The skené (from which the word "scene" derives) was a scene wall construction placed perpendicularly to the cavea. Initially it was very simple and built from wood. Its original function was only practical, i.e. to provide the actors with a secluded place to prepare without being seen, like a mode...

The lizard carved on the left corner of the cornice, also present in other buildings, is interpreted as the signature of the architect Vermexio. In fact, it is said that he was awarded the epithet of "lucertolone" (green lizard) due to his excessive height and thinness. ...

The Grotta dei Cordari takes its name from the craftspeople who, for around three centuries after the 17th century, used it as a "workshop" to produce rope. In some families, the rope maker craft was handed down from generation to generation: the Ambrogio and the Scrofani were the first to settle i...

The inhabitants of Pantalica were very fond of elegance, as shown by the exquisiteness of some fibulae found in the area. A fibula, the forerunner of the modern safety pin, is a brooch with a safety catch, formerly used to secure a cloak on your shoulders and keep it from falling off. [dettaglio_i...

The Feast of Santa Lucia di Maggio (St. Lucy of May), also known as the Feast of Santa Lucia delle Quaglie (St. Lucy of Quails), is one of the most heartfelt traditions in Syracuse. The event takes place on the first Sunday in May to commemorate the miracle of the Saint during the famine that struc...

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...