Syracuse (province) Voyage Tips and guide

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Syracuse is a former province in southeastern Sicily, Italy. Syracuse includes two UNESCO world heritage sites: the city of Syracuse and the rock necropolis of Pantalica and the baroque cities of the Val di Noto. The attractions in the Syracuse area are numerous: the beaches, for seaside tourism; the churches, for religious tourism; the rural houses for agritourism, the cuisine and its flavours for food and wine tourism.

The Syracuse area has an arid Mediterranean climate with a heat that is often difficult to bear in the height of summer (bathing can be enjoyed to the fullest, while city tours and shopping should be postponed to the early hours of the morning or towards sunset. In spring and autumn temperatures are often pleasant, in winter they rarely reach zero degrees (Sicilian houses are usually not well heated in winter), however in mountain towns temperatures can drop further and snow is not excluded.

• 37.06030615.2945241 Ufficio Turistico, Via Roma 31, toll-free: 800 055 500, [email protected]. M-Sa 08:00-20:00, Su 09:30-18:30. (updated Feb 2017)

• 37.08333315.2833331 Syracuse (Siracusa) – attractive old town and Greek ruins ( UNESCO World Heritage Site)
• 37.2515.2166672 Augusta – a port town north of Syracuse, with the archaeological site of Megara Hyblaea, a city founded by colonists fromMegarain 728 BC
• 37.283333153 Lentini – Greek colony of Leontini, today the town of Lentini
• 36.88333315.0833334 Noto – centre of Val di Noto, famous for baroque architecture (World Heritage)
• 37.06666714.95 Palazzolo Acreide – another world heritage listed Baroque town
• 36.91666715.1333336 Avola – a seaside resort on the sea between Siracusa and Noto
• 36.71666715.17 Pachino – the land of tomatoes
• 36.68333315.1333338 Portopalo di Capopassero – the most southern town in Sicily
• 36.81666714.959 Rosolini – an agriculture centre between Siracusa and Ragusa

• 37.11611114.8202781 Hyblaean Mountains (Monti Iblei) – the highest peak is Monte Lauro (986 m), Parco degli Iblei
• 36.79055615.0908332 Vendicari – natural reserve with a great beach
• Eloro District – the district south of Syracuse

The province of Syracuse was replaced in 2015 by the "free municipal consortium" of Syracuse.

The nearest airports are the airports of Catania and Comiso.

Syracuse is easily reached from the Messina - Catania - Syracuse motorway. The southern coast of Sicily can also be reached via the South Western Sicula road, which begins in Syracuse and passes through Noto and moves away from the coast reaching Modica, Ragusa, Comiso, Vittoria and finally Gela.

North of Augusta the branch road that passes through Lentini, Francofonte and Vizzini leads towards Ragusa.

The Port of Pozzallo has daily connections from Malta via Virtu Ferries. Fares are subject to seasonal variations and car transport is also provided.

There are rail connections via the electrified Catania-Syracuse line or via the non-electrified Syracuse-Ragusa-Gela- Canicattì line, which connects the baroque cities of the Val di Noto.

All cities are served by bus services via AST and Interbus. For details see individual cities. There are also connections via Flixbus and other companies to Italy and other parts of Sicily.

SS124 connects Siracusa to Palazzolo Acreide passing through Canicattini Bagni and continuing further. From Noto, on SP19 you can reach Pachino passing through the Vendicari Reserve.

The ancient centres of Noto, Palazzolo Acreide and six other towns in the Noto Valley, were awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status. They ars a significant attraction due to its historical, architectural, artistic and archaeological interest. The towns are particularly dense with late Baroque architecture, dates to the immense rebuilding of the towns which took place after the 1693 earthquake which devastated Sicily.

The city of Syracuse hosts the Park of Neapolis on the island of Ortygia is connected by three bridges to the mainland. The island contains the Castello Maniace, dated to the Hohenstaufen period and the Doric Temple of Athena, which was renovated by the Normans.

The Hyblaean Mountains are the dominant mountain range in the province, sloping down to a coastline which contains stretches of white sandy beaches, cliffs, bays, and islets. The coast to the south of Syracuse contains numerous protected areas, such as the Area Marina Protetta del Plemmirio, the Riserva Naturale Orientara Cavagrande between Cassibile and Avola, and the Riserva Naturale Orientata faunistica di Vendicar, north of Pachino. Lago di Lentini, the largest lake in Sicily, supports a marshland habitat with over 150 different species.

The most typical food of the Syracuse area, especially in Sortino , is the pizzolo . A sort of calzone, but it would be better to define it as a double layer of pizza with crispy dough and various toppings inside.

One of the most famous wines is Nero d'Avola which only takes its name but whose vines can be found in every part of Sicily.

Except for Syracuse, where you need to be more careful due to the risk of theft and muggings, the remaining locations are quite safe.

There are reports of thefts from cars parked in unattended car parks in nature reserves. In some cases, thieves break the side window to steal the objects. But there have also been reports of thefts by opening the car with a remote control. Thieves leave a hidden device that allows them to record the opening code. For this reason, it is advisable not to leave valuables and to lock the car with the key and not with the remote control.