Ortigia in a day
Plans for one day in Ortigia, Siracusa's island old town: the morning market on Via De Benedictis, the Temple of Apollo, Piazza Archimede with the Fountain of Diana, Piazza Duomo and the cathedral built into a Greek temple, Caravaggio's Burial of Saint Lucy at Santa Lucia alla Badia, the Fountain of Arethusa, Castello Maniace at the tip of the island, then the Jewish ritual bath of the Giudecca. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 1 days
Ortigia in 1 day
Day 1
Ortigia market (Via De Benedictis)
Lively morning street market of fish, fruit, cheeses and spices beside the Temple of Apollo, with stalls making sandwiches to order.
Temple of Apollo
Ruins of the oldest Doric temple in Sicily, built in the sixth century BC, at the entrance to Ortigia.
Piazza Archimede and the Fountain of Diana
Ortigia's central square, ringed by old palaces, with a fountain of Diana and the nymph Arethusa of the early twentieth century.
Piazza Duomo and Syracuse Cathedral
A long, pale Baroque square whose cathedral was built into a Greek temple of Athena, with Doric columns still in its walls.
Santa Lucia alla Badia (Caravaggio's Burial of Saint Lucy)
Baroque church on Piazza Duomo that shows Caravaggio's Burial of Saint Lucy, painted in Siracusa for the city's patron saint.
Fountain of Arethusa
A freshwater spring by the sea where papyrus grows, linked to the myth of the nymph Arethusa, with ducks and a seafront terrace.
Castello Maniace
Thirteenth-century castle of Frederick II at the tip of Ortigia, with a vaulted hall and views over the sea and the harbour.
Jewish ritual bath (Miqwe) in the Giudecca
Medieval Jewish ritual bath cut deep into the rock beneath the old Jewish quarter, one of the oldest in Europe, shown on guided visits.
When to go to Ortigia
April to June and September to October are the best months, warm and sunny without the heat and crowds of July and August. Classical Greek plays are staged in the Greek Theatre on the mainland from May to early July. Santa Lucia, the city's patron, is celebrated on 13 December and again in May, with processions through Ortigia.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in Ortigia on Booking.com or Trip.com
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in Ortigia on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in Ortigia on GetYourGuide
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for Italy from Airalo
Some of these are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for Ortigia
- Start at the market in the morning: it runs Monday to Saturday and winds down around lunchtime, and it is closed on Sundays.
- Dress modestly for the cathedral and Santa Lucia alla Badia, with shoulders and knees covered.
- The Miqwe under the Giudecca is shown on guided visits at set times; ask at the entrance when the next one starts.
- Ortigia is small and largely closed to traffic; leave the car in the big car parks at the entrance to the island and walk.
- In the evening, walk the seafront by the Fountain of Arethusa and the Alfeo promenade for sunset, then dinner in the lanes of the Giudecca.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to andiamotravelapp@gmail.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- Castello Maniace: Laurel Lodged, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Fountain of Arethusa: Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ortigia market (Via De Benedictis): Salvo Cannizzaro, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Piazza Archimede and the Fountain of Diana: Andy Montgomery, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Piazza Duomo and Syracuse Cathedral: pjt56 —, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Santa Lucia alla Badia (Caravaggio's Burial of Saint Lucy): Giovanni Dall'Orto, Attribution
- Temple of Apollo: AbelDionis, CC BY 4.0
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
