Siracusa

Siracusa could be called the birthplace of Sicilian history as it was the first foreign city of the ‘Magna Grecia’ empire. Siracusa was built just behind the peninsula of Ortigia and is a stunning work of art that will astound you. The long history of invasion and domination by different cultures can be seen everywhere, demanding the right to be remembered. The area occupied by the old historical centre of town is delineated by crenellated towers that act as historic sentinels to the maze of twisting streets that wind their way up from the symbolic fountain of Aretusa, adorned in papyrus plants and their exotic plumage. Indeed, together with Egypt, Siracusa is also a homeland of the art of making fine paper from papyrus. There is a further claim to fame for Siracusa: it is the birthplace of Archimedes, history’s first great engineer and philosopher, and discoverer of theorems that have stood the test of time. Yet what really secured his fame and legendary status was his ingenuity as an inventor of war machines.