Siracusa: Il Duomo & More

After a long day of travel yesterday, today was mostly a day of rest. Meaning that we took it easy … not that we were lazy.

Mui ran errands and picked up lunch … arancini, which is another specialty of Sicily that has its roots back in the 10th century … when the island was under Arab rule. The arancini place Giusy had recommended was on the mainland part of Siracusa, so he got in a good walk while he was at it. Oh, and yes … he picked up dessert, too … cassata … a specialty of Sicily, of course … sponge cake layered with sweet ricotta, marzipan, and candied fruit … delicious, but much too sweet for my palate.

While he was gone, I did a couple of loads of laundry. In between hanging the wash, I was hoping to enjoy the balcony. But because I slept in this morning, it was already in the sun by the time we were done with breakfast. No worries … I made the most of it after lunch.

Around 5:00p, we headed out for a stroll with the intention of visiting the Duomo di Siracusa. The web said it was open until 7:00p … which it was. But there was a special service taking place inside and visitors were asked to respect that.

So, we flipped our plans around and had our aperitivi first at a place across the piazza from the cathedral. Yes … we checked the menu board for the price of an Aperol spritz, and it was indeed €8pp … just as Giusy had said … including a plate of goodies to nibble on with our drinks. (The adjacent place was charging €11.80pp … so it pays to check first. By the way, if you get your Aperol spritz to go, it is only €5. But who wants to ‘drink & walk’ … certainly not us.)

By the time we saw the congregants streaming out, our drinks were finished and we were ready to go back inside.

The Duomo di Siracusa (formally, the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Holy Nativity of Mary) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was constructed in the 7th century and sits on the site of a 6th century BCE Greek temple dedicated to Athena. Archaeological excavations in 1907-1910 uncovered even older foundations under the church. During construction of the cathedral the Doric columns of the Greek temple were incorporated in the walls.

During the Arab rule, the church was converted into a mosque (878) … until Roger I of Sicily retook the city in 1086. The current look of the church is a result of the rebuilding that followed the 1693 Sicily earthquake … the main shock of which, based on the destruction it caused, would have been around 7.4 on the Richter scale.

Following our visit to the cathedral, a meandering walk returned us to the apartment. We plan to circumnavigate Ortigia Island tomorrow … so we are due a good night’s rest.Read more