My happy place has always had to do with rhythm and color, a tranquility easily achieved by listening to the first few bars of Naughty by Nature’s “O.P.P.” while envisioning Cy Twombly paintings. This all changed when I caught sight of Ortigia, a small town 40 miles south of Catania, Sicily.
A few years back, my husband brought me to Sicily, and specifically to Siracusa, for a Greek detour from our Roman lives. He promised me archaeology and UNESCO World Heritage, and I found the physical manifestation of my happy place — part Greek myth, part Sicilian fairy tale, sweetened with freshly made cannoli and a Caravaggio.
Lingering on the edge of Siracusa is Ortigia, a small island of 4,500 residents, limestone baroque palazzi, faded medieval houses, Greek temples, and DIY outdoor living rooms. Ortigia is rhythmic, a syncopated beat I fell into on my very first day on this gorgeous rock, and a pulse I pick up every time I return.
We wake up early for a walk to the Antico Mercato d’Ortigia so I can argue about the width of my swordfish carpaccio. I guzzle down oyster and sea urchin shots on street corners, then grab freshly made iris (deep-fried dough balls stuffed with ricotta) before winding our way home for breakfast.
At some point in the morning, we head to Piazza Duomo for the requisite iced tea or granita and make plans about where to find our post-lunch cannolo and cassatina (a breast-like tiny cake of ricotta and marzipan). If it’s any day but Monday, we’ll swing into the church of Santa Lucia alla Badia to say hi to Caravaggio’s Burial of Saint Lucy. (Fun fact: When Caravaggio fled Rome, he swung by Ortigia to stay at his friend Mario Minniti’s home and left the city a painting.)
We’ll toss our hands in the air as we argue about which cultural site to visit: strong>Tempio di Apollo, Castello Maniace, Fonte Aretusa. Maybe, maybe not. We have a lazy lunch at home because the sun is too strong, and then we’re ready to park our flipflops at the Solarium, a smaller rock off ‘sto scoglio where everyone sunbathes and swims.
By late afternoon, we’re ready for aperitivi, so its either back to Piazza Duomo (we’re going to end up there one way or another…) or off on an adventure to find a different spot, a new view, or not. The streets are starting to fill with life. Conversations in the impromptu outdoor living rooms are more animated, and eventually everyone heads to Piazza Duomo or Piazza Artemide. Dinner is not until nine p.m. We have our usual spot, but we keep trying to get creative. Inevitably, we’ve claimed table space for the last granite or cannolo of the evening.
It’s all Greek to me. Did you know Ortigia was a Greek colony? In the town are Greek temples, Fonte Aretusa on Largo Aretusa, and hypogeum path at Piazza Duomo. Then walk across the bridge to Siracusa and visit the Greek theater, Dionysus’ ear, the Roman theater — at the vast Pantalica Necropolis ruins.
Markets and more
I love walking around the Graziella neighborhood, home to the Antico Mercato, and outdoor market where the fish is fresh and you can eat off the street. I always stop at Fratelli Burgio for take home Sicilian delicacies.
For clothing, souvenirs and homewears, Via Veneto is has great finds like beautiful hand-painted vases at Le Ceramiche di Renata and hand-macramé ponchos by Donna Carmelo, an elderly woman who hangs her homemade wears out of her window. Other shops include DoLù Ceramiche, for traditional ceramics. Olive on Via Cavour 27 for food specialties like olive oils, Modica chocolate, and other tasty treats, and Alessia Genovese for original furniture piece made from recycled material.
Eat. Meet. Cannolo. Repeat.
Pesco Mare Via Saverio Landolina, 6; +39-0931-21075 A tiny, medieval courtyard with great fish.
Gran Caffe del DuomoPiazza Duomo, 18; +39-0931-21544 Their cassatine and iced tea with lemon granite are perfect.
Bar Marciante Via S. Landolina 7-9; +39-0931-67384 For morning cannoli, brioche con gelato, and freshly made granite.
Clandestino Via della maestranza, 128; +39-0931-465939 An enoteca focusing on Sicilian wines with an excellent raw fish menu.
Le Vin de l’Assassin Via Roma, 115; +39-0931-66159 For French flare on Ortigia.
Moon Via Roma, 112; +39-0931-449516 An artsy vegetarian restaurant with live music and installations.
Osteria da Mariano Vicolo Zuccolà, 9; +39-0931-67444 A traditional trattoria.
