The Greek philosopher Plato harshly reproached the Syracusans for devoting themselves too much to the pleasures of dining and banquets. Sources also tell of a chef from Syracuse, called Mikhetos, who was the author of the first treatise on Western cuisine and even the founder of a sort of hospitali...

The archaeologist Paolo Orsi said that the construction period of this complex dated back to around 878, the year when Syracuse was taken over by the Islamic peoples. The church is divided into four rooms: the presbytery, a liturgical and architectural term, located in the central part of the chu...

The process of catharsis takes place thanks to the strong empathy between the audience and the dramatic action, whereby the audience would identify completely with the characters and their stories....

The first rudimentary yet solid catapult was built in wood. It consisted of two trunks resting on a base and fixed to a horizontal frame. Between these was twisted a rope on which was inserted the end of a wooden arm, which could rotate from bottom to top. The opposite end, on the other hand, held...

The catacomb of Santa Lucia documents the vitality of the Christian community in Syracuse since the first half of the 3rd century. The funerary area, still partially unexplored, is located below the current Piazza di Santa Lucia, and consists of a community cemetery and some privately owned hypogea...

The chapel of Santa Lucia inside the Cathedral is a majestic sacred space dominated by red and gold and the silvery light radiating from the statue of the patron saint of Syracuse. The central focus of this place is the niche that houses the precious simulacrum of St. Lucy. The figure is wrapped i...

Via della Cannamela was named after the numerous workshops where sugar cane was refined. According to ancient tradition, this plant was collected in "bundles" and transported to the mill, where it was ground by a wheel then pressed. The sugary liquid was boiled in large cauldrons then put into jar...

This small district owes its name to the Jewish workshops where the "Cannamela", or sugar cane, was refined. According to ancient tradition, the plant was uprooted, collected in "bundles" and transported to the mill, where it was ground by a hydraulic wheel then pressed. The liquid, boiled in larg...

1492 can be defined as an annus horribilis (Latin for "horrible year") for the Sicilian Jews. It was when a thriving community, present since ancient times and growing over time to become a large part of the island's population, was chased from the island. Isabella and Ferdinand II of Aragon issue...

The battle of Himera, a city near present-day Termini Imerese took place between the troops of the Siceliotes, commanded by Gelon of Syracuse, allied by Theron of Akragas, and the Carthaginians, commanded by Hamilcar I, who was determined to destroy the Greek community in Sicily. Gelon and Theron g...