It’s all Greek to me! - Siracusa

Ciao da Siracusa!

     Today we had a wonderful journey through the Sicilian town of Siracusa. We started the morning with a hotel breakfast of cereal, fruit, yogurt, croissants, prosciutto, and cheese. Afterwards, we walked back over to the restaurant we ate at last night. Just around the corner rested a beautiful fountain called Fonte Artusa. The myth surrounding it says that the water nymph Artusa found herself chased by a river god. In order to escape him, she transformed into water and hid underground. Artemis, the goddess she served, then allowed her to flow all the way to the fountain in Siracusa. Siracusa was originally Greek, so this myth serves as a way of tying the town back to its origins.

     We then boarded our bus and headed off to the Parco Archeological Neapolis. This park displayed a large variety of Greek architecture, most notably a Greek theater. 

     This theater prompted us to ask questions centered around identity. What part of Greek life did a theater like this serve, and how did it function alongside the Greek identity? We came to the conclusion that the theater played an integral part in the lives of those who lived here. It served the primary purpose of entertainment through plays and speeches. However it also may have served as a way of demonstrating power. While the seats may currently all look rough and worn, they were originally covered in marble. These marble seats were then sometimes reserved for certain families. This allowed influential families to show off their power through the seats they reserved.

     Another part of the park that we visited was the quarry. This quarry, Latomia del Paradiso, was a vast open space surrounded by stone with large holes carved into them. The stone harvested from this site just so happened to be used in the construction of the original buildings in Siracusa. Within the quarry, they have planted a citrus grove (orange you glad we went to Italy?). The Orecchio di Dionisio (The ear of Dionysus) is a large cavern in the shape of a donkey’s ear residing within the quarry. The donkey is a symbol of the Greek god Dionysus, hence the name. It also got its name from the Greek tyrant Dionysius I. It was said that he could hear the talking among the slaves working in the quarry from a special spot within the cavern, preventing any talk of uprising.

     Near the front of the park rested a huge Greek altar. These altars typically resided outside an even larger temple. They functioned as a way for the peasantry to perform sacrifices since only sacred individuals were allowed inside the actual temple.

     Finally, we looked at a Roman amphitheater. It is important to note that there is a difference between a theater and an amphitheater. The former is only a half circle, while the later is a full circle. Additionally, the amphitheater was more accustomed to spectacles, like slaying exotic animals, or chariot racing. Interestingly, the amphitheater was covered in grass and moss, whereas the Greek theater was much more well-kept. 

     Taking our observations into consideration, and adding a bit of Italian history, we came to the conclusion that people on Siracuse honored their Greek history much more than their Italian and Roman history. This is evidenced by both the myth of Artusa and the emphasis on the Greek architecture over the Roman. It also ties into the history of Italy, and how Garibaldi conquered Southern Italy and gave it away to the North.

     After returning from the park, we briefly visited the temple of Apollo. While mostly in ruins, it was interesting to note how it was located between modern roads and buildings. Afterwards, we headed of to the Duomo.

     The Duomo is the main cathedral of a town. This one features many statues, stain glass windows, and reliquaries. Before heading inside, we noticed the changing style of columns. We learned that before becoming a cathedral, the building had been a Greek temple. It then became a mosque before being transformed into a cathedral by the Byzantines. It serves as an example of hybridity, as the architecture demonstrates both the Greek and Byzantine styles. 

Lunch Break!

     After lunch, we visited two sets of mikveh. A mikveh is a Jewish sacred bath used for purification. The first one we visited happened to be right below our hotel! Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed, but I’ll do my best to describe it. It was down a large set of of stairs. At the bottom was a hand-chiseled room with two baths in it. Each bath was about 0.5 meters by 0.5 meter, and was filled with cool water. Additionally, there was a brick well that catches rain 

water. There were two side rooms, each with its own private mikveh. One of the two rooms also had a second brick well.

     The second set resided below a church. The church itself had a reliquary and statues on display. However, it had three levels below it, each one providing a different historical service. The first basement level was a mummification chamber. The second basement level was originally an old prison, but was then used in the 40’s as a bomb shelter during the Allied forces’ bombings. It was spacious, and had tunnels leading to other churches as well as the sea. Finally, the third floor was a very small landing attached to the mikveh. The stairs wrapped around it with windows carved out so that it can be monitored, and an opening up above to catch rainwater. This time, we were allowed to take pictures.

     It was interesting to see how the buildings here are layered. The modern buildings are built on top of older buildings, which may in turn be built on top of even older structures. It creates two different effects. First, it has the negative side effect that in order to build something new, it must take the place of something old. There is only so much space on the island, so making use of it requires the repurposing of older, historically significant buildings. Even if a plot of land appears to have no historical value, there could be something hiding beneath. The second effect is another form of hybridity. The styles of architecture and the purposes of each building have become fused together. Some modern places use their predecesor as attractions, while others merely use the space provided. Either way, the modern functions retain semblances of their former purposes. This architectural ancestry is part of Siracusa’s identity, and I presume part of the rest of Italy’s identity as well.

     Finally, we ended the day with dinner on our own. We had a jam-packed day, and every part of it was fascinating and very fun. I cannot wait to see what else is in store, and I’m excited for my fellow students to tell you all about it.

Thanks for reading!

- Ryan Gibbons