Ortygia and Surroundings

Mountain Bike Tours

Mountain biking is one of the best ways to experience nature in Syracuse. We have selected the 20 best MTB routes in the area to help you discover this region at best. Click on Komoot.it and you will find one of the most beautiful mountain bike itineraries, you can also see photos and suggestions of other fans of komoot community. Find the perfect trail for your next mountain bike adventure.

Eat Good Food

The Sicilian gastronomic tradition is certainly among the most important and rich in Italy, because of influences from all the cultures that have settled in Sicily over the millennia.

A nutrient-dense food of Mediterranean flavours, enclosed in a unique balance between land and sea.
All around Sicily it is normal to discover typical Sicilian products, always different and closely linked to the territory.
You cannot leave Sicily without having tasted at least half of the main culinary specialties of the island:
Cannolo, he is the king of Sicilian pastry, he has got many centuries of history and consists of a wafer of fried pasta rolled and filled with fresh ricotta.
Cassata, if cannolo is the king of Sicilian pastry cassata is definitely the Queen.
Arancino is another symbol of Sicilian gastronomy, popularly called Arancina if we are in the western part of the island.

Granita is a typical Sicilian breakfast, especially in summertime around the coastal areas.
Among the Sicilian specialties could not miss the main course, like Pasta alla Norma that is made with typical Mediterranean flavours.

The Sicilian Caponata and its multiple variants is a dish enriched by mediterranean flavours with a bittersweet taste. It can be served both as a main course or a side dish accompanied by bread.
Pasta di Mandorle or almond paste is another typical product of the pastry culture of the island, known as Pasta Reale because it is considered “worthy of a king” for its goodness.

Visit Museums

Discover the Beauties inside :

Paolo Orsi Archaeological Museum
Bellomo Palace
Archimedes and Leonardo Museum
Pupi ( Typical Sicylian Puppets) Museum
Papyrus Museum
Archimedes technological Park
Archaeological Park

Historical Centre

Numerous palaces and sacred buildings characterize the area, but some more than others are immortalized in thousands of photographs every year by the many tourists who visit Syracuse.
Among these we must mention the Castle of Maniace, a powerful building that extends in the southern part of the island.

Also in the southern part of Ortigia it is advisable to go and see the Aretusa Source, linked to a legend according to which the nymph Arethusa, to escape from Alpheus, madly in love with her, asked for help from Artemis, who transformed her into a source to save her.

On the Ortigia’ Island there is also the Cathedral of the city, originally built in the fifth century B.C. as a temple dedicated to the Goddess Athena and later modified with the transformation into a Christian basilica.
Moving to the northern part of the island of Ortigia will be very interesting a visit to the ancient temple of Apollo, considered the oldest temple in all of Sicily.

These are just some of the things not to be missed visiting Ortigia, but at every corner you will realize that there will be something interesting to see, since most of the buildings emanete centuries of history.