Siracusa was one of the most important cities of the ancient Greek world, and the most beautiful according to Cicero, the Roman consul.
The peninsula Ortigia is the self-contained hub of the old city.
On the mainland, Achradina, Tyche and Neapolis have been occupied almost without a break since the expansion of the city in480 BC.
These were the years of Gelon, Tyrant of Gela, when Siracusa was enriched with new temples, theatrea and dockyards.
The city was a powerful force until 211 BC, when it fell to the Romans in abattle that also killed the mathematician Archimedes, its most famous inhabitant.
The highlight of Ortigia is the extraordinary Duomo,begun in 1728 by architect Andrea Palma. Its Baroque facade masks the Temple of Athena (5th century BC), which has been absorbed into the Duomo.
Facing the Ponte Nuovo are the ruins of Sicily's earliest Doric temple, the Temple of Apollo, which had monolithic columns.
Across from the Duomo is the Palazzo Beneventano del Bosco, a bold example of Siracusan Baroque, as is Santa Lucia alla Badia,.
In the Municipio the small museum records the history of Ionic temples, and the coin collection of the Galleria Numismatica records Siracusa's past wealth.
The delightful Fonte Aretusa is frequently referred to by Classical writers as the point where Aretusa emerged from the ground, having been changed into a spring by Artemis to help her escape her lover Alpheus.

Sights at a glance:
· Castello Maniace;
· Museo d'Arte Medioevale e Moderna;
· Church of Santa Lucia;
· Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi