When I was planning my trip to Sicily in November 2023, Syracuse was in the list of must-visit places.
One of the reasons was because the movie, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny had featured Greek mathematician and psychist Archimedes (287 B.C. - 212 B.C) who was born in Syracuse. The inventions of Archimedes, some of which are still used today has caused him to be regarded as one of the greatest mathematicians of all time.
On that morning, I headed to the ticket office in Catania to purchase a return ticket to Syracuse. The ticket office is located on the ground floor of this building:
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| The ticket office is the blue coloured lot on the right. |
Buses to Syracuse leaves around the clock. The journey takes about 1.5 hours (one way).
I bought a ticket for the 9:45am bus that leaves from Catania to Syracuse, and a return ticket (on the same day) for the bus that leaves Syracuse at 4:00pm to Catania. The return ticket costs Euro 9.60.
After purchasing the tickets, I headed to Terminal Bus Citta di Catania which is located about 50 metres from the ticket office:
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| If you're unsure which berth the bus to Syracuse departs from, ask the Security Office at the entrance of the station. |
The bus from Catania to Syracuse looks like this:
This is the bus station in Syracuse where the bus drops off passengers:
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| It actually looks more like a bus stop than a bus station. |
When I got off the bus, I made sure I could find my way back to the station in time to catch the 4:00pm bus back to Catania.
On this day trip, I didn't make a plan to visit every "must-see" in Syracuse. I just wanted to walk around and see what's in Syracuse. After all, it was a day trip and there is only so much one can do in a day trip.
I whipped out my mobile phone, activated Google Maps and navigated myself to Ponte Umbertino which separates Syracuse from the island of Ortigia.
On my way to Ponte Umbertino, I stopped at a cafe to have a traditional Sicilian dessert which I found too sweet for my liking:
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| Cassata Siciliana |
This is the view from Ponte Umbertino which separates Syracuse from the island of Ortigia:
After crossing Ponte Umbertino, I continued walking and came across this lovely fountain depicting the myth of Diana, Arethusa and Alphaeus:
Soon, I arrived at the Syracuse Cathedral which is one of the city's star attraction:
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| Syracuse Cathedral |
There was an entrance fee to enter the cathedral, so I decided to skip it. After all, I have already visited so many beautiful and magnificent churches in Sicily. Not visiting this one ain't gonna make a difference.
By the time I took all the photos I wanted of the Syracuse Cathedral, it was already past lunchtime. So I started looking for a place to eat.
A fellow traveler whom I had met in Catania had recommended a reasonably priced restaurant in Syracuse.
When I located the restaurant, it was full of people. I went up to the staff and enquired if there are tables available. The lady at the counter quickly set up a table for me, and I happily ordered my food.
I ordered this traditional Sicilian eggplant dish (which was bloody delicious!) and a glass of red wine:
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| Caponata |
After lunch I walked along the corniche to look at ships:
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| It was a windy day and the waves were choppy. I was imagining how the seafarers and navigators in ancient times steered their boats and ships in such a condition and without modern equipment. |
Soon it was time to head back to the bus station to take the bus back to Catania.
All in all, it was an interesting day-trip to Syracuse. Although I didn't visit many of the top spots in Syracuse such as the museums, and I barely scratched the surface of exploring Syracuse thoroughly, I am glad to have the opportunity to visit the beautiful city.
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