The Catamaran Adventures of Noel and Ceu

Syracuse

Current Location: Syracuse, Sicily
Current Position: 37 3.51 N 015 17.13 E Click to view map.
Distance sailed since last post: 25 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track here

We had three pleasant days in Syracuse, well sheltered in the huge bay, although the first night was actually a bit bouncy from the SW wind and waves.

First priority was, of course, to buy the new anchor, and dinghy it across to our boat. That involved three trips from shop to dinghy. Fortunately the chandler is only a little way up the street from the marina and dinghy dock.

After getting the anchors sorted out, we then went to visit the churches and piazzas.

We decided to eat out. After scrutinizing a dozen different restaurants and menus we found a delightful one right outside the cathedral Certainly the best we have had in Italy so far. The menu was very creative, Tuna roe and anchovies pasta for ‘primi’ and then a selection of meats cooked in foil for ‘secudi’ The description, of course, fails to capture the essence. We even had live music from some buskers.

The next day we took the dinghy up the river on the far side of the bay. Lots of fish, birds, and reeds

And then we went to explore the catacombs.

Now, this was cooooool. They are second only to Rome – over 20,000 burial slots in an area of 10,000 sq m. all dug out from the rock by 4th century Christians. No, they weren’t hiding from persecutors, just looking for a place to bury their dead.

Multiple passage ways through the rock, all of them flanked on each side by rows and rows of stone coffins dug into the rock. Small niches on the walls for babies, adult ones lined up side by side on the ground.

Like the huge cathedrals, this all makes us marvel and wonder at how much work the ancients did. It seems their lives were either about fighting (all the fortresses), or about building monuments.

The next day we dinghied around to some more coastal caves, very similar to the ones in Favignana.

And then we went to the market to get some groceries

After all that, it was time to press on to Catania in the hopes of being able to fill up our propane bottles.

 

We had three pleasant days in Syracuse, well sheltered in the huge bay, although the first night was actually a bit bouncy from the SW wind and waves.

First priority was, of course, to buy the new anchor, and dinghy it across to our boat. That involved three trips from shop to dinghy. Fortunately the chandler is only a little way up the street from the marina and dinghy dock.

After getting the anchors sorted out, we then went to visit the churches and piazzas.

We decided to eat out. After scrutinizing a dozen different restaurants and menus we found a delightful one right outside the cathedral Certainly the best we have had in Italy so far. The menu was very creative, Tuna roe and anchovies pasta for ‘primi’ and then a selection of meats cooked in foil for ‘secudi’ The description, of course, fails to capture the essence. We even had live music from some buskers.

The next day we took the dinghy up the river on the far side of the bay. Lots of fish, birds, and reeds

And then we went to explore the catacombs.

Now, this was cooooool. They are second only to Rome – over 20,000 burial slots in an area of 10,000 sq m. all dug out from the rock by 4th century Christians. No, they weren’t hiding from persecutors, just looking for a place to bury their dead.

Multiple passage ways through the rock, all of them flanked on each side by rows and rows of stone coffins dug into the rock. Small niches on the walls for babies, adult ones lined up side by side on the ground.

Like the huge cathedrals, this all makes us marvel and wonder at how much work the ancients did. It seems their lives were either about fighting (all the fortresses), or about building monuments.

The next day we dinghied around to some more coastal caves, very similar to the ones in Favignana.

And then we went to the market to get some groceries

After all that, it was time to press on to Catania in the hopes of being able to fill up our propane bottles.

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