Chief place of department of about 127 500 habitants; its economy rests on agriculture, industry (food, chemical, electric, metallurgic, mechanical, plastic and industry of the building), and tourism. Syracuse is situated on a splendid site. The archaeological research revealed traces of the human presence on the Orthygie Island since the XIV century BC. and on the site where the big Syracuse was founded during the VIII century BC.
The main testimonies of its glorious past are on this island, which prolongs the modern city spreading on dry land. Founded toward 734 BC. as a colony of the Greek Corinth, it carries the name of the neighboring swamp "Syrako". Brilliant and rebel city, it was in war against Athens that it defeated but later were forced into surrendering under the domination of Carthage. The Romans also embarrassed by the influence of Syracuse wrecked it in 213 BC. Then the city underwent a succession of influences and invasions as the rest of the island; notably, a strong Baroque influence in the XVI and XVIII centuries. Unfortunately, the very destructive earthquake of 1693 annihilates a good part of the city that had to be rebuilt. Visit of the city: Start with the island of Orthygie where we find the center of the ancient city. One finds the rests of the temple dedicated to Apollon. The place Archimedes is in the center of the island where the Artemis fountain is located. The place Duomo and the rest of a big archaic ionic temple of the VI century BC.; the Cathedral constructed from Athena's big temple dating from the V century BC. endowed with one facade achieved from 1725 to 1753 by Andrea Palma. The structure of the temple is visible from the entry and in the naves. To the tip of the island the Castle Maniace is an example of architecture under Frédéric II. To see, the entry portal decorated of marbles. One may get off the island toward the more modern districts. Don’t forget to see the Euryale castle of military architecture. One arrives to the Roman amphitheater of the III century BC. Then the theater, one of the biggest of the ancient Greece: 67 steps, 9 sections, and 8 access stairs; Splendid, where representations still have place. Unusual visit: the latomies, big cellars of stone that acted as jail. The latomies so-called ear of Denys, name given by Carange in 1586, that distributed the legend according to which Denys used the acoustic qualities to hear the conversations of the prisoners. The Crotticellis Necropolis.