| Archaeological Park of Neapolis | |
 | |
| State | Italy |
|---|---|
| Region | Sicily |
| Territory | Syracusan |
| Institutional website | |
The Archaeological Park of Neapolis is an archaeological site of the Sicily.
To know
How to get
Permits / Rates
- Archaeological Park of Neapolis, Via Paradiso, 14, ☎ 39 0931 66206, @[email protected].
Full: € 10, reduced (18/25 years): € 5, free every first Sunday of the month and for minors ofEuropean Union. 
Mon-Sun 08: 30-one hour before sunset. There are two ticket offices. One at the 1 Casina Cuti, near the souvenir shops (for groups or individuals) and another 2 ticket office near the Roman amphitheater.
Full: € 10, reduced (18/25 years): € 5, free every first Sunday of the month and for minors of
Mon-Sun 08: 30-one hour before sunset. There are two ticket offices. One at the How to get around
Archaeological Park of Neapolis: full screen map.What see
Church of San Nicolò ai Cordari
- 1 Church of San Nicolò ai Cordari. It is an ancient 11th century church dedicated to San Nicolò. In 1093 the funeral of the count was celebrated Giordano d'Altavilla, son of the great count Roger I of Sicily. Despite the value of the place, the church lost its importance due to the shrinking of the population of the city, enclosed in Ortigia. It was soon deconsecrated and in 1577 the space was granted to the Syracusan rope-makers in which they used it as a warehouse and during the plague of 1600 the basements became a common grave. with the establishment of the park in the 1950s, the church became an information center and today a small exhibition venue.
- The underground environment of the church is what remains of a Roman swimming pool. In fact, in this place the water was collected and subsequently sent to the amphitheater to allow the naumachia. In some periods of the year it is also possible to visit the swimming pool which also contains niches from later periods.
The altar of Hieron
- 2 Macaw of Hieron. It is a large sacrificial altar built by Hieron II (hence the name) and dedicated to Zeus Euletherios. The hour measuring 119 x 23 meters was truly impressive and was dedicated to the burnt offerings of animals. In addition to the access slides, there were also the stature of telamons of which only the feet remain. Unfortunately, the area is only visible from a distance.
- 2 Macaw of Hieron. It is a large sacrificial altar built by Hieron II (hence the name) and dedicated to Zeus Euletherios. The hour measuring 119 x 23 meters was truly impressive and was dedicated to the burnt offerings of animals. In addition to the access slides, there were also the stature of telamons of which only the feet remain. Unfortunately, the area is only visible from a distance.
The archaic theater
The Greek Theater seen from above
- 3 Greek theatre. The Greek theater is one of the most important monuments of the city. Built in the 5th century BC in an area that already housed an even more ancient theater, the linear theater is still visible today to the west of the hemispheric theater between the hairpin bends of 3 viale Giuseppe Agnello. Built by the architect Damocopos, the Greek theater immediately became the cultural center of the polis through the staging of tragedies and comedies. Here in 470 BC Aeschylus staged the Etneas, but a continuous activity of representations is certain, of which the history which has come down to us does not speak.
- The theater had an auditorium of 138 meters with 67 orders of steps, this suggests a considerable capacity. Halfway up, in the so-called diazoma are visible inscriptions in Greek that recall the names of the royal family of Chill II and the reference to some deities. In Roman times it underwent transformations becoming the seat of bloody shows subsequently moved to the more comfortable amphitheater. The absence of steps in the upper orders, as well as the presence of missing parts in the live rock steps, are the first to attest to the spoliation in the Spanish era for the construction of the defensive walls of the city, erected by exploiting the blocks of ancient monuments. Subsequently the cavea was exploited, thanks to the presence of the difference in height to install some mills, of which today only the building next to the theater remains. Today the theater is home to classical performances held every year, and summer concerts.
The cave of the nymphaeum
- 4 Grotta del Ninfeo. It is a cave on which water from the aqueducts of Syracuse flows. According to some, the actors gathered in this place before starting to act, or perhaps for other sacred functions. Subsequently its waters were exploited to turn the mills installed on the auditorium of the theater, the so-called Mulini Galermi.
- 5 Via dei Sepolcri. It is a sacred way, that is, a way in which heroes were honored by placing pinakes, votive terracotta bas-reliefs representing a deified person. This road, located above the plateau of the Theater, led to the highest point of the Temenite hill on the top of which there was a temple discovered a few years ago. Unfortunately, the route is not viable but it is possible to see a glimpse of it to get an idea.
- 4 Grotta del Ninfeo. It is a cave on which water from the aqueducts of Syracuse flows. According to some, the actors gathered in this place before starting to act, or perhaps for other sacred functions. Subsequently its waters were exploited to turn the mills installed on the auditorium of the theater, the so-called Mulini Galermi.
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View of the Latomia del Paradiso
- Latomia of Paradise. The latomia today appears as an immense luxuriant chasm with overhanging walls inside which there is the Ear of Dionysus and the cave of the cordari. In ancient times this area was a closed quarry, that is an immense cave where slaves worked in very hard conditions to extract the stone of the Greek monuments of the polis. After the Athenian defeat of 413 BC, the captured soldiers were locked up and enslaved until death. The current appearance was assumed as a result of the various earthquakes that have alternated and that have caused the vaults that supported the roof of the latomia to collapse. Today it is one of the most evocative places in the city thanks to the historical perception of the place and the presence of centuries-old trees.
- Cave of the cordari. Located to the right of the Ear of Dionysus, the cave is closed because it cannot be used, however it is visible thanks to a walkway. It is an artificial cave that took this name because ropes were spun up until the 1950s. The activity was then interrupted and the place definitively closed to the public.
The entrance to the Ear of Dionysus
- 6 Ear of Dionysus. Inside the Latomia del Paradiso there is an artificial grotto with an S-shape placed under the auditorium of the theater. Because of the acoustic effects (it won't be difficult to hear someone wanting to test the echo inside it) it took the name of Ear of Dionysus as according to legend the tyrant Dionysus from the small upper opening he listened to the conversations of the convicts fearing conspiracies. The name is also related to the donkey's ear shape of the opening. This tradition is so well established that even al Caravaggio on a visit to Syracuse he was told the same legend. During the era of the Grand Tour the foreigners who came to this place often asked to verify (in vain) the reliability of the legend, since the echo does not allow to perceive distinct but superimposed sounds.
- 6 Ear of Dionysus. Inside the Latomia del Paradiso there is an artificial grotto with an S-shape placed under the auditorium of the theater. Because of the acoustic effects (it won't be difficult to hear someone wanting to test the echo inside it) it took the name of Ear of Dionysus as according to legend the tyrant Dionysus from the small upper opening he listened to the conversations of the convicts fearing conspiracies. The name is also related to the donkey's ear shape of the opening. This tradition is so well established that even al Caravaggio on a visit to Syracuse he was told the same legend. During the era of the Grand Tour the foreigners who came to this place often asked to verify (in vain) the reliability of the legend, since the echo does not allow to perceive distinct but superimposed sounds.
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The Roman amphitheater
- 7 Roman amphitheater. The amphitheater built not far from the other valuable monuments of the city dates back to around the 1st century AD. It measures 140x119 meters and was built to allow the public to watch the gladiatorial ludii. In fact, in the center there is a tank that could be filled with water from the nearby aqueduct for the naumachiae. Once it lost its function, the monument was abandoned and several blocks of stone removed to be reused, as was the custom at the time. Thanks to a new route, it is now possible to visit from below as well.
- 7 Roman amphitheater. The amphitheater built not far from the other valuable monuments of the city dates back to around the 1st century AD. It measures 140x119 meters and was built to allow the public to watch the gladiatorial ludii. In fact, in the center there is a tank that could be filled with water from the nearby aqueduct for the naumachiae. Once it lost its function, the monument was abandoned and several blocks of stone removed to be reused, as was the custom at the time. Thanks to a new route, it is now possible to visit from below as well.
The Tomb of Archimedes
- 8 Augustan arch of Syracuse. To the east of the Roman amphitheater, in correspondence with the recitation of the park that overlooks the road, is the base of a Roman arch from the Augustan period. Little remains of the monument, however it is important to note that it was placed on a road axis, not visible today, which, coming from the Piazza della Vittoria area, passed through the arch and then left the city. In practice it was an obligatory access route and the arch was an integral part of it.
- 8 Augustan arch of Syracuse. To the east of the Roman amphitheater, in correspondence with the recitation of the park that overlooks the road, is the base of a Roman arch from the Augustan period. Little remains of the monument, however it is important to note that it was placed on a road axis, not visible today, which, coming from the Piazza della Vittoria area, passed through the arch and then left the city. In practice it was an obligatory access route and the arch was an integral part of it.
- 9 Tomb of Archimedes. It can be visited only in the summer period. The so-called Tomb of Archimedes is actually a Roman columbarium whose shape has been misleading for a long time. In-depth studies then clarified the situation. This monument is located in a portion of the Neapolis Park usually closed and accessible only in the summer. The monument is mostly visible from the fence.
What to do
- Guided tour of the park. The park can be visited on a guided tour which usually lasts an hour and a half. Guides can be booked at the same ticket office or through one of the local agencies.
Shopping
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