Syracusa

Randy made the arrangements for our stay in the old town of Syracusa which is on Ortigia Island. We stayed in an ocean-front room at the Domus Mariae. It is run by Ursuline nuns, although most of our contacts were with Cinsia at the front desk. 

View from room!

Since we had only two nights, we focused on the museum and the old quary and theatre. 

Factoids:

While there were people in Sicily 2,000 B.C., Syracusa was founded as a Greek city in 733 B.C. 

The Athenians invaded and were defeated in 413 B.C. The victors held 7,000 Athenian enemies in the quarries for seven years in "appalling conditions."

Plato moved to Syracusa in 398 B.C. He called it a model utopian city. By some sources, it was the most important city in the world until the 10th century.

The Punic wars started about 264 B.C. with Syracusa falling to the Romans in 212 B.C.

St. Paul preached in Syracusa on his way to Rome in A.D. 59.

After the Roman Empire was split between east and west, Syracusa was the capital of the Byzantine Empire for a short time around 663 A.D., under Constans II.

Location, location, location explains the long line of conquerors: Corinthians, Greeks, Carthaginians (Phoenicians), Romans, Goths, Vandals, Ostrogoths, Byzatines,  Muslims (AKA Saracens), Normans (German/French), Spanish, French (Napoleon). Italy and Sicily were united in 1861 after an uprising led by Garibaldi from Piedmonte. Syracusa was bombed and captured once by the Allies and once by Luftwaffe in World War II.