How We Spent A Day In Ortigia, Syracuse

To finish off our Sicilian road trip (an itinerary of which I’m working on to share!) we spent a couple of nights and a day on the island of Ortigia, attached to the city of Syracuse by two bridges. Taking roughly 25 minutes to walk the length of it, and about 10 to walk the breadth, whilst I’m sure there is a lot to explore in Syracuse-proper we found it the perfect relaxed base to wind down our holiday. And, as it is only about a 50 minute drive from Catania airport (so a transfer is totally do-able) I think it would also make the perfect chilled long weekend destination with lots of eat, plenty of things to see and lots of sunny bars overlooking the ocean to unwind outside with a spritz.

Where We Stayed

Like Ragusa Ibla, Ortigia is a ZTL zone which restricts driving and parking at certain times of the day and week, so if you’re driving to Ortigia (driving is allowed on the island if you are booked in a hotel there) be sure to sort out your parking arrangements in advance with your hotel. We stayed at the Algila Ortigia Charme Hotel on the quieter coast of the island (a lovely hotel with great staff and comfortable rooms, though aside from the excellent almond granita the breakfast was a bit lacklustre) and they have a concierge service for your car which you can arrange in advance where they take it away and drop it back for you when it is time to leave at a pre-arranged time.

What We Did

Temple of Apollo

The ruins of the Temple of Apollo rise up in the middle of the bustling island. They’re worth seeing for the contrast between antiquity and modernity, even if you’ve already visited some of the more impressive archaeological sites in Sicily such as Selinunte or Valley of the Temples. Also, on the square around the temple ruins are planted pomegranate trees: common enough in Sicily, but exciting to find if you’ve never seen one before!

Ortigia Market

From the Temple of Apollo, you’ll find yourself at the bottom of Ortigia’s daily market. Walk thorough all the usual displays of handbags, tablecloths and everyday items and you’ll find yourself at the food. Be it in Palermo, Sarlat or Venice Beach you know I love a good market, and the key local items to look out for here (or buy if you’re staying in a self-catered apartment) is the incredible local tuna (the size, the meatiness!), pistachio produces, salted capers, sun-dried tomato paste, and the seasonal vegetables. Eating opportunities are congregated around the bottom of the market which opens up into a big car park (where some DIY vendors grill peppers and other vegetables to sell to busy home cooks) and the sea.

Fountain of Diana

Just a quick stop, but after the market head in the direction of the Fountain of Diana which sits at the head of Ortigia’s main shopping street. Reasonably modern (it was built in 1907) it is still rather striking and majestic, and provides the perfect gateway from which to dive into some of the island’s busier back streets in search of more landmarks.

Syracuse Cathedral

Our guide at the Valley of the Temples told us to look carefully at the walls of Syracuse Cathedral, as you see the columns of the original classical temple that the cathedral was converted from; when the Byzantines arrived in Sicily many ancient Greek temples were actually saved by being turned into churches; some of them were turned back into temples when the Bourbons arrived (like the central temple at the Valley of the Temples) but others, like Syracuse Cathedral remained as churches.

As we’re already explored the interiors of so many churches in Sicily, and the cathedral’s exterior is actually more striking than the inside (in my opinion, based on pictures online) we gave it a miss, opting to hunt down some lunch instead. But, for a 2€ ticket entry (and it is free on Sunday) you can’t really say no to going inside if Oritigia is your only destination for a short Sicilian weekend.

Where To Eat Lunch

Pizzeria Schiticchio

You really are spoilt for choice for excellent seafood in Ortigia, but if you fancy something a little different (and I do have one of the best seafood restaurants I’ve ever been to recommended for dinner below!) Pizzeria Schiticchio has one of the best Neapolitan pizzas I’ve ever had. Get your own or do what we did, sharing one for a light lunch alongside a Sicilian salad (both of the Sicilian salads we had in Ortigia inspired my own recipe!) and a couple of glasses of house white.

Levante Gelato Artigianale

In so much of my research ahead of our day in Ortigia one place for gelato and granita stood out: Levante Gelato Artigianale. Around the corner from the market they’re very ingredient-focused, and whilst the pistachio gelato was enjoyed by all, you’re missing out if you don’t get some of their rotating granita flavours: and they let you stack them. I’m kicking myself I only discovered the lemon / pistachio granita combination on the last day. Nut milk granitas are not really thick-creamy, in fact they’re even more light and refreshing than their fruit counterparts, really capturing the essence of if they were a gelato, but in a much lighter form. If you like almonds or pistachios in other contexts, branch away from the fruit in Sicily and give them a go.

Fountain of Arethusa

The Fountain of Arethusa is a lovely little fresh-water spring, just by the sea. It’s populated by plenty of fish and fowl to watch, and another unique area of interest is the rare patch of papyrus plants growing in the middle, which is why Syracuse has a rare (for the region) history of papyrus paper production.

Castello Maniace

Walking along the sea wall from the Fountain of Arethusa you’ll reach the Norman fort at the tip of the Island. Pay the 5€ entry fee and you’ll be able to explore the main hall and courtyard, the bottom of the fortifications that used to be a gunpowder store (it has been restored since an explosion!) and look out of the slit windows at different views of the sea and back along the Sicilian coastline as you work your way around the fort. You can also climb to the top and (if you’re tall, the walls are quite high) look out across the Mediterranean; the view back across the island is more suitable for us shorter folks!

Where To Have Dinner

Cod da Saretta

I think it is safe to say that Cod da Saretta, tucked down an unassuming side street on the non-busy sea side of Ortigia is one of the very best seafood restaurants I’ve ever eaten in: we ate there the night we arrived, then strategically planned to go the next night again (there are no reservations and people queue for a table!) for their fresh, simple, delicious, generously apportioned seafood, simply served on metal platters on paper-cloth covered, rickety outdoor tables, where the service is excellent and the carafes of wine come by the colour not the grape.

We shared a pair of starters on each night: the caponata was glorious, no thick tomato here, instead the vegetables were individually cooked to perfection before resting together in the signature sweet and sour marinade. The Sicilian fennel and orange salad was also fantastic, charming even those who did not like fennel usually, especially when served raw, with salty capers and plump anchovies replacing the typical olives. Get this.

The special on the first night was ‘fish soup’, a local seafood stew with a base of rich Sicilian tomato, onion, and garlic packed with mussels, Mediterranean red prawns, octopus, a whole red snapper, a whole angry looking (but tasty!) grey fish, and a swordfish steak. It was delicious, it was generous, and whilst I left the fried bread slices (the seafood needed prioritising!) I’m happy to report I also managed it all. If you’re sitting outside Cod and this is offered to you from the specials list, you’d be mad not to order it.

Everyone else had pretty much the same thing on both nights: the grilled catch of the day, simply prepared (sea bream on night one, sea bass on night two) and big, juicy, flavourful grilled prawns with an actually tasty side salad.

Sadly the seafood soup was gone the next night, but I actually see that as a positive as it meant I got to branch out into their seafood spaghetti: an equally good tomato sauce with more whole cherry tomatoes, mussels and Mediterranean red prawns, this time supplemented by briny clams, tender squid and baby octopus. Also get this, and then roll back to your hotel, taking in the sea breeze, absolutely stuffed.

For more Sicily inspiration, you can read my essays on Everything We Ate in Palermo and Everything We Ate On Our Sicilian Road Trip I put together for newsletter subscribers by following their links, and you can check our my full Sicily travel section here!

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