In Siracusa

April 3, 2023

When we opened our apartment door (it opens directly on the street) to go find a restaurant for dinner last night, we discovered it was pouring. There was one good-sized umbrella here, but umbrellas don’t keep your feet dry. The requirements now included not only “open on Sunday evening” but also “close.”

We found a place about 3 blocks away, not mentioned on Google but packed with mostly Italians. We got the only empty table, though we noticed that service was very efficient and, as people left, tables got cleared, reset, and soon occupied by new diners. My feet were wet but the room and atmosphere was warm.

We shared a salad, a pasta dish, and a plate of fried seafood, with sparkling water and a (large) glass of house white each. We weren’t going to order dessert but it was brought gratis: a small cup of lemon granita and a small piece of tiramisu. The food was pretty basic but so was the price—and the place was *close*.

Today we had no real plans which was just as well because the weather was unsettled. We walked around, including a little way off the island of Ortigia to get some grease to refresh my squeaking bike pump. We stopped for lunch at a popular pizzeria/burger restaurant full of Italian teenagers and families and a few older foreign tourists like us.

A burger in Italy isn’t quite like a burger in Canada. This one was okay, but not as good as the ones Al remembers from last year. I had pizza.

Afterward, back to the apartment so I could fix my pump and add some air to my tires. Surprisingly for tubeless tires, they haven’t needed air until now (and would have been fine for a while longer). Perhaps it’s because I accidentally added more than the recommended amount of sealant when I mounted the new tires before the trip? In any case, the pump now works without squealing. Good thing, because Al was taking a nap.

I went out to visit the puppet museum; it’s about 20 metres from our door. Then more walking around and trying to capture a little of the flavour of this place.

I’ll put my photos in themes again. But first, my favourite from today, taken by Al:

A vintage 500 that matches my jacket! And if you’ve not met me in person, know that I am 5’0” tall. The car’s not limited to small people; the seats are practically on the floorboards.

Theme 1: streets of Ortigia.

There were a couple of brave souls swimming today! It was very warm in the sun, but the sun soon disappeared behind clouds.

Fonte Aretusa, the fresh water spring that supplied the old town of Syracuse for hundreds of years. I believe that’s papyrus growing there.

Maintaining Fonte Aretusa. It looked like the walkway around the spring might be public, but not just now.

Piazza Duomo, with colourful tuktuk for tourists.

It seems anything was used for aggregate when these walls were built! Plaster then hid it all.

Theme 2: the Duomo (Tempio di Minerva)

The exposed outer wall of the Duomo makes clear it was once a Greek temple. In Byzantine times, it was transformed into a basilica; it may have been a mosque after the Arabs conquered Syracuse, but became a church again under the Normans.

This scary looking fellow on the corner of the façade is San Marziano

Detail of one of the ornate columns in the vestibule

Relics of some saint; there was another display case with similar bones from somebody else as well.

Santa Lucia, patron saint of Syracuse, by Antonello Gagini.

Theme 3: the puppet museum!

Back on our bikes tomorrow!

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Rich FrasierWe love Ortigia! Such a beautiful place. If you're looking for pizza, I can recommend Piano B, back across the bridges in the part of Siracusa that sticks out toward Ortigia. It was another hit from our 2019 pizza tour of Sicily.
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1 year ago

Scott AndersonSo funny! Walking back from dinner by way of the Duomo and fountain of Diana, I mentioned to Rachel that I wondered if you might be in town yourselves tonight. I forgot to check on your route when we booked a train stop for here.
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1 year ago

Scott AndersonWasn’t that a rainstorm last night though? It poured on our way back from dinner in Ragusa too, but we didn’t have an umbrella. Much better than while on the bike though!
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1 year ago

Jacquie GaudetTo Scott AndersonAnd I was thinking of emailing you and then thought, nah, they wouldn’t leave Ragusa after only one night!
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1 year ago