HOW TO VISIT THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK OF LA NEÁPOLIS DE SIRACUSA

There are numerous civilizations that have left an imprint of their passage through Sicily. Going back to the oldest, it was the Greeks and the Romans who made this island one of their jewels in the Mediterranean. They spared no effort to create prosperous and educated cities, and from those periods a good number of impressive ruins and archeological sites are still preserved.

One of the most important is the Archaeological Park of the Neápolis de Siracusa, which we visit in our passage through this city, and of which we tell you everything you need to make the visit.

This protected space is located on the side of a promontory, northwest of the city. It is what corresponded to the ancient Syracuse and where the ancient civilizations were installed.

Throughout the space there are different ruins and interesting places, among which these stand out:

- Roman amphitheater: It was built in part by digging into the rock itself and has quite impressive dimensions. You visit one of the intermediate aisles of your grandstand and you can see two entrances. In the arena, the entire system of underground passages and rooms where gladiators and beasts waited before making their appearance before the public is revealed. The ruins are preserved quite well and it is easy to transport to one of the blood shows of the ancient Roman Empire.

- Iron Altar (Ara di Ierone): although there is only the base of this monument, it impresses with its size: 198 m long and 23 m wide. And why so big? Well, it was the place where the sacrifices were carried out, and it is already known that in the classical era this type of celebration was very important. On this altar, 450 bulls were sacrificed to celebrate a military victory.

- Greek Theater: initially built by the Greeks and improved by the Romans, it is possibly the most important ruin of the enclosure. If the Romans were excited to attend blood and death shows, the Greeks enjoyed a good play, and in this space the most important of the time were represented. If you are lucky, even you can feel one more Greek, because in spring and summer there are performances.

- Ear of Dionysus: This is a cave dug in the rock by slaves, which served as a quarry to extract stone, and since we were, as a prison. It is said that Dionysius held the dissidents there to be able to listen to his plans, and that is that the shape of the cave makes his acoustics especially good, so that each murmur could be heard from outside. On our visit we met some members of a choir and they dared to sing some songs and it was impressive!

- Latomia ofParadise: It is the stone quarry where the Ear of Dionysus is located, today covered by thick vegetation. In the center stands a monolith that makes us see what the initial size of the rock was, before being excavated and exploited as a quarry. You have to go through it to follow the route.

- Grotticelle Necropolis and Archimedes Tomb: they are in the northernmost part of the park, crossing the Latomia de Santa Venera. They are excavations in the rock, in the form of small caves, which were used as a necropolis in Greco-Roman times. There is one that stands out above the others, and it was called the Archimedes Tomb. But in reality the Greek philosopher was not buried here, in fact it is unknown what his true grave is.

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It is located in the urban area of ​​Syracuse, very close to the imposing and ugly at the same time Santuario della Madonna delle Lacrime. So, depending on where your accommodation is, you can even walk. The Ortigia area is somewhat further away, but it is not crazy to get there on foot.

If you arrive by car, you can Park on Viale Augusto street. It is free, although there may be someone asking for a tip.

There is two lockers where to buy the ticket, in the shopping area and where the buses park (at the corner between Viale Augusto and Via Francesco Saverio Cavallari), which is usually for groups (although we buy it there); and another at the park entrance itself. We recommend the latter, where they also have maps in several languages ​​and where you can catch an audio guide.

Once you enter the park, we recommend you do this tour:

- First turn left after passing the ticket office to visit the Roman amphitheater. You can see it from the front and walk through the stands of one of its sides until the end. Then you will have to go back to the box office again.

- Just 20 meters from there you will see on your left the Altar of Hieron. It can only be seen from the road, because it is after a go, but it can be seen in all its splendor.

- A few meters from there you will enter a new area. It goes through a ticket control and continues until a fork. First visit the Greek Theater. We recommend that you first go to the left and see it from below, and then go up and walk it through its stands. Until you reach the terrace at the top, where you will see the Grotta of the Ninfeo, a small cave with a fountain inside.

- You will have to go back on your steps to the crossing, and this time go down to the Latomia ofParadise. Walk it quietly in the shade of the vegetation.

- Although what you will see on the stone wall is the huge entrance to the Ear of Dionysus. Truly impressive, one of the most amazing places of the whole trip through Sicily!

- Then follow the path until you return to the starting point and finish the visit. Although if you want more you can continue north to visit the Grotticelle and the Tomb of Archimedes.

The tour (without this last part) is done in an hour and a half approx. If you go with a guide and you like to stop a lot in the places, obviously it gets longer.

In general it is a very easy visit, you do not walk much and everything is quite together. Of course, if you get caught in hot weather, try to avoid the central hours of the day, bring water and put on sunscreen and cap!

The entrance to the Neapolis of Syracuse it costs € 10. We believe that it is very worthwhile, for us, of the best classical ruins we have visited. Not so much for its state of conservation or for the dimensions, but for the different places that are visited, each with a special charm.

Here we leave you a map with the points you have to visit, and the route has to do. We hope it helps you!

You see that the Syracuse Neapolis It is one of the most suggestive places in all of Sicily. An unmissable visit if you are traveling through this island of Italy.