Today, since we weren’t planning on traveling to a new destination tonight, we decided on an easy pace for the day. After a leisurely breakfast delivered to the room, we went out for a walk to the Archeological ruins and museum nearby. The ruins include an amphitheatre, a colosseum, and an altar to Hieron II. The museum’s collection covers the 1,700 year history of Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, and Romans on the island. From about 1,200 BC to 500 AD, carvers, potters, metalworkers, and sculptors were making objects to be used to celebrate, immortalize, fight against, and bury other people. As usual, I chose to photograph the celebrations and the immortalizations, though I’m sure some of the images I captured were of items which probably were found in burial urns.
It really can’t be said enough how central Siracusa was to the ancient world. Cicero called this the most important city in the Greek empire, and the Byzantine empire moved their capital from Constantinople (Istanbul) to here toward the end of their civilization. We are very impressed by what Sicily offers to the traveler interested in history. The country is warm and friendly, and the culture is varied and rich.
This afternoon, we’ve been kicking back in the room – catching up on emails, reading, and just relaxing. Outside, in the street below, a horn player was trumpeting a tune. I thought it would be nice to use as a soundtrack to some of the photos we took today at the museum.
Here's the YouTube Video
and the complete set of photos on Picasa.
Gregory
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