May 9, 2016
In Siracusa: Rest day!
Rest from the bike, rest from the journal.
Rachael walks beside the cathedral up the vast Piazza Minerva
The baroque facade of the Siracusa Cathedral
The facade of the archaeological museum, on the Piazza Duomo
On the steps of the cathedral a group of school children load up on trinkets from a street vendor.
In the Siracusa cathedral
In the Siracusa cathedral. Doric columns from the Greek temple upon which the cathedral was built line the exterior walls.
In the cathedral, Siracusa
In the cathedral, Siracusa
In the cathedral, Siracusa
The doorway to the church of Santa Lucia alla Badia, on the Piazza Duomo
Papyrus in Fonte Aretusa. Papyrus has grown in this spring for millennia. Here and another nearby spot in the Arapo Valley are the only sites in Europe that it grows.
Papyrus and sparrow, Fonte Aretusa
Papyrus and European goldfinch, Fonte Aretusa
Maniace Castle anchors the south end of Ortygia Island
In Siracusa
About thirty faces stare down from the roofline of Palazzo Impellizzeri, on Via Della Maestranza
Palazzo Impelllizzeri, on Via Della Maestranza
Palazzo Rizza, on Via Della Maestranza
The street plan on Ortigia retains its original Greek layout, with narrow lanes branching off like combs teeth from the central artery.
The Fountain of Diana, Piazza Archimede. The central figure is Diana, as she is transforming the nymph Aretusa into a spring (the nearby Fonte Aretusa) to allow her to escape the heartbroken Alphaeus, onlooking from behind.
Triton and seahorse, Fountain of Diana, Piazza Archimede
Our B&B at the end of Piazza Minerva. Our room (Paola's room actually - it was our hostesses room as a child) is above the flower box on the left.
The Piazza Duomo
The Santa Lucia statue crowns the facade of the cathedral
A Doric column from the Greek temple over which the cathedral was constructed.
