B&B ARTEMIDE

Explore Neapolis: the new city archaeological park

by MikeBird

Apparently Neapolis means New city which suggests that the archaeological remains that are located in this central part of Siracusa represent, not the original settlement, but a later development of the city which is just as well because the sites are very extensive. The Greek theatre, the nearby roman amphitheatre and the colossal mass sacrificial slaughterground take up a large part of what is now called the Neapolis Archaeological Park that contains all three of these impressive structures and more. Perhaps this was the forerunner of what we would now call a theme park, where the citizens of Siracusa could go for entertainment and socialisation?

Other people on VT have given more detailed descriptions of the greek theatre and the roman amphitheatre which in themselves would definitely be on a tourists itinerary but when they are so close together this park becomes a 'must see' place that is well worth the 9Euro adult entry fee. Included also is the Ear of Dionysus which is set in the corner of the enormous quarry from which much of the building's raw material will have been taken.

It's a pity that the eastern end of the quarry had been cordoned off and entry prohibited. We would liked to have explored it but looking down from the road that encircles the site we could see that much of that end had become overgrown with weeds. Perhaps they only open it in the summer?

We did see a few parties with tour guides but suspect the guides travelled with the groups. We didn't see any tours advertised in the Park itself. Perhaps these are run in the summer? Instead we used our own Guide book which provided all the information we needed.

There is plenty of parking in the via Augustus which is next to the new Coach park where there are numerous stalls selling refreshments and souvenirs. The ticket office for the park is situated far away in the corner behind the stalls.

You will comfortably spend at least a couple of hours exploring the park and at the end you can take a refreshing drink at the small café near the entrance. I hope you enjoy your visit - we did.

Marina d'Avola, Sicilia

by helenjones

"Just a brief visit..."

...to a bar on a beach on the way to Noto. Bar La Ola (mentioned in the Rough Guide to Sicily) serves food and drinks to beach people right through the summer months, at least until September which is when we visited. I mention it because this was a pleasant place to have a drink and while away a couple of hours with virtually nobody but a handful of locals to disturb the peace, not that they did, of course!