| Siracusa in Sicily |
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Siracusa in Sensational Sicily
http://www.SensationalSicily.com is presented
by Alessandro Sorbello
http://www.AlessandroSorbello.com showcase
one of the most beautiful regions on earth,
rich in history, Sicily formed part of the
cradle of civilization. This project is born
from a collaboration between the Region of
Sicily http://www.regione.sicilia.it/, The
Italian Chamber of Commerce, New Realm Media
http://www.newrealm.com.au and Alessandro
Sorbello Productions.
Syracuse, Sicily, Comune di Siracusa,
Municipal coat of arms, Country Italy,
Region Sicily, Province Siracusa (SR), Mayor
Giambattista Bufardeci (from June 14, 2004),
Elevation 17 m, Area 204 km², Population -
Total (as of December 31, 2004) 123,322, -
Density 593/km²
Frazioni Belvedere, Cassibile, Fontane
Bianche, Isola, Santa Teresa Longarini Scalo,
Targia, Patron Saint Lucy, - Day December 13
Location of Syracuse in Italy, Website:
http://www.comune.siracusa.it UNESCO World
Heritage Site
Syracuse (Italian Siracusa, Sicilian Sarausa,
Greek Συρακοῦσαι, Latin Syracusae)
is an Italian city on the eastern coast of
Sicily and the capital of the province of
Syracuse. Once described by Cicero as "the
greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of
them all," the ancient center of Syracuse is
on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Sicily · Comuni of the Province of Syracuse
Augusta | Avola | Buccheri | Buscemi |
Canicattini Bagni | Carlentini | Cassaro |
Ferla | Floridia | Francofonte | Lentini |
Melilli | Noto | Pachino | Palazzolo Acreide
| Portopalo di Capo Passero | Priolo Gargallo
| Rosolini | Syracuse | Solarino | Sortino
History
Greek period
Syracuse and its surrounding area have been
inhabited since ancient times, as shown by
the findings in the villages of Stentinello,
Ognina, Plemmirio, Matrensa, Cozzo Pantano
and Thapsos, which already had a relationship
with Mycenaean Greece.
Syracuse was founded in 734 or 733 BC by
Greek settlers from Corinth and Tenea, led by
the oecist (colonizer) Archias, who called it
Sirako, referring to a nearby swamp. The
nucleus of the ancient city was the small
island of Ortygia. The settlers found the
land to be fertile and the native tribes to
be reasonably well-disposed to their
presence. The city grew and prospered, and
for some time stood as the most powerful
Greek city anywhere in the
Mediterranean. Colonies were founded at Akrai
(664 BC), Kasmenai (643 BC) and Kamarina (598
BC). The descendants of the first colonist,
called Gamoroi, held
the power until they were expelled by the
Killichiroi, the lower class of the city. The
former, however, returned to power in 485 BC,
thanks to the help of Gelo, ruler of Gela.
Gelo himself became the despot of the city,
and moved numerous inhabitants of Gela,
Kamarina and Megera to Syracuse, building the
new quarters of Tyche and Neapolis outside
the walls. His program of new constructions
included also a new theater, designed by
Damocopos, which gave the city a flourishing
cultural life: this in turn attracted
personalities as Aeschylus, Ario of Metimma,
Eumelos of Corinth and Sappho, who had been
exiled here from Mytilene. The enlarged power
of Syracuse made unavoidable the clash
against the Carthaginians, who ruled over the
Western part of Sicily. In the Battle of
Himera, Gelo, who had allied with Theron of
Agrigento, decisively defeated the African
force led by Hamilcar. A temple, entitled to
Athena (on the site of the today's
Cathedral), was erected in the city to
commemorate the event A Syracusan tetradrachm
(c. 415--405 BC), sporting Arethusa and a
quadriga.Gelo was succedeed by his brother
Hiero, who fought against the Etruscans at
Cumae in 474 BC. His rule was eulogized by
poets like Simonides of Ceos, Bacchylides and
Pindar, who visited his court. A democratic
regime was introduced by Thrasybulos (467
BC). The city continued to expand in Sicily,
fighting against the rebellious Siculi, and
on the Tyrrhenian Sea, making expeditions up
to Corsica and Elba. In the late 5th century
BC, Syracuse found itself at war with Athens,
which sought more resources to fight the
Peloponnesian War. The Syracusans enlisted
the aid of a general from Sparta, Athens' foe
in the war, to defeat the Athenians, destroy
their ships, and leave them to starve on the
island (see Sicilian Expedition). In 401 BC,
Syracuse contributed a force of 3,000
hoplites and a general to Cyrus the Younger's
Army of the Ten Thousand.
Not long after, in the early 4th century BC,
the tyrant Dionysius the Elder was again at
war against Carthage and, although losing
Gela and Camarina, kept that power from
capturing the whole of Sicily. After the end
of the conflict Dionysius built a massive
fortress on the Otrigia island of the city,
as well as another 22 km-long walls line that
encircled the whole of Syracuse. After
another period of expansion, which saw the
destruction of Naxos, Catania and Lentini,
the city entered again in war against
Carthage (397 BC). After various changes of
fortune, the Africans managed to besiege
Syracuse itself, but were eventually pushed
back by a pestilence. A treaty in 392 BC
allowed Syracuse to enlarge further its
possessions, founding the cities of Adrano,
Ancona, Adria, Tindari and Tauromenos, and
conquering Reggio Calabria on the continent.
Apart from his battle deeds, Dionysius was
famous as a patron of art, and Plato himself
visited Syrcacuse several times.
His successor was Dionysius the Younger, who
was however expelled by Dion in 356 BC.
However, the latter's despotic rule led in
turn to his expulsion, and Dionysius
reclaimed his throne in 347 BC. A democratic
government was installed by Timoleon in 345
BC. The long series of internal struggles had
weakened Syracuse's power in the island, and
Timoleon tried to remedy this situation,
defeating the Carthaginians in 339 BC near
the Krimisos river. The struggle among the
city's parties, however, restarted after his
death and ended with the rise of another
tyrant, Agathocles, who seized power with a
coup in 317 BC.
He resumed the war against Carthage, with
alternate fortunes. He however scored a moral
success, bringing the war to the
Carthaginians' native African soil,
inflicting heavy losses to the enemy. The
war, however, ended with another treaty of
peace which did not prevent the carthaginians
interfering in the
politics of Syracuse after the death of the
tyrant Agathocles (289 BC). The citizens
therefore called Pyrrhus of Epirus for help.
After a brief period under the rule of
Epirus, Hiero II seized power in 275 BC.
Hiero inaugurated a period of fifty years of
peace and prosperity, in which Syracause
became one of the most renowned capitals of
Antiquity. He issued the so-called Lex
Hieronica, which was later adopted by the
Romans for their administration of Sicily; he
also had the theater enlarged and a new
immense altar, the "Hiero's Ara", built.
Under his rule the most famous Syracusan
lived, the natural philosopher Archimedes.
Among his many inventions were various
military engines including the claw of
Archimedes, later used to resist a Roman
siege. Literature figures included Theocritus
and others.
The siege of Syracuse in a 17th century
engraving.Hiero's successor, the young
Hieronymus (ruled from 215 BC), broke the
alliance with the Romans after their
defeat at Cannae and accepted Carthago's
support. The Romans, led by consul Marcus
Claudius Marcellus, besieged the city in 214
BC. The city held out for three years, but
fell in 212 BC. It is believed to have fallen
due to a peace party opening a small door in
the wall to negotiate a peace, but the Romans
charged through the door and took the city,
killing Archimedes in the process.
From Roman domination to the Middle Ages
Though declining slowly by the years,
Syracuse maintained the status of capital of
the Roman government of Sicily and seat of
the praetor. It remained an
important port for the trades between the
Eastern and the Western parts of the Empire.
Christianity spread in the city through the
efforts of Paul of Tarsus
and Saint Marziano, the first bishop of the
city, who made it one of the main centres of
proselytism in the West. In the age the
persecutions massive catacombs were carved,
whose size is second only to Rome's ones.
After a period of Vandal rule, Syracuse and
the island was recovered by Belisarius for
the Byzantine Empire (31 December 535). From
663 to 668 Syracuse was the seat of Emperor
Constans II, as well as metropolis of the
whole Sicilian Church.
Another siege in 878, which ended with the
fierce sack of the city, inaugurated two
centuries of Muslim rule. Syracuse lost its
capital status in favour of Palermo. The
Cathedral was turned into a mosque and the
quarter on the Ortygia island was gradually
rebuilt along Islamic styles. The city,
anyway, maintained important trade
relationships, and housed a relatively
flourishing cultural and artistic life:
several Arab poets, including Ibn Hamdis, the
most important Sicilian poet of the 12th
century, lived here.
In 1038, the Byzantine general George
Maniaces reconquered the city, sending the
relics of St. Lucy to Constantinople. The
eponymous castle on the cape of Ortygia bears
his name, although it was built under the
Hohenstaufen rule. The Normans entered
Syracuse, one of the last Saracen
strongpoints, in 1085, after a summer-long
siege by Roger I of Sicily and his son Jordan
of Hauteville, who was given the city as
count. New quarters were built, and the
cathedral was restored, as well as other
churches.
In 1194 Henry VI of Swabia occupied Syracuse.
After a short period of Genoese rule
(1205--1220), which favoured a rise of
trades, Syracuse was conquered back by
emperor Frederick II. He began the
construction of the Castello Maniace, the
Bishops' Palace and the Bellomo Palace.
Frederick's death brought a period of
unrest and feudal anarchy. In the struggle
between the Anjou and Aragonese monarchies,
Syracuse sided with the Aragonese and
defeated the Anjou in 1298, receiving from
the Spanish sovereigns great privileges in
reward. The pre-eminence of baronal families
is also showed by the construction of the
palaces of Abela, Chiaramonte, Nava,
Montalto.
Modern Syracuse
The city in the following centuries was
struck by two ruinous earthquakes in 1542 and
1693, and, in 1729, by a plague. The 17th
century destruction changed forever the
appearance of Syracuse, as well as the entire
Val di Noto, whose cities were rebuilt along
the typical lines of Sicilian Baroque,
considered one of the most typical
expressions of art of Southern Italy. The
spread of cholera in 1837 led to a revolt
against the Bourbon government. The
punishment was the move of the province
capital seat to Noto, but the unrest had not
been totally choked, as the Siracusani took
part to the 1848 revolution.
After the Unification of Italy of 1865,
Syracuse regained its status of provincial
capital. In 1870 the walls were demolished
and a bridge connecting the mainland to
Ortygia island was built. In the following
year a railway link was constructed.
Heavy destruction was caused by the Allied
and the German bombings in 1943. After the
end of World War II the northern quarters of
Syracuse experienced a heavy, often chaotic,
expansion, favoured by the quick process of
industrialization.
Syracuse today has about 125,000 inhabitants
and numerous attractions for the visitor
interested in historical sites (such as the
Ear of Dionysius). A process of recovering
and restoring the historical centre has been
ongoing since the 1990s. Nearby places of
note include Catania, Noto, Modica and
Ragusa.
The Roman amphitheatre. The Maniace Castle.
Detail of Palazzo Beneventano Del Bosco. View
of Archimede Square. Ancient buildings. The
Temple of Apollo, adapted to a church in
Byzantine times and to a mosque under Arab
rule. The Fountain of Arethusa, in the
Ortygia island. According to a legend, the
nymph Arethusa, hunted by Alpheus, took
shelter here. The Theatre, whose cavea is one
of the largest ever built by the ancient
Greeks: it has 67 rows, divided into nine
sections with eight aisles. Only traces of
the scene and the orchestra remain. The
edifice (still used today) was modified by
the Romans, who adapted it to their different
style of spectacles, including also circus
games. Near the theatre are the latomìe,
stone quarries, also used as prisons in
ancient times.
The most famous latomìa is the Orecchio di
Dionisio ("Ear of Dionysius"). The Roman
amphitheatre, of Roman Imperial age. It was
partly carved out from the rock. In the
centre of the area is a rectangular space
which was used for the scenic machinery. The
so-called Tomb of Archimede, in the
Grotticelli Nechropolis. Decorated with two
Doric columns, it was a Roman tomb. The
Temple of Olympian Zeus, about 3 km outside
the city, built around 6th century BC.
Churches
The Cathedral was built by bishop Zosimo in
the 7th century over the great Temple of
Athens (5th century BC), on the Ortygia
island. This was a Doric edifice with six
columns on the short sides and 14 on the long
ones: these can still be seen incorporated in
the walls of the current church. The base of
the Greek edifice had three steps. The
interior of the church has a nave and two
aisles. The roof of the nave is from Norman
times, as well as the mosaics in the apses.
The façade was rebuilt by Andrea Palma in
1725--1753, with a double order of Corinthian
columns, and statues by Ignazio Marabitti.
The most interesting pieces of the interior
are a font with marble basin (12th--13th
century), a silver statue of St. Lucy by
Pietro Rizzo (1599), a ciborium by Luigi
Vanvitelli, and a statue of the Madonna della
Neve ("Madonna of the Snow", 1512) by
Antonello Gagini. Basilica of Santa Lucia
extra Moenia, a Byzantine church built,
according to tradition, in the same place of
the martyrdom of the saint in 303 AD. The
current appearance is from the 15th-16th
centuries. The most ancient parts still
preserved include the portal, the three
half-circular apses and the first two orders
of the belfry. Under the church are the
Catacombs of St. Lucy.
Church of San Paolo (18th century). Church of
San Cristoforo (14th century, rebuilt in the
18th century). Church of Santa Lucìa alla
Badìa, a Baroque edifice built after the
1693 earthquake. Church of Santa Maria dei
Miracoli (13th century). Church of the
Spirito Santo (18th century). Church of the
Jesuite College, a majestic, Baroque
building. Church of St. Benedict (16th
century, restored after 1693). It houses a
painting of the Death of Saint Benedict by
the Caravaggisti Mario Minniti. Chiesa della
Concezione (14th century, rebuilt in the 18th
century), with the annexed Benedictine
convent. Church of San
Francesco all'Immacolata, with a convex
façade intermingled by columns and pilaster
strips. It housed and ancient celebration,
the Svelata ("Revelation"), in which an image
of the Madonna was unveiled at dawn of
November 29. Basilica of St. John the
Evangelist, built by the Normans and
destroyed in 1693. Only partially restored it
was erected over an ancient crypt of the
martyr San Marciano, later destroyed by the
Arabs. The main altar is Byzantine. It
includes the Catacombs of San Giovanni,
featuring a maze of tunnels and passages,
with thousands of tombs and several frescoes.
Other edifices and sights
The Castello Maniace, constructed between
1232 and 1240, is an example of the military
architecture of Frederick II's reign. It is a
square structure with
circular towers at each of the four corners.
The most striking feature is the pointed
portal, decorated with polychrome marbles.
The important Archaeological
Museum, with collections including findings
from the mid-Bronze Age to 5th century BC.
Palazzo Lanza Buccheri (16th century).
Palazzo Mergulese-Montalto (14th century),
which conserves the old façade from the 14th
century, with a pointed portal. The
Archbishop's Palace (17th century, modified
in the following century). It houses the
Alagonian Library, founded in the late 18th
century. The Palazzo Vermexio, the current
Town Hall, which includes fragments of an
Ionic temple of the 5th century BC. Palazzo
Francica Nava, with parts of the original
16th century building surviving. Palazzo
Beneventano del Bosco, originally built in
the Middle Ages but extensively modified
between 1779 and 1788. It has a pleasant
internal court. Palazzo Migliaccio (15th
century), with notable lava inlay
decorations. The Senate Palace, housing in
the court an 18th century coach. The Castle
of Euryalos, built nine kilometres outside
the city by Dionysius the Elder and which was
one of the most powerful fortresses of
ancient times. It had three moats with a
series of underground galleries which allowed
the defenders to remove the materials the
attackers could use to fill them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syracuse,_Italy
Tags : greek temples syracuse sicily fontana bianca ortigia |
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Affichage : 24642
Durée : 45 s |
| Syracuse - Yves Montand |
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Syracuse in Italy. Chanson française. Yves
la chantait comme ça (Bernard Dimey a écrit
les mots), pour nous faire apprendre ce que
c'est que chanter. For you out here who
haven't known Marylin in the flesh, eat your
hearts out. Life's unfair, I know... Merci,
Yves, où tu es, pour ton existence sur cette
planète. No commercial purposes intended.
Toutes reproductions doivent être
communiquées à l'auteur du vidéo. I have
another video with the same song but sung by
Lara Fabian and Henri Salvador. Wanna see it?
Voudriez-vous voir un video avec Syracuse
chantée para Fabian et Salvador? Te gustaria
de ver un video con la misma cación cantada
por (ver arriba)? A mesma canção, por Lara
Fabian e Henri Salvador está disponível, a
pedido.
Tags : Yves Montand Syracuse Français Music Musique Mário Furtado Pink Martini Henri Salvador Lara Fabian France |
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Affichage : 78290
Durée : 162 s |
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