Beautiful Ortigia, Siracusa
Ortigia is a golden and intrigiung island. Narrow streets, welcoming piazzas, Baroque buildings, small hotels to spend nights by the sea, hidden courtyards to wander, and an 18th century Baroque cathedral to admire, built over the huge, tall columns of a 5th century BC Greek temple devoted to the goddess Athena.
This classical temple was converted into a Christian church in AD 640. (Insight Guides, Sicily)
Two small hotels by the sea, and a concert in a courtyard
Ortigia is lapped by the sea. I like spending time there and my last visit was in July summer 2018.
That summer I got to enjoy a couple of short stays in two small, sea facing hotels, Hotel Gutkowski and Henry's House Hotel. I walked, enjoyed the blues of the sea, ate well, stood admiring Sicilian Baroque buildings and was lucky to get tickets to a small Vivaldi concert (his Four seasons) held in the open courtyard of the bishop’s palace (it is right next to the cathedral).
And after hearing such moving music, I remember standing in the main piazza, Piazza Duomo, (with my fellow travellers) and we were all in awe of what we had just heard. And the beauty of one of the best piazzas in Sicily.
All on a summer evening.
Returning
With the current world pandemic, I am not sure when I will be returning to Sicily and when we will open the house to guests again. Hopefully, it is not too far away.
In the meantime, some photos from July 2018.
Interior, Henry's House Hotel on via del Castello Maniace
Terrace Henry's House Hotel
Oranges by the sea
The promenade by the sea near Henry's House Hotel
Colourful Siracusan House
Pink Siracusan house
Piazza Duomo
Cafe on Piazza Duomo
Citrus garden and balcony next to the cathedral. Very likely the garden of the bishop's palace.
Piazza Duomo bathed in golden light
The 18th century Baroque cathedral on Piazza Duomo
The doric columns of the 5th century Greek temple to Athena within the cathedral walls
Internal view of the cathedral with the worn columns of the 5th century temple
Baroque beauty
Behind the cathedral on via Minerva, a small grotto to the patron siant of Siracusa (and Ortigia) Santa Lucia
Holiday mode in a back street
Classic and colourful
One of the buildings of Hotel Gutkowski by the sea, on Via Lungomare di Levante Elio Vittorini
View to the sea from a front room of Hotel Gutkowski
Saluti
Suzanne
A Note: Updated October 1st with 5 additional photos from one of my fellow travellers. Thank you Eugenie.