It may seem curious to dedicate a post to the difference between Siracusa (Syracuse) and Ortigia (Ortygia), especially considering some recent media gaffes that have also involved institutions preparing for the G7 Agriculture and Fisheries in Siracusa, scheduled for the end of September 2024. Several misunderstandings have arisen, starting from: the institutional campaign, which located the G7 in Ortigia instead of Siracusa, to the error made by the chief of staff of the Ministry of Agriculture who thanked the "mayor of Ortigia" in a recent press conference.
But we at Hermes Sicily Guides & Tours in our twenty and more years of experience, promoting and leading visitors to discover the beauties of Ortigia and Siracusa, have noticed that it is a frequent question among tourist and that it is not so clear if Siracusa and Ortigia are two different towns or not. We don't know the origin of this confusion, most likely the great media and tourist visibility that Ortigia has gained over the years and probably also the word of mouth from those who have already visited the town and have recommended "absolutely visit Ortigia".
At this point, however, we want to clarify in a simple way for the benefit of those planning a visit to our beautiful city:
- Ortigia is not an autonomous municipality: Ortigia is one of the districts that make up the municipality of Siracusa and is also its town center
- Ortigia is located in Siracusa, although a little separated from the rest of the town because, when looking at a map, you can notice that one of the peculiarities of the historic center of Siracusa is that it is a small island, very close to the mainland (so close that it can be reached via bridges connecting it to the rest of Siracusa);
- Ortigia does not have its own mayor. The mayor of Siracusa is also the mayor of the Ortigia district. For historical reasons, Palazzo Vermexio (the town hall) and the mayor's office are located in Ortigia
- Siracusa is made up of various districts, almost all deriving from the ancient historical districts of the Greek pentapolis: Ortigia, Acradina, Neapolis, Tyche, and Epipoli
That said, the historic center of Ortigia is certainly the main destination for those visiting Siracusa, both for private cultural tours or group tours as well as for the vibrant center with its shops, fish market, and numerous accommodation facilities and restaurants.
Many visitors also contact us asking for a guide to visit Ortigia and Siracusa. Let us clarify one more thing. For those who have only a short time to visit the city (half a day or a full day), in recent years it has become a standard to visit the historic center of Ortigia and the Neapolis archaeological area, where most of the monuments of the ancient Greek city are located.
The "new" part, on the "mainland", does not have a true route or another historic center where guided tours are held. In Siracusa, visits usually focus on specific monuments, for example, in addition to the Neapolis park, there is the "Paolo Orsi" archaeological museum, or the catacombs of San Giovanni, or the Basilica of Santa Lucia with the painting by Caravaggio.
Occasionally, we organize niche itineraries to discover lesser-known places, e.g., "Forgotten Siracusa," while in recent years there has been increasing focus on enhancing another historic district, the Borgata of Santa Lucia, located between some of the city's major monuments and offering several interesting Liberty-style buildings awaiting restoration.
We look forward to welcoming you to visit Ortigia with our guides, the historic center of Siracusa, or the main monuments of Siracusa, from the Neapolis archaeological park to the museum to the catacombs.
