Day 9 • Siracusa

We had breakfast delivered to our room. We then walked to the Neapolis Archaeological Park to see a Greek Amphitheater and the Ear of Dionysius. The park was full of Italian tourists. The theater was covered with scaffolds and wooden modern seats for an upcoming performance, which kinda killed the mood of antiquity.

theater at siracusa alla 2008

a small lady looking even smaller

Some parts of the park were closed off so there want's much else to see. On the walk back we passed the Church of San Giovanni famous for its 4th century crypts but it was closing soon and there wasn't enough time to see it. I can be claustrophobic so perhaps it was for the best.

the church was not rebuilt after the 17th century earthquake

On the walk back, we had a snack from a tiny shop/bakery of a calzone-type thing. The dough was folded into a triangle, like stuffed pizza. It was really delicious and the flaky pastry was surrounding warm, cheesy broccoli. It was definitely not enough for the both of us so we headed toward the Aretusa Fountain, a landmark of the city, because we remembered there were a lot of places to eat near it. There were tons of school kids in massive groups hitting every snack shop and pizzeria just when we were about to go in. There were no lines, yelling - chaos. We had to scrap the snack idea and found a small, tasty and overpriced restaurant. We got the antipasti platter with eggplant in tomato sauce and cheese and grilled vegetables and shared a frittata. After we had gelato and stood over the Aretusa Fountain. All the kids had gone. Exhausted, we took a siesta then had a glass of wine on the hotel roof terrace.

from the hotel roof terrace you could see a sliver of the mediterranean

We went for a walk and it rained a little but then stopped. The first rain we've had! We took a walk along the pier just around sunset.

the boat of three brothers

The Piazza Duomo is an immense piazza with grand buildings on every side. The cathedral was still open so we took a peek inside. It was built over a 5th century BC Temple to Athena. The doric columns remain and the walls of the cathedral are built around them.

the walls of the cathedral and 5th century BC doric columns

at the piazza duomo

We watched a gorgeous sunset over the Mediterranean. We stopped at a wine bar and sat outside for a glass or two. The owner was a nice older man with family on Long Island who had a nice selection of wines. We first had a rosé with melon slices then a red with caponata. I was getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, tipsy from snacking on me. Time to eat! Before we left, we asked the front desk for a pizzeria recommendation and we were sent to Castello Fiorentino. What an experience!

waiting for our name to be called wondering if its worth the wait

it was worth the wait

The place was packed and there was a line out the door so we knew it had to be good. They took our name and we waited on the street with friends, couples, and a family with a little boy in a white suit jacket. It was a 20 minute wait to get in and totally worth it. The place was frenetic and the waitstaff were well seasoned and putting on a show. Very friendly service and the most amazing pizza. I thank Ken for taking the picture! We both had the Romagna pizzas with just the right amount of anchovies and olives. The crust was perfectly charred and chewy. We washed them down with cold, frothy Nastro Azzurros...mmmmmmm

duomo at night