palms then gradually changing to heathers and herbs, spectacular sea views and of Siracusa/Ortigia. The path threads along by the sea, sometimes close, sometimes further away, it's a track sometimes among the undergrowth and the rocks are often rough so you'll be better off with good walking shoes or at least trainers, no open sandals or flipflops! We stopped to picnic at Varco 33 which has a mini beach (just for 2!) of sand. There are some rough steps in the rock to get down but you need to look around to find them. Between varco 33 and 34 the cliffs are tall and really spectacular. Varco 34 has ruined buildings and is apparently popular and in fact it was the only place we saw people, and a lot of rubbish....If the buses are running normally, walking inland from varco 34 the number 23 bus stops where there is a shrine and a lot of rubbish bins. Otherwise if you are good walkers, carry on right along the road in the direction of Siracusa (not towards Varco 35 unless you want to visit that) and you get to Lido Sacramento where there are fish farms, which are also restaurants, specializing in shell fish. If you then continue to the junction (as you turn inland from the coast and there are signs to Fontane Bianche etc) buses 21 and 22 also go by.
7. Spiaggia di Arenella
8. Pista Ciclabile Siracusa
9. Riserva Naturale fiume Ciane
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 138 reviews
Reviewed By dr_peace - Funchal, Portugal
We read about Fiume Ciane, but could hardly find any information how to get there and what to do. It is possible to do this without a car. We rented bicycles in Siracusa and went down the heavily trafficked road towards the river. Just before the Daphne Restaurant there is a yacht boat club. We inquired to rent canoes which was possible for 10 Euro/h. There are 3 waterways to go. The wide one on the right is uninteresting. The canal on the left side gets rather long and jungley, right into nature, not bad. The one in the middle is the actual Fiume Ciana, but we could not go that far, since some trunks and wood blocked the passage. So we returned. Got onto the main road by bicycle over the bridge and tried to find the bridge over the Fiume Ciane. We found the walkway, parked our bicycles and walked the whole path to the spring of the Fiume Ciane. Papyrus plants everywhere, nobody in sight. What a peaceful landscape, I felt like a pharao. One of the highlights in Syracuse.
10. Spiaggia Pineta del Gelsomineto
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