Il Parco Archaeologico
The Greek Theatre in Siracusa is by far
the largest Greek theatre in Italy. The 2nd largest is located in Taormina, our next stop.
Constructed in 474 BC, the 67 tiers were cut from rock and seat 15,000 people.
During the Roman period the stage area was flooded and life-sized ships battled each other.
Can you see the Mediterranean in the far right corner? Just a hint of blue and the island of Ortygia, then the sea.
The Latomie, also known as the Grotta del Museion, is a stone quarry. The material was used in constructing temples and the walls around Ortygia in 1520-1531. Notice the similarity between this and Agrigento's stone quarry, that is, caves that became places of habitation. Though the grotto appears small, because of the overgrown vegetation, it covers a vast area.
The holes in the rock wall represent "votive" niches or possibly places where craftsmen made various everyday items.
If used as a votive niche, paintings or tablets in honor of the Syracusan heroes were displayed for the theatre attendees.
Ahhh, a "live" Syracusan hero!!
The interior of a votive
The Ear of Dionysius
Legend says the tyrant Dionysius could hear the whispers of prisoners held in this area, and take precautions against impending uprisings, etc.
We can attest to the extraordinary acoustic qualities.
It's interesting how "rock" reverberates sound. We're accustomed to restaurant bistros with cinderblock/brick walls, but in times past people used rock enclosed areas to imprison people and hear what they said. Later in the trip we visited Bomarzo gardens, where there is an enormous monster within whose mouth EVERYTHING that is said echoes.
I wonder if it was ever used as a prison?
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