Hhbivy. SYIJACL'SE. I};). Umde. 291
Boat to the Cyane (p. 301) 5 1.; to tin: mouth only, 1 1. The boat¬
men here are generally less extortionate in their demands than those in
other parts of Sicily. To or from the steamboats So e. for each person.
Ferry from the town to the Sicilian coast (l'ii//n degli lngegneri) or the
marble harbour, */■*— 1 1. ; pedestrians thus etl'cet a considerable savins.
Steamboats of the Florin Co. (A Cassia, Agent) every Friday to Agosta,
Catania, Messina, Lipari, Palermo, touching alternately at Riposto and Capo
d'Orlando, and at Melazzo, S. Stefano and Cefalu; every Tursdav to Licata,
<Tirgenti. Sciacca. Trapani and Palermo, touching alternately at Terranova
and Mazzara, and at Marsala. To Malta once weekly, touching at Catania,
Medina and Palermo on the return-route.
Diligences daily to* Lentini and Catania (fares see p. 287). to "Noto and
Vittoria (p. 2-15). and to Palazzolo and Buccheri (p. 241). Office for the two
first at the post-office, Piazza del Duomo; for the last Sig. Crano, Strada
Piazza.
Syracuse, now a small town with about '20,000 inhab., the
teat of a prefect, is one of the most attractive points in Sicily.
The interest of tlie natural beauties vies with that of the im¬
posing monuments of antiquity. The town is, moreover, easily
accessible from all directions: from the X. it is reached by the
road from Catania, from the AV. by that from Palazzolo, from the
S. by that from Noto and from the K. by the sea. Two days
at lea-t should be devoted to Syracuse: a forenoon to the modern
town, an afternoon to the excursion to the Anapo (p. 301), and
one day to the old city. One visit at least should also be paid
to the Greek theatre towards sunset.
Syraen-e was the most extensive of Hellenic cities. Straho states that
its circumference amounted to ISO stadia (21 M.). It consisted of five distinct
portions: 1. The island Ortygia. — 2. The town on the Achradina,
the precipitous coast K. of the island, one-half being situated on the plateau
of limestone-rock, the other between the latter and the great harbour, ex¬
cluding a small portion on the X. bank of the small harbour which Diony¬
sius had enclosed with a lofty wall and added to the island. To the latter
belonged the Small Harbour (sometimes erroneously termed the Marble
Harbour) which lay between the wall ami the island. The YV. wall of the
Achradina constructed by Gelon may still lie traced by the remnants which
extend towards the S. from the tonnara of S. Panagia, passing the Campagna.
Gargallo, Near the point where the roads from Koto and Floridia converge,
the wall of Achradina probably abutted on the Great Harbour, which was
also lined with quays. Towards the sea this secure part of the town, which
could never be reduced by violence, was defended by a lofty wall. Here
were the Market with its Colonnades, the Hanks, the Carta, where the national
assemblies were held , the Pentapulou and the Prytaneuia. The latter lay
opposite to the island, to the r. of the road to Catania, where the Timo-
levnteum, with stadium and hippodrome, and a Temple of Zeus Olyntpius
also rose. It is not easy to determine with equal certainty the limits of the
other parts of the city which lay to the AV. of the Achradina on the plateau
which contracts as it extends upwards towards the Epipoise or fortress. —
3. Tychc. on the X. side, derived its appellation from a temple to For¬
tune. — -1. Xeapolis, situated to the S. on the terrace above the great
harbour, and which during the Roman period descended to the plain as far
as the 1. side of the road to Floridia. was termed Temenites at the time of
the Athenian siege. Here were situated the Greek Theatre, the so-called
Ara, the Roman Amphitheatre, the Baths in the garden of Buonfardeci. the
Latvmta del Paradise and of S. Veuera, and the Street of Tombs. — 5. The
Epipola.'. the highe.-t point of the city, forms the \V. angle of the trila-
! 0 *
Permalink: http://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/j65gd
