Town hall Square (Piazza Muicipio)
This is the most impressive and liveliest of the three squares; it is bordered to the left by the Ducezio palace and on the right, flanked by two attractive raised platforms with steps, by the winding cathedral staircase. On the east side stands the facade of the Basilica of the Very Holy St Saviour.
|
Basilica of St Lucy-outside-the-Walls
Hardly imaginable, the persecutors pulled out St Lucy's eyes in 303. Now this place has a completely peaceful air today. The church, built on the site of her martyrdom in Byzantine style, achieved its current appearance in the 15C and 16C. On the square is an octagonal building by Vermexio, which would become the burial place of the saint whose remains travelled widely: sent to Byzantium she was then transferred to Venice before finishing in the cathedral of Syracuse.
|
Vendicari Nature reserve
The reserve was set up in 1984 to protect the migrating birds and sand-loving and Mediterranean vegetation from a narrow band of coastal marshland. A path, which borders the marshes at intervals, takes you to the Swabian tower where you can see the fish breeding tanks that date back to the Greek period. On the Alternating rocky and marshland floor you may see the Italian knight - a bird that has become a symbol of the region, with its white body, black wings long pink feet.
|
Baravitalla Plateau
Bare and peppered with dry stonewalls, this plateau was once populated and accommodated the Byzantine church of San Pancrati. You will see the ruins. A bit further on you will see a tomb with false pillars and two entrances that take you into the Grotto of the Saint, with its fresco fragments that you will notice on the walls. The place is difficult to find though.
|