Parco Archeologico - Siracusa

The Archaeological Park, located in Via del Greek Theatre, home to most of the monuments of classical Greek and Roman Syracuse. At the entrance of the park there’s the Basilica of St. Nicholas Cordari, dating from the eleventh century AD, the seat of the tourist office. Right after, you enter in the Roman Amphitheatre (II -IV century AD), where, at the main entrance, there are several stone sarcophagi.

To the west of the amphitheater, the Altar of Hieron II (Altar of Hiero II, dating from the third century BC). It’s the largest known in the Greek world, and it’s supposed to be dedicated to Jupiter Liberator, which was celebrated in honor of the feast of Eleutheria, with the sacrifice of 450 bulls at a time. On the right you can see the ancient Stone Quarries from which the Greeks extracted the necessary materials for their constructions. All twelve Stone Quarries of Syracuse extend for about 1.5 km. From Latomia of Heaven, we come to the most famous grotto of the entire park, the Ear of Dionysius, known for the legend  which it’s linked to his name. It’s said, indeed, that the tyrant Dionysius had built this cave as a prison from where you can listen the words of the condemned, through the echo generated inside. Contiguous to the Ear of Dionysius, is the Rope Makers Cave and the Cave of Saltpeter.