Monumental Siracusa

There is s lot of history in Siracusa. So it doesn't surprise me in the least that there are lots of monuments here.
I'll begin with the man who is probably the most famous son of Siracusa: Archimedes. To give you an idea of the breadth of his genius, he is variously consider a mathematician, astronomer, physicist, engineer, inventor and more. The 1st picture is of his monument where he is holding a representation of a convex mirror, reminiscent of the legend where he focused sunlight on invading ships causing them to burn. There are innumerable scientific advances credited to him.
The 2nd picture is the fountain of Diana where she is protecting the nymph Arethusa from Alpheo who is chasing her. Diana was the protector of Siracusa in Roman times, given her attributes as goddess of hunting, fertility, the moon and more. She is equated with Artemis.
The 3rd picture is the fountain of Arethusa, the same one in the previous picture. Diana changed Arethusa to water to escape Alpheo. When a fresh water spring was found near the seashore, legend had it that Arethusa had returned to provide water for the local people.
The 4th picture is the Castello Maniace, the fortress the protects the harbor of Siracusa. (See also the Ancient Siracusa post.)
The 5th picture is the Temple of Apollo that was built to give thanks and commemorate a victory in battle of the Siracusans over the invading Carthaginians.
The last picture is the cathedral referenced in the Ancient Siracusa post. The cathedral dates to the 7th century and is built on the site of a Temple of Athena that dates to the 5th century BCE. Some of the columns from the ancient temple were incorporated into the cathedral construction and are visible today.Read more