This was part of our Sicily (2026) trip, when we did a day trip from Catania to Siracusa.
(Click here to see all our trips.)
The weather was sunny and bright this morning. We took the 8:30am Interbus from Catania to Siracuse (19.20 euros for two, round-trip). The ride was longer than to Taormina. When we arrived, it was already 10am.
We walked to the Neapolis Archaeological Park first. We saw a large group of young people gathering, and were concerned that the ticket line would be long. It turned out that those were students on a field trip, and there was no one waiting at the ticket office. The ticket was 14 euros per adult.
There was a cockatiel perching inside the hood of a student’s jacket. People were all excitingly taking photos. I also took a few. The student joked that we should pay 10 euros to take photos 🙂
There was only minimal information inside the park. We didn’t rent an audio guide and couldn’t find a park map, so we simply walked around. (Later we realized that we would have to go inside the store to ask for a map.) We first visited Grotta dei Cordari (Cave of the Ropemakers), where artisans used to make ropes. The place had marvelous rock formations and was photogenic.
Next to it was the famous Orecchio di Dionisio (Ear of Dionysius), a cave with excellent acoustic effects. It was very dark inside, with only a tiny opening on the top. Many people were shouting inside to try the sound effects.
There was construction work going on at the Greek Theater, probably in preparation for an upcoming event. The result was an underwhelming and only partially visible amphitheater. The highlight of the site was actually a cave above the theater with waterfalls inside.
There was no information about the Tomb of Archimede, so we completely missed it. When we asked later, we were told that the place was closed.
There was a Greek altar, which was said to be one of the largest altars known. The altar was in an enclosure, and we could only take photos from the outside.
The park also had a Roman Amphitheater. Rei commented that it actually looked more impressive than the partially covered Greek Theater!
Even though it’s an interesting visit, we didn’t get much information. So, if you want to gain more insight of the archaeological park, either rent the audio guide or join a guided tour.
We decided to skip the museum to spend more time in Ortigia. After we walked across a bridge to arrive at Ortigia, we first saw the Apollo Temple ruin, an important ancient Greek monument. Some huge Doric columns were still standing.
You probably noticed that we didn’t have many fancy dinners on this trip; we mostly ate pizzas. This was because Sicilians dined late. Good restaurants wouldn’t open for dinner until 7 or 7:30pm, and Rei was already ready for bed by then. So, we decided to have good sit-down late lunch instead.
We picked a seafood restaurant, il pesce azzurro osteria, on the way. Rei and I shared a Mixed Grill Seafood and a Prawn Penne. The food was delicious, especially the grilled squid! For dessert, Rei bought a huge freshly filled pistachio cannoli to share with me.
The cathedral was under an exterior restoration, but the inside was still open. We paid 2 euros each to enter. The cathedral was incorporated into the old Temple of Athena. The huge Doric columns were visible and well preserved. It’s so unusual to see a cathedral with Greek columns. There were also intricate and colorful mosaic works. The polychrome marble floor of the cathedral was amazing too.
We also went to Santa Lucia alla Badia church to see a Caravaggio painting. However, a sign inside the church informed us that the painting has been moved to a different church about 1 mile away!
We continued walking south to check out Fonte Aretusa. It was a small pond with lush plants. There were amazing amount of fish swimming in the water too.
Castello Maniace was located at the south tip of Ortigia Island. We decided not to pay the 6-euro per person entrance fee and only take photos from outside.
We were done with Ortigia sightseeing, but our returning bus was at 4:30pm, so we had time for additional sightseeing. I suggested that we either go visit the super modern Madonna delle Lacrime (Madonna of Tears) or go see the Caravaggio painting. Rei voted for the former. On the way, he bought a pistachio gelato from Ocean Bar to share with me; it was very good.
When I wanted to check Google Map, Rei always told me to just follow him. So I followed him to walk for about half an hour to reach … the bus station! I was very surprised. He told me that he wanted to make sure we knew how to return to the bus station. Besides, he had no idea where we’re going next!
So, we power walked to The Sanctuary Madonna delle Lacrime, an ultra-modern conical structure. The sanctuary got the name because of a miracle of a weeping effigy. The inside was very spacious with many wooden benches.
The returning bus was full of passengers, but everyone still got a seat. By the way, the bus went past Madonna delle Lacrime, so you could save a trip if you just want a photo from the outside. It was a long ride returning to Catania. When we were approaching Catania Centro, I saw Mount Etna from the bus window and pointed out to Rei. He was very excited. However, we didn’t manage to take a photo. We would try that tomorrow; the weather was said to be sunny.
Amy 'n Rei 