« Back to Siracusa
Castello Eurialo
For terrific views over the city and relief on hot and crowded days, it’s worth the brief excursion a few kilometres west of Siracusa to the military and defensive works begun under Dionysius the Elder to defend the port from land attack. Added to and adapted over a couple of centuries, they basically consisted of a great surround which defended the ridge of Epipolae (the city’s western limit), and the massive Castello Eurialo (daily until 1hr before sunset; free) - the major extant Greek fortification in the Mediterranean. There are three defensive trenches, the innermost leading off into a system of tunnels and passages. Climb up to the castle proper, its long keep and the lower walls and towers providing hearty views over the oil refineries and tankers of the coast north of the city, and over Siracusa itself. Bars and pizzerias share the view, and make this a viable place for an evening out. Buses #9, #11 and #12 run from the Corso Gelone, outside the archeological park, to the village of Belvedere; the site is just before the village, on the right, a fifteen-minute ride.
