Give me a fulcrum where I can pry up the earth. — Archimedes
The famous ancient Greek mathematician and philosopher Archimedes was not born in present-day Greece, but in Syracuse in Sicily. Syracuse (Syracuse), the ancient name "Syracuse", there were Greeks who migrated here in the 8th century BC, and later became a Greek colony, and it is also the most famous cultural city in the Great Greek Era, witnessing the glory of the Great Greek Era.
You should have heard these stories about Archimedes: in the 3rd century BC, Archimedes, who returned from his studies in Alexandria, Egypt, weighed the crown here, ran naked in the streets because of the discovery of buoyancy, and also commanded the military and civilians to concentrate on the light of the ancient Roman fleet. However, the Carthaginian mercenaries were ultimately unable to resist the ancient Roman legions of citizens and were defeated in the Second Punic War. Legend has it that when the ancient Roman soldiers broke through the door, Archimedes was concentrating on calculating mathematical formulas on the ground, blaming the soldiers for stepping on his diagram and dying under the knife, and Syracuse was also robbed and killed...
For more than two thousand years, Syracuse has experienced the Byzantine period, the Arab period, the Spanish colonial period, the Neapolitan Dynasty... Until she was later incorporated into the territory of Italy, it can be said that she is one of the epitome of Sicily. In a well-known movie "The Beautiful Legend of Sicily", the smile of the heroine Monica Bellucci has become the most perfect embellishment of the city, and there is a lot of controversy about this movie, some people say that it is too revealing of human nature, some people say that it is too sexy, there are countless people who come to Syracuse because of her, and there are countless people who leave the same figure in the square where the heroine walks through a variety of styles.
Many people have a bad first impression of Syracuse, dilapidated, desolate seems to be her first impression of the world, lifeless streets, low houses, even ruined walls, houses in disrepair...
The story of Archimedes and the beautiful legend of Sicily mentioned in the opening chapter all take place on the island of Ortigia, a peninsula in Syracuse.
To be precise, it is an island, separated from the city of Syracuse by a narrow waterway, and is the ninth and final district of Syracuse. Since the 8th century BC, there have been residents here, and since then there have been frequent wars and regime changes, but many residents still hold on to their homes. Cars are not allowed in the whole island, if driving Sicily, it is recommended to stay outside the island. It takes about 20-30 minutes to walk from the train station to the peninsula.
The ruins of the island, the Temple of Apollo (Tempio di Apollo), are now dilapidated, but it is one of the most important buildings on the island, where the earliest Doric column temples were born in the 6th century BC. Traces of the outer porch and the inner nave can still be seen from the foundations that are still left behind. With the change of regime, the situation has changed, and it has also served as a Byzantine church, an Islamic mosque, a military camp in the Spanish period... It was not until the 20th century that it was excavated and rediscovered
Since it was Archimedes' hometown, there was naturally a square named after him. But in Archimedes Square, his head is not used as a symbol. However, it is the image of Artemis, the god of the moon, as the main shape of the fountain. The goddess of the moon with a bow and arrow leads the hounds to prepare for the attack, the fountain was designed and built in 1907 by the sculptor Giulio Mosketty, and the moon goddess was the patron saint of the ancient Greek island of Ortigia
The Duomo di Siracusa, the nucleus of the entire old town, is located at the commanding heights of the whole island. It was built in the 5th century BC as an Athenaeum temple from the ancient Greek period and is also the most important doric style temple. By the 7th century, the temple was converted into a church. The exterior seen today is predominantly Baroque and Rococo, with Greek colonnades retained on the outside and traces of later Byzantines on the inside. In the 13th century, the Normans occupied Syracuse, which incorporated Norman architectural elements. The church was destroyed in an earthquake and the façade was rebuilt in the eighteenth century in the Baroque style today. The two patron saints on the right and to the left at the entrance are the apostles Paul and Peter, who opened the doors of the church.
Compared with the cathedral, the more familiar to Chinese audiences should be this square. In the movie "The Beautiful Legend of Sicily", Monica Belluci walked through here
However, today's old town of Syracuse has long become the world of tourism, and the popularity of the movie has brought waves of tourists here, quickly increasing the tourism industry here, and also disturbing the leisurely life of the indigenous people. Like Taormina in Sicily, there is no sense of leisurely beauty, only empty and lifeless buildings, shops and tourists flocking here.
To the southwest of Ortigia, lies a bay of spring water that lies silently and is missed if you are not careful. This is an ancient fountain that is 2,500 years old, the Fonte Aretusa. Legend has it that Aldusa, the maid of artemis, was chased by the river god, and she begged the moon god to turn her into a spring to escape. Today, papyrus still grows in the eyes of this freshwater spring and is the only place in Europe outside of Greece where natural papyrus grows.
Along the seaside road, you will find the most famous frederick castle on the island, Castello Maniace, named after the Byzantine commander of the city defense, George Maniac, and later occupied by the Arabs and Normans. It was built in the 13th century by Frederick II after his return from the Crusades. The horn-pointed castle occupies the southernmost part of the island, forming a tight defense system that defends the entire island. Today, it is the back garden of the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Catania.
====================
【Author:Desert Rose】
Global travel expert, travel experience engineer, freelance writer, guest host, travel sharing engineer, cross-border self-media person. Guest of the 2016 Sina V Influence Summit, Guest of the 2017 Sina & Youku "Enjoy the World" Ceremony, First Member of the 100-Person Travel Self-Media Team of the 2017 Tencent "Mangsang Plan", Signed By-media on Sina Weibo, Weibo Travel Blogger, Ant Honeycomb Certified Master, Poor Travel Essence Author & Pathfinder, Poor Travel & Tufeng Experiencer, Radio Guest, Seconds Beat Signing Master