Archaeological sights in Syracuse
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A
Teatro Greco
For the classicist, the highlight of the Neapolis is the lustrous white Teatro Greco, hewn out of the rocky hillside. A masterpiece of classical architecture, the ancient theatre could seat 16,000 people and saw the work of Sophocles, Euripides and the last tragedies of Aeschylus, including The Persians, Prometheus Bound and Prometheus Unbound, which were first performed here in his presence.
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B
Roman Amphitheatre
The 2nd-century-AD Roman amphitheatre is the third-largest in Italy after the Colosseum in Rome and the amphitheatre in Verona. It was used for gladiator fights and horse races. Roman punters used to park their chariots in the area between the amphitheatre and Viale Paolo Orsi. The Spaniards, little interested in archaeology, destroyed the site in the 16th century, using it as a quarry to build the city walls at Ortygia.
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C
Ginnasio Romano
Along Via Elorina is a sight well worth visiting (though few ever seem to): the ruins of the Ginnasio Romano, built in the 1st century. Despite the name, this was actually a small theatre at the heart of a building that also contained a large atrium and another theatre directly behind the stage.
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