Ortigia: “The Greatest Greek City, and the Most Beautiful of Them All” – Cicero, Rome’s most famous Statesman, on Syracuse

Sicily – Part III

Exploring Ortigia – The Cocktail That Is Sicily

One can’t help but fall in love with the tiny, historic isle of Ortigia, the old town and heart of Siracusa, on Sicily’s southeastern coast, sitting on the Ionian Sea. Separated from the mainland by just two small bridges and barely one square kilometer in size (which is just a bit over 1/3 of a square mile), Ortigia may be small, but don’t let its size fool you. This little island has nearly 3,000 years of history packed into its narrow streets and pedestrian alleyways.

Ortigia goes way back – founded by Greek settlers in 734 BCE, becoming the heart of ancient Syracuse, one of the most powerful cities in the Greek world. The Romans arrived in 212 BCE, after the long siege during which Syracuse’s most famous citizen, the brilliant mathematician, Archimedes, was killed.

After the devastating 1693 earthquake, Ortigia rose again in the magnificent Sicilian Baroque style we see today. But, as we have repeatedly learned throughout our travels in Sicily, one civilization simply followed another: Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Norman, Jewish, Spanish, and Baroque; all layered one on top of another … like an Italian lasagna!

Today, Ortigia’s extraordinary collection of Greek ruins, medieval streets, Baroque architecture, and centuries of cultural influences forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica.

Our travel agent placed us in the most wonderful accommodations on the island, the Palazzo Artemide, an elegant 19^th-century hotel located in the heart of the historic center and right next to the cathedral. Holy smokes! We luxuriated like a pair of Sicilian Lords as we stepped out and about and enriched ourselves in La Dolce Vita. So, let’s get on with our Ortigiani lives.

And what better way to discover all those layers than on foot, accompanied by Dario, our very passionate Sicilian guide, and, I must add, some extreme eye candy. Six hours of walking suddenly didn’t sound quite so exhausting!

We began at the Temple of Apollo, one of the oldest Doric temples in Sicily. Today only portions remain, but standing among those ancient stones while the modern city carries on around them is exactly what makes Ortigia so fascinating. Here, history isn’t tucked away in a museum; it’s simply part of everyday life.

From there, we wandered through narrow streets and alleyways until we reached the magnificent Piazza del Duomo, unquestionably one of the most beautiful and magnificent squares we encountered in Sicily. Surrounded by elegant, honey-colored Baroque buildings, the entire piazza has an almost theatrical quality.

At its center stands the Cathedral of Syracuse, and this building may be the perfect symbol of Sicily itself. It began life as a Greek Temple of Athena in the  5^th-century BCE. Rather than demolishing the temple, later civilizations simply incorporated it into the Christian cathedral. Massive, ancient Doric columns are still clearly visible within its walls. Greek temple, Christian church, Baroque façade – all in one building. Only in Sicily!

One of the most fascinating parts of our walk was through the old Jewish Quarter, the Giudecca. Before the Jews were expelled from Sicily in 1492 (thanks to Spanish rulers, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella), Ortigia had a thriving Jewish community. Well hidden beneath the streets is an extraordinary mikveh, or Jewish ritual bath.

We descended a long, narrow staircase carved deep into the limestone until we reached the underground chambers. Natural spring water still fills the ancient pools. The atmosphere down there was quiet, cool, and almost eerie – it truly felt as though we had stepped back several centuries.

According to local tradition, the mikveh was deliberately sealed and hidden at the time of the expulsion and remained forgotten for centuries, until it was rediscovered during renovations in 1989. For me, this was one of those places where history suddenly becomes very personal and very real.

Eventually we emerged back into the Sicilian sunshine and continued towards Fonte Aretusa, a freshwater spring only steps from the sea and surrounded by papyrus plants. According to Greek mythology, the nymph Arethusa was transformed into the spring while fleeing the river god Alpheus. Sicily never seems to be very far from Greek mythology.

We continued along the waterfront toward Castello Maniace, the massive 13^th-century fortress built under Emperor Frederick II, at the southern tip of Ortigia. From here, the views across the brilliant, blue Ionian Sea are spectacular.

Of course, no walk through Ortigia would be complete without food!

The Ortigia Market is loud, colorful, crowded, and wonderfully Sicilian. Stalls overflow with fresh fish and seafood, cheeses, olives, citrus, pistachios, spices, vegetables, and every imaginable Sicilian specialty. Vendors shout, locals negotiate, and the smells seem to change every few steps. It is chaotic, delicious, and absolutely part of the experience.

After spending the better part of the day exploring this tiny island, I understood why Ortigia is so special. In barely one square kilometer, you can walk from an ancient Greek temple to a Baroque cathedral, descend into a medieval Jewish bath, hear stories from Greek mythology, explore a medieval fortress, wander through a bustling food market, and finish beside the sea.

But our exploration of ancient Siracusa wasn’t quite finished.

Across the bridges on the mainland lies the Neapolis Archaeological Park, home to the enormous Greek Theatre of Syracuse, carved directly into the hillside in the 5^th-century BCE. At its height, ancient Syracuse was one of the most powerful Greek cities in the Mediterranean, at times rivaling Athens itself. We were in awe having walked in the footsteps of the ancient Greeks.

Nearby are the remains of the Roman Amphitheatre, another reminder that when one empire disappeared, another simply moved in and added its own layer to Sicily’s story. Here again, we found ourselves in the midst of the ancient Romans!

And then there is the wonderfully named Ear of Dionysius, a towering limestone cave famous for its extraordinary acoustics. Artist Caravaggio supposedly gave the cave its name because its shape reminded him of a human ear. Legend says the tyrant Dionysius imprisoned enemies inside and secretly listened to their conversations because the cave amplified their voices. Whether true or not, it makes for a great story, and Sicily is certainly never short of those.

By the end of our six-hour walk, my feet were reminding me that Ortigia is best explored on foot. But Dario had brought the island to life for us.

Ortigia may be tiny, but within its narrow streets is Sicily in miniature – a wonderful, sometimes chaotic cocktail of civilizations, cultures, religions, architecture, mythology, food, and history. And somehow, after thousands of years, all those ingredients still mix-up together beautifully.

“ANTIGONE,” a Greek Drama

When David mentioned that we would be attending a live, outdoor performance in a 2,500-year-old Greek theater in Syracuse, my first thought was gladiators! Or perhaps an Italian opera, such as Aida, where the arias seem to last for an eternity. I imagined gladiators fighting to a mock death, with the audience deciding their fate – the ultimate interactive sport, which the Romans basically invented. Not quite either.

What we actually saw was “Antigone,” the timeless Greek tragedy by Sophocles, first performed around 442-441 BC. And I mean timeless because its themes could just as easily apply to today’s political world: autocrats with no moral compass, rulers blinded by pride, and the consequences of power without wisdom. Whew! Some things never change.

One unintentionally amusing detail was that, from a distance, the actress playing the king’s wife looked uncannily like Melania Trump. It almost felt as though the Italians were slipping in a few subtle darts at Donald Trump, especially since nearly all our guides, and even some of our drivers, seemed to share the opinion that Trump is un bullo codardo, “a cowardly bully,” because of his recent derogatory remarks towards the Pope.

For those who may have forgotten their Greek tragedies, the short version of Antigone: After a civil war in which brother kills brother, the new king honors one with a proper burial while condemning the other to remain unburied. Their sister, Antigone, defies him and buries her brother anyway. She is condemned to be sealed alive in a cave, where she hangs herself.

The king’s son, who loves her, then kills himself, followed by his mother, the queen. The king is left utterly alone to live with the consequences of his pride and decisions. A classic “happy ending” in Greek tragedy.

The play was entirely in Italian, but with my AirPods and the iPhone Translator app, I managed to follow about 89% of it. David sat transfixed, his eyes fixed on the bare stage, where the modern staging allowed the emotions and conflicts to reveal themselves in their rawest form.

What fascinated me almost as much as the play was the audience. Before it began, the crowd was wonderfully boisterous, and I can say this: Italians may actually be louder and more animated than Cubans when they speak! But the moment the performance began, the entire ancient theater fell incredibly silent.

For two hours, everyone remained riveted. Even the applause between acts was subdued, almost reverent. Then came the final curtain, and the audience came roaring back to life as cries of “Bravo!” and “Bravissima!” echoed through the ancient theater and into the evening sky.

Oh, what a night – clear Sicilian skies, mild temperatures, and a Greek tragedy performed in the same setting where theater has been celebrated for more than two millennia. Pinch me, please! They say art transcends time, and on this night in Syracuse, it certainly did.

THE LOVE BOAT

I’ve never been much of a “let’s take a harbor cruise” kind of traveler. Maybe it goes back to a horrible experience decades ago in San Diego Harbor, where the experience was so bad that I was ready to jump overboard and swim to the nearest pier; as if I were a prisoner escaping Alcatraz, and taking my chances in the open water. So, as far as harbor cruises go, my attitude has always been, “…been there, done that, thank you very much.”

But after almost two weeks in Sicily, I realized something – we had hardly been on the water. And let’s face it, this is an island.

So, on our free day in Siracusa, while walking the sea walls along the harbor and piers of Ortigia, we stopped for a refreshment. Right across from us, tied to the pier, was a little open-air Sicilian boat with the irresistible name, “The Love Boat.” Sweet. Love beckons.

In a rare moment of spontaneity, I walked over to inquire, and as luck would have it, the next tour was leaving in 30 minutes. Even better, a Spanish couple and their daughter were the only others joining us. Five passengers, one skipper, open blue skies, and the endless shades of blue of the Ionian Sea. (At least it wasn’t a “3-hour tour!”)

We pulled away from the pier, slipped beneath both bridges connecting Ortigia to the mainland, crossed the Small Harbor (Porto Piccolo), and headed out into the open Ionian Sea. Behind us, Siracusa slowly came into view from a completely different perspective.

Our skipper took us toward the sea caves, where the water seemed to glow in shades of blue, turquoise, and jade. From there, he headed back toward Ortigia, but instead of returning to the pier, we continued around the island, passing ancient walls rising straight from the sea and finally, the commanding Castello Maniace, standing guard at its tip.

We rounded the fortress and entered the Grand Harbor (Porto Grande), following the waterfront until we arrived back at the little pier where we had started.

Without really planning it, we had circumnavigated the entire island of Ortigia.

“Been there, done that,” and this time, I never once considered jumping overboard!

Opera dei Pupi – Sicily’s Puppet Tradition

One art form I’ve enjoyed since childhood is puppetry. Over the years, I’ve seen the shadow puppets of Bali, water puppets in Vietnam, and marionette shows here and there around the world. So I was especially delighted to discover that Sicily has its own wonderful puppet tradition dating back more than 200 years.

We had hoped to visit a puppet museum in Palermo, but simply couldn’t fit it into our schedule. Fortunately, on our free day in Ortigia, we had the chance not only to tour a puppet museum but also to attend a performance ~ yippee! Suddenly, I felt like a little kid again, anxiously awaiting the show to begin.

The Sicilian tradition, known as Opera dei Pupi, began in the early nineteenth century, with elaborate stories based on medieval epics; particularly the adventures of Charlemagne and his knights, including Orlando and Rinaldo.

Apparently, the idea of the cliffhanger existed long before television. These stories unfolded over many evenings, filled with battles, romances, betrayals, villains, and heroic quests, with audiences returning night after night to discover what happened next. Before movies, television, and Netflix, this was serialized entertainment à la Sicilia.

And these are not the delicate marionettes we normally imagine. Sicilian puppets are large, imposing figures dressed in elaborate real metal armor, complete with breastplates, shields, helmets, and swords; built for action, especially dramatic sword fights. Palermo developed somewhat smaller puppets, while eastern Sicily, including Syracuse and Catania, became known for much larger and heavier ones.

In Syracuse, families such as the Vaccaro-Mauceri family helped keep the tradition alive as movies and television began stealing away audiences. The family’s museum displayed their beautiful works of art as our puppeteer guided us along.

What I especially loved was learning that these performances were never intended to be quiet, polite affairs. Audiences became part of the show; cheering the heroes, shouting warnings, and expressing their displeasure with the villains. Apparently, Sicilians have never had much difficulty expressing an opinion!

But beneath all the sword fighting and theatrical drama were stories about courage, loyalty, faith, betrayal, and honor; values deeply woven into Sicilian culture. The tradition became so important that UNESCO recognized Opera dei Pupi in 2001 as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, helping ensure that this uniquely Sicilian art form would survive.

Today, Ortigia’s museum and puppet theater continue that tradition with antique puppets, workshops, and live performances. Let the show begin!

For me, however, it was much simpler than that. Sitting in that tiny theater, watching armored knights swing their swords across the stage, I was mesmerized. For a little while, I was a kid again.

Just a few nibbles …

As seen on the streets …