4/15 There was no post yesterday. Basically Jim and I just walked a lot, found new alleys to explore, got some good exercise. It was pretty windy so we were as bundled up as we could get. Sure wish we had a sweatshirt! Thankfully our windbreakers worked and I always have at least 3-4 layers on which helps.

We stopped at a few shops that looked interesting. One of the stores along the main road looked really nice and I kept waiting for it to open because there was a purse in the window that looked really cute. When the shop opened, we went inside and I knew this was a rather high end store. I asked about the blue purse in the window so she showed me the same purse in beige. Rather than cloth, it turned out to be a type of straw looking bag, still cute. I asked how much it was, figuring “maybe” under $100 Euros! Try $895 Euros which is closer to $1,000 US dollars! I politely told her that was too expensive but thank you. She actually acknowledged it was too expensive. I told Jim thank you for the thought but no thank you on the cost. He said, oh, no problem! LOL

Came across another shop that was adorable and saw this in the window. Hand beaded, a replica of the Piazza San Marco in Venice, including the Doge Palace. They were stunning and knowing our dear friend Jay would appreciate this, we snapped a photo of each. Enjoy! Jay this could keep you occupied for a very long time if you decide to make this 🙂

At midnight there were fireworks celebrating Holy Thursday, a tradition here in Sicily. Then I guess to celebrate even more, there was a 4.2 earthquake! I never felt it but Jim did. We are told they are common here so I guess no one was concerned and since I didn’t hear/feel anything, I must not have been concerned either.

On his morning walk, Jim snapped a few photos of the ocean – a little rough today due to the winds but oh so beautiful. The beach is also nice but we’ve found only two on the island and they are quite small with lots of stones.

Here are some of the alleys along his walk, this island is really fun to discover with all it’s alleys; never know what you will find from apartments to shops to restaurants. It’s totally amazing. If you are lucky, you will find one that does not allow cars otherwise, please pay attention to what’s behind you. You might get a slight bump in your rear!

On his way back home he just happened to catch another cruise ship coming in to dock, probably for the weekend, never sure how long they will stay here. This is the ship that was on the horizon in the earlier photo. These ships are pretty maneuverable but this one used a little help from a tug anyway.

After a light breakfast, we walked to the Sanctuary of the Madonna of the Tears. This church was very different from any we have seen both inside and out. Its story is equally interesting. In September 1953, a small, painted plaster relief of the Madonna that hung over the bed of the Iannuso newlyweds cried for three days. While the Vatican pursued scientific methods to explain the tears, a variety of unexplained healings occurred in the area. That news spread like wildfire so the Church was under pressure to do something, hence the start of this church. Construction itself was a challenge, given the earthquake threat in this area. When Pope John Paul II came to Siracusa to consecrate the sanctuary on his tour of Marian sanctuaries in 1994, he found the crypt flooded and the upper church full of people mopping the rainwater that filtered down through the spire. You ought to look up the story of this church!

We then headed to the Neapolis Archeological Park which includes the Greek Theater, Archimedes Tomb, the Altar of Hieron and the Roman Amphitheater. Along the way we found some gorgeous cherry trees in bloom so why not stop and smell the blossoms! I love my flowers no matter where they are, growing up through the cracks in the walkways, out of the stone walls or right where they are planted!

There was much to see at the ruins. There is some “modern” construction underway at the Greek Theater, adding new seats for the open air concert season that’s about to start. This theater is the most famous monument of Syracuse but in olden days it was well-known internationally as an important building for shows of the Greek-western world and being an excellent example of civil architecture. It was also a place of worship and large assemblies, the site of public trials and, in Roman times, it was adapted for circus and variety exhibitions. The new seating is generally higher up than the 2,500 year old seats!

The Roman Amphitheater is from the 3rd or 4th Century and was excavated out of the rock. This is where the Gladiators fought and it is relatively well maintained. The rectangular depression was probably for the machinery used in the spectacles. You could use your imaginations in both of these areas for sure. For those history buffs, you would have loved this. The park is a sight to see and and really gets the imagination going.

This next photo is of an area we thought might be an athletic field — the grass on the right in the photo. The “walls” around it could have been seats. We were wrong. This, the elevated platform on the left with the ramp, is the Altar of Hieron or Ierone, depending on where you look it up. It is the largest altar known from the ancient world. Its length is about two football fields (196 meters to be precise). Construction started on it about the time the Greek Theater was being finished — 250 B.C. or so! In the photo, you are looking down the length of the altar itself from the left side (near end) to the right side in the distance. One article we read said over 400 bulls had been sacrificed here.

On our way back to the apartment we stopped at the Open Air market and picked up some prosciutto, bread, Suppresota, strawberries and bananas. Need to make sure we have goodies for the times we do not go out to eat. Since it was such a big archaeological day, we snapped a picture of the Temple of Apollo which sits right in the middle of Ortigia and the main market area. Lots of old stuff here in Siracusa. What is interesting though is that as we walk around, there are open areas which are excavations with stones from the myriad of temples and buildings that were here 2,000 years ago. We don’t feel so old any more!

We had our big lunch (pranzo) today which consisted of fried potatoes, mixed fried fish and battered and fried zucchini and cauliflower. Now normally we would never eat fried foods but here they are not greasy, are in extremely light batter and absolutely delicious. They brought out some bread which is one of this restaurant’s specialties, warm with olive oil and red pepper flakes. I am not one for hot peppers but boy was this ever delicious and of course my mouth was on fire but it was so worth it!

After lunch we went on another long walk finding other alleys to help walk off lunch then headed home. Since we were right near the cathedral plaza, we stopped into the Abbey of Saint Lucia which is off to the right and across the plaza from the cathedral. Renovations going on here like everywhere else it seems. Here they include restoration of paintings as well as of the building. Note the void above the altar — a large painting was sitting off to the left, being worked on. We think it belonged above the altar. A lot of intricate work in this building.

The temperature took a dip and it was getting windy so it was time to head home. Not sure what the weekend will hold but the forecast is for chilly and rain so we shall see. Good thing we bought a deck of Italian cards so we can play Scopa! Ciao – I look forward to comments; I love hearing what you all have to say.