I rent 2 holiday apartment in syracuse: syracuse history 
near Ortigia but not in ortigia so NO CLOSED TO TRAFFIC ***
My Syracuse home holiday are between
Ortigia and the archeological area, both reachable by foot
SYRACUSE HISTORY(from wikipedia)
Syracuse and its surrounding area have been inhabited since 

ancient times, as shown by the findings in the villages of Stentinello, Ognina, Plemmirio, Matrensa, 

Cozzo Pantano and Thapsos, which already had a relationship with Mycenaean Greece.Syracuse was founded

in 734 or 733 BC by Greek settlers from Corinth and Tenea, led by the oecist (colonizer) Archias, who 

called it Sirako, referring to a nearby swamp. The nucleus of the ancient city was the small island of 

Ortygia. The settlers found the land fertile and the native tribes to be reasonably well-disposed to 

their presence.
The city grew and prospered, and for some time stood as the most powerful Greek city anywhere in the

Mediterranean.Colonies were founded at Akrai (664 BC), Kasmenai (643 BC) and Kamarina (598 BC). The 

descendants of the first colonist, called Gamoroi, held the power until they were expelled by the

Killichiroi, the lower class of the city.

The former, however, returned to power in 485 BC, thanks to the help of Gelo, ruler of Gela. Gelo 

himself became the despot of the city, and moved many inhabitants of Gela, Kamarina and Megera to 

Syracuse, building the new quarters of Tyche and Neapolis outside the walls. His program of new 

constructions included a new theater, designed by Damocopos, which gave the city a flourishing 

cultural life: this in turn attracted personalities

as Aeschylus, Ario of Metimma, Eumelos of Corinth and Sappho, who had been exiled here from Mytilene.

The enlarged power of Syracuse made unavoidable the clash against the Carthaginians, who ruled western 

Sicily. In the Battle of Himera, Gelo, who had allied with Theron of Agrigento, decisively defeated the

 African force led by Hamilcar.
 A
temple, entitled to Athena (on the site of the today's Cathedral), was erected in the city to 

commemorate the event

A Syracusan tetradrachm (c. 415–405 BC), sporting Arethusa and a quadriga.


Gelo was succedeed by his brother Hiero, who fought against the Etruscans at Cumae in 474 BC. His rule 

was eulo

gized by poets like Simonides of Ceos, Bacchylides and Pindar, who visited his court.

In 485 B.C. Hieron, the first tyrant of Syracuse came to power. Through his policy of conquests and

 victories,
 the importance of Siracusa grew, making the city strong and famous as a ruling power. In spite of these

  conquests, however, the Syracusan people rebelled against tyranny and drove out his successor, the tyrant

   Gerone, and then set up a democracy (466 B.C.).A democratic regime was 

introduced by Thrasybulos (467 BC). The city continued to expand in Sicily, fighting against the rebellious 

Siculi,and on the Tyrrhenian Sea, making expeditions up to Corsica and Elba. In the late 5th century BC, 

Syracuse found itself at war with Athens, which sought more resources to fight the Peloponnesian War. The

Syracusans enlisted the aid of a general from Sparta, Athens' foe in the war, to defeat the Athenians, 

destroy their ships, and leave them to starve on the island (see Sicilian Expedition). In 401 BC, 

Syracuse contributed a force of 3,000 hoplites and a 

general to Cyrus the Younger's Army of the Ten Thousand. 

The city placed itself under the protection of the tyrant Dionysius in order to survive and he then began

 a plan to fortify the city, which was completed by his successors. 

In the early 4th century BC, the tyrant Dionysius the Elder was again at war against Carthage and,

 although 

losing Gela and Camarina, kept that power from capturing the whole of Sicily. After the end of the 

conflict Dionysius

built a massive fortress on the Otrigia island of the city and 22 km-long walls around all of Syracuse.

Another period of expansion saw the destruction of Naxos, Catania and Lentini, then Syracuse entered 

again in war against Carthage (397 BC)

 After various changes of fortune, the Africans managed to besiege Syracuse itself, but were eventually

  pushed back by a

pestilence. A treaty in 392 BC allowed Syracuse to enlarge further its possessions, founding the cities

 of Adrano, Ancona,

Adria, Tindari and Tauromenos, and conquering Reggio Calabria on the continent. Apart from his battle 

deeds, Dionysius was

 famous as a patron of art, and Plato himself visited Syrcacuse several times.


His successor was Dionysius the Younger, who was however expelled by Dion in 356 BC. But the latter's 

despotic rule led

in turn to his expulsion, and Dionysius reclaimed his throne in 347 BC. A democratic government was 

installed by Timoleon

 in 345 BC. The long series of internal struggles had weakened Syracuse's power on the island, and 

 Timoleon tried to remedy

this, defeating the Carthaginians in 339 BC near the Krimisos river. But the struggle among the city's 

parties restarted 

 after his death and ended with the rise of another tyrant, Agathocles, who seized power with a coup in 

 317 BC. He resumed

the war against Carthage, with alternate fortunes. He however scored a moral success, bringing the war to

 the Carthaginians' native African soil, inflicting heavy losses to the enemy. The war ended with another

  treaty of peace which did not prevent the Carthaginians interfering in the politics of Syracuse after 

  the death of Agathocles (289 BC). The citizens called Pyrrhus of Epirus for help. After a brief period 

  under the rule of Epirus, Hiero II seized power in 275 BC.


Hiero inaugurated a period of 50 years of peace and prosperity, in which Syracause became one of the most

 renowned 

capitals of Antiquity. He issued the so-called Lex Hieronica, which was later adopted by the Romans for 

their 

administration of Sicily; he also had the theater enlarged and a new immense altar, the "Hiero's Ara",

 built.

 Under his rule the most famous Syracusan lived, the natural philosopher Archimedes. Among his many 

 inventions

 were various military engines including he war inventions created by the famous Archimedes,

 the claw of Archimedes, later used to resist the Roman siege

  of 214 BC–212 BC.

  Literary figures included Theocritus and others. 

The siege of Syracuse in a 17th century engraving. 

The siege of Syracuse in a 17th century engraving. 

Under the reign of Hieron II (269-215 B.C.) Syracuse enjoyed a period of peace and splendor, that was the 

 last before the city lost its independence and liberty after it was conquered by the Roman Empire.  

 Siracusa fell under Roman rule in 212 B.C., 



Hiero's successor, the young Hieronymus (ruled from 215 BC), broke the alliance with the Romans after

 their defeat

 at Cannae and accepted Carthago's support. The Romans, led by consul Marcus Claudius Marcellus,

  besieged the city

 in 214 BC. The city held out for three years, but fell in 212 BC. It is believed to have fallen 

 due to a peace 

 party opening a small door in the wall to negotiate a peace, but the Romans charged through the

  door and took 

 the city, killing Archimedes in the process.


From Roman domination to the Middle Ages  


Though declining slowly by the years, Syracuse maintained the status of capital of the Roman

 government of Sicily

 and seat of the praetor. It remained an important port for the trades between the Eastern and

  the Western parts

  of the Empire. Christianity spread in the city through the efforts of Paul of Tarsus and Saint 

  Marziano, the 

first bishop of the city, who made it one of the main centres of proselytism in the West. In the

 age the 

persecutions massive catacombs were carved, whose size is second only to Rome's ones.

When the Roman Empire fell in 476 A.D., the city was at the mercy of other populations:

 in 493 was sacked by the Goths and then in 535 A.D. it was conquered by Belisarius and 

annexed to the Byzantine Empire.

After a period of Vandal rule, Syracuse and the island was recovered by Belisarius for the 

Byzantine Empire

 (31 December 535). From 663 to 668 Syracuse was the seat of Emperor Constans II, as well as

  metropolis of 

 the whole Sicilian Church.

 n 878 the Arabs took over a large part of Eastern Sicily including Syracuse, and the city 

 stayed in their hands for about 2 centuries.


Another siege in 878, which ended with the fierce sack of the city, began two centuries of 

Muslim rule. 

Syracuse lost its capital status in favour of Palermo. The Cathedral was turned into a mosque 

and the 

quarter on the Ortygia island was gradually rebuilt along Islamic styles. The city, anyway,

 maintained 

important trade relationships, and housed a relatively flourishing cultural and artistic life: 

several 

Arab poets, including Ibn Hamdis, the most important Sicilian poet of the 12th century, lived here.


The Byzantines took over from the Arabs for a brief period (1038) but they were soon 

replaced by the Normans (1081).
In 1038, the Byzantine general George Maniaces reconquered the city, sending the relics of St. Lucy to

 Constantinople. The eponymous castle on the cape of Ortygia bears his name, although it was built under

  the Hohenstaufen rule. In 1085 the Normans entered Syracuse, one of the last Saracen strongholds, after

   a summer-long siege by Roger I of Sicily and his son Jordan of Hauteville, who was given the city as 

   count. New quarters were built, and the cathedral was restored, as well as other churches. 

The Cathedral of Syracuse.  

The Normans (1081)managed to hold onto power for more than a century.



.

In 1194 Henry VI of Swabia occupied Syracuse. After a short period of Genoese rule (1205–1220), which

 favoured a rise of trades, Syracuse was conquered back by emperor Frederick II.
In fact in 1209 the Swabians ruled by Frederick II took over the city.
He began the construction 

of the Castello Maniace, the Bishops' Palace and the Bellomo Palace. Frederick's death brought a period of

unrest and feudal anarchy. In the struggle between the Anjou and Aragonese monarchies, Syracuse sided with 

the Aragonese and defeated the Anjou in 1298, receiving from the Spanish sovereigns great privileges in 

reward. The pre-eminence of baronal families is also showed by the construction of the palaces of Abela,

  Chiaramonte, Nava, Montalto. 

After the Swabians it was 

the turn of the Spanish who occupied Syracuse in the 14th century and built several 

fortresses and defense walls around the city. 


Modern Syracuse  

 A tremendous earthquake shook the East of Sicily in 1693, including Syracuse and the other cities in  

 the Val di Noto area. The city was completely rebuilt in the early decades of the eighteenth century 

  and thus became one of the best examples of the Sicilian Baroque style together with the nearby Noto. 


The city was struck by two ruinous earthquakes in 1542 and 1693, and a plague in 1729. The 17th century 

destruction changed forever the appearance of Syracuse, as well as the entire Val di Noto, whose cities 

were rebuilt along the typical lines of Sicilian Baroque, considered one of the most typical expressions 

of art of Southern Italy. The spread of cholera in 1837 led to a revolt against the Bourbon government. The

 punishment was the move of the province capital seat to Noto, but the unrest had not been totally choked, as

  the Siracusani took part in the Sicilian revolution of independence of 1848.


After the Unification of Italy of 1865, Syracuse regained its status of provincial capital. In 1870 the walls 

were demolished and a bridge connecting the mainland to Ortygia island was built. In the following year a 

railway link was constructed. 


Heavy destruction was caused by the Allied and the German bombings in 1943. After the end of World War II 

the northern quarters of Syracuse experienced a heavy, often chaotic, expansion, favoured by the quick 

process of industrialization.   


Syracuse today has about 125,000 inhabitants and numerous attractions for the visitor interested in 

historical sites (such as the Ear of Dionysius). A process of recovering and restoring the historical 

centre has been ongoing since the 1990s. Nearby places of note include Catania, Noto, Modica and Ragusa. 

Syracuse most important monuments:
*Greek Theater(at about 1km far from the holiday apartment)
  This wonderful theater was hewn into the rock of Temenite Hill around the 5th century B.C. It is the  

  largest in Sicily and is still one of the main hubs of cultural life in Syracuse: each year several  

  famous Greek Tragedies are played out in this magical place so full of history. 

*Orecchio di Dioniso (Ear of Dionysius)(at about 1km far from the holiday apartment)
)
  This is a deep cave about 65 meters deep, 11 meters wide and 23 meters high. It is 

  famous for its special acoustics, which are due to the acute angle-shape of the ceiling 

  that is similar in shape to the outer ear, hence its name “Orecchio” which means “Ear”. It 

  has unbelievable acoustic powers: a sound produced inside the cave is amplified up to 16 times.

*Roman Amphitheater (at about 1km far from the holiday apartment)

  This amphitheater was built during the Augustan period and was recently rediscovered just a short

  distance from the Greek Theater. It is the third largest amphitheater in Italy after the ones in

  Rome and Verona. The elliptical-shaped amphitheater is almost entirely hewn into the rock and was 

  built to hold gladiator contests, fierce animal fights and simulations of naval battles.

*The Orsi Regional Archeological Museum,at about 800m far from the holiday apartment).

   one of Sicily's finest and most modern, displays finds  

  from Megara as well as ancient Syracuse, and is well worth a visit. This structure exhibits 

  archeological treasures in their proper historical context. In many respects, it is superior 

  to Palermo's Archeological Museum, though the collections are actually somewhat different. It 

  is located on the grounds of Villa Landolina off Via Teocrito, near Saint John's Abbey.

*Grotta dei Cordari

  This grotto is called in this manner as this was the place where the “cordari” (rope makers) 

  carried out their work for centuries, making use of the humid atmosphere so they could twist 

  the ropes more easily. This grotto is extremely pretty and is covered with musk and ferns inside.

*Castello Maniace reachable on foot from the holiday apartment

  This castle was built by Frederick II of Swabia. Its imposing structure stands on a far point of 

  Ortigia overlooking the sea and owes its name to the Byzantine general who conquered Syracuse around 

  1000. 

*Basilica St.Lucy (10metres far from the holiday apartment)with its Caravaggio's Burial of Saint Lucy, 

  The city's patron saint, St. Lucy, was martyred near the site of the church of that name,

   in Piazza San Lucia, in 304. The church itself was built during the Byzantine era, restructured 

   by the Normans during the 12th century but, modified almost beyond recognition in the 17th century.

   Beneath the church are extensive catacombs. .

*Saint John's Abbey (on Via San Giovanni) -(at about 800m far from the holiday apartment).

  was largely destroyed during an earthquake in 1693, but parts 

  of the church's facade and cloister courtyard still stand.  The catacombs are interesting, and the Crypt

  of Saint Marcian offers a glimpse into the Paleo Christian era.
*Eurialo Castle

  This fortress was built on the Elisoli plateau around 400 B.C. by Dionysius the Old to defend the 

  city from the Carthaginians. There is a complex network of tunnels underneath the castle that allowed

  the soldiers to move around in the event of an attack. 

  The castle itself was part of an extensive defense system that included 27 kilometers of walls around 

  what was one of the largest cities in the Greek world. Dionysius the Elder developed the city in this

   way to make it safe from any attack. In this he succeeded to a great extent.







About Syracuse holiday flat at 300m far from the sea  

near the Santa Lucia Basilica ('600),  the apartment are in an marvellous place RICH OF HISTORY.




 

    BY THE NEAR ORTIGIA BRIDGE

              


              

       




 

      THE NEAR SEA

              


              

   





      THE NEAR ORTIGIA BRIDGE

              


              

   






      THE NEAR CHURCH