Neapolis Archaeological Park
The Archaeological Park of Neapolis, one of the main attractions of Syracuse, contains grandiose monuments both from Greek times and Roman times , as well as evidence that traces the millenary history of the city, from the protohistoric to the late ancient and Byzantine age.
The nucleus of the park is a hill that takes the name of Temenite , from the Greek “Temenos”, “sanctuary”, because in the Archaic period an extra-urban sanctuary dedicated to Apollo stood in this area. However, the area has been the site of settlements since the Middle Bronze Age, as evidenced by the remains of a probable hut on the top of the Temenite and a series of small artificial cave tombs on its slopes. In one of these caves a kit with Mycenaean materials was found.
The area underwent a radical monumental intervention under the reign of Jerone II: the reconstruction of the Greek Theater , already present and dating back to the V century BC, and the creation of the grandiose Ara di Ierone . In the Augustan age, the Amphitheater was built, and an honorary arch of which part of the pillars remain.
In the north-eastern sector of the Park, some of the most spectacular quarries, the Latomie del Paradiso , the stone quarries of the ancient city. Its caves are particularly beautiful: Ear of Dionysus ; Cordari's cave; and Grotta dei Salnitre.
The Park also includes the Necropolis of Grotticelli: a large and suggestive strip of land dense with tombs of various types and from various periods.
The Grotta del Ninfeo located in the highest part of the small mountain relief, on a rectangular terrace that runs alongside the Greek Theater.
