Sunday, 5 May 2024

The three of us departed Taormina and headed for Syracuse.
On route the pilgrims visited Aci Castiello, the Norman castle, where the custodian kindly admitted us after the official closing time – he and Cheeky Chaplain even exchanged hats!

We then continued on to Lentini, the site of an ancient city, Leontinoi,  before arriving in Syracuse at about 16:45.

After parking the car, the three of us walked the short distance to our lovely apartment, La Colombaia Di Ortygia, in the middle of the island of Ortygia known as the Giudecca or Jewish quarter, where just like St Paul we where to stay for three days.

Monday, 6 May 2024

The morning was spent visiting the archaeological area of the Neapolis. Here is to be found the Greek Theatre (impressive, although at the time of our visit was somewhat obscured by modern seating for current performances), the Roman Amphitheatre (really impressive),

and the latomie (stone quarries) where 7000 Athenian prisoners of war toiled in 413 B.C. – of particular interest is the so called ‘Ear of Dionysius’.

In the afternoon we returned over the Porto Piccolo to Ortygia to visit a number of sacred places. Almost immediately we encountered  the remains of the 7th century B.C. Temple of Apollo, considered to be the first great Doric temple of its kind in Sicily.

A short walk brought us to the Cathedral built on the site of the ancient Temple of Athena, and which incorporates its columns into the structure – the three of us felt the sublime holiness of the place and offered prayers of thanks for our pilgrimage.

Then on to the roofless medieval church of St. John the Baptist, near where St. Paul may have preached in A.D. 59.

 

Finally returning to our apartment to freshen up for dinner.

Tuesday, 7 May 2024

We went upcountry today by car to visit the Necropolis of Filiporto, where there are over 500 rock-cut tombs dating to the 9th/8th Century BC.
Then on to the ancient city of Akrai, where a good 250 metre section of the Decumanus (the main east-west road through the town) has been excavated, together with a charming Greek Theatre, with 700 seats, and a bouleterion dating from the second half of the third century B.C.

We returned to Syracuse and returned hire car.

Wednesday, 8 May 2024

This morning, we checked out of our lovely apartment in Ortygia, then paid a visit to the Regional Archaeological ‘Paolo Orsi’ – one of the principal archaeological museums of Europe and contains a great collection of exhibits from all over the Syracuse area.
Of particular interest to the Christian visitor are two items found in the Catacomb of San Giovanni: The Euskia Inscription  – “Euskia the irreproachable, who lived an honest and noble life of more or less twenty-five years, died on the feast day of my Lady Lucia, for whom no praise is sufficient….” This attests to the veneration of St. Lucy, the patron saint of Syracuse, as early as the 5th century A.D.
Also, the magnificent Sarcophagus of Adelphia, datable to the second quarter of the 4th century A.D., shows Adelphia and her husband Valerio in a central roundel with scenes from the Old and New Testament above and below.

Sadly we said goodbye to Syracuse and boarded the 14:30 bus for Pozzallo to catch the ferry to Valletta in Malta. The Virtu Ferries ‘Jean De La Vallette’ departed Pozzallo at 19:00 and arrived at 20:45 in Valletta after a smooth crossing.

A short taxi ride later brought our travellers to their accommodation, The Villa del Porto guest house in the adjacent district of Kalkara.