Ortigia, Sicily. Photo / Anna King-Shahab
Every Sicilian city has its centro storico (historical centre), but none comes quite so neatly packaged as that of Ortigia
An island off an island: there's something inherently lovely about that, and yet Ortigia, being just a skip over a short bridge from Sicily's east coast, is a cinch to get to. Part of the city of Siracusa, it is in fact the historical centre of the city, neatly bordered by water, and has been made a Unesco world heritage site for its rich display of the influence of different Mediterranean cultures throughout the centuries.
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Like all historical centres in Sicily and most of Italy, Ortigia is a limited traffic zone, which makes this compact Baroque town particularly pedestrian-friendly. It may be small, but there is plenty on the island to keep visitors entertained – for the six days we stayed in the middle of a balmy autumn, we left only once, dragging ourselves off to a nearby beach and to taste possibly the world's greatest gelato (more on that later).
Siracusa bears the marks of its plural occupiers, most notably the Greeks – Archimedes and Plato spent time there, and the city once rivalled Athens as the centre of the Greek world, but it was also occupied at various stages by the Romans, Arabs, Byzantines, and Normans.
Our days in Ortigia were spent wandering, coming across remnants of these cultures everywhere, including the few columns from the Temple of Apollo (dating back earlier than 500 BC) and Maniaces Castle, which looked especially imposing with frothy waves crashing against it when we visited, named for the Byzantine general Mianiakes, and built in the 1200s. Discoveries are still being unearthed, like the mikveh (Jewish ritual bath) concealed for centuries that is now open to visitors in beneath a boutique hotel in the giudecca, the old Jewish quarter.
With temperatures in early October hovering around a practically perfect 26℃, dips in the Ionian Sea that wraps around the city were most welcome. We merely had to cross the road from our apartment on Via Nizza to descend to the swimming platform and spend the afternoon alternating between sun-baking (even my freckled skin didn't protest in the gentler Mediterranean conditions) and floating in the clear water, making conversation with fellow bathers – Sicilians ( or at least, the many we met during two weeks on the island) aren't overly gregarious toward strangers and like to initiate conversation subtly. Inevitably these chats would lead to things culinary and I gleaned many great tips on where and what to eat while my legs performed the egg beater beneath the water.
It almost goes without saying that the places you want to seek out for dining in Ortigia aren't the ones directing their attention at tourists (that said, we did pile into a few of those spots in a hungry hurry and they weren't half bad – standards are high here).
A wander through the daily produce market near the bridge is a good way to get familiar with local produce and specialties. In early October that meant kooky-looking prickly pears – Sicily's national fruit - dozens of varieties of tomato, eggplant, local cheeses (Sicilian ricotta is the best I have ever tasted, and a pistachio-studded provolone was the perfect bread-stuffer on a beach picnic), lemon, melon, and pistachio liqueurs, olives galore, salami, and local wines.
Handily the market street is home to several excellent dining spots. We had the standout meal of our stay at Carnezzeria, a seafood restaurant ironically named for the butchery the space used to house. We ordered all things caught by local fishing folk: succulent tuna tartare, giant prawns, and tender octopus with cubes of potato, washed down with a full-bodied organic viognier from the Palermo region.
We stumbled on plenty of culinary gems not on the tourist map, like Ammuca: in the evening, this butchery run by Nadia and Fabio and their English-speaking daughter Giusy doubles as a simple eatery, serving tagliere (chopping boards) loaded with sausage, tender, marinated grilled pork and chicken, and patties of ground beef and horse meat, with side dishes of garlic bruschetta, olives and the ubiquitous-throughout-Sicily caponata, glasses of red wine – a tidy dinner package for about $30. We bought goodies to take home and cook in our apartment, too.
Where to stay
As property manager Roberta let us in and wandered around opening all the shutters, revealing an unobstructed view over the indigo ocean, we instantly wished we'd booked a longer stay at Casa a Ortigia, but five nights gave us time to make the most of its prime position – right on the waterfront and an easy wander to all the city's sights – as well as to enjoy the comfortably elegant surrounds of the space. It was perfect for our family of two adults and two kids with its split levels, two bedrooms, office, living room gazing out to the water and rooftop terrace - and plenty of different spaces to relax in.
It is available to book via Sicilian holiday home specialist wishsicily.com, prices start from €185 per night or €1300 per week.
Ortigia is an ideal base for exploring. It's just a short drive over the bridge to reach the sights of wider Siracusa, including the ancient Greek theatre where seasonal plays are still performed.
Golden sand beaches are a short drive away; we spent an afternoon at Arenella with a picnic basket of food gathered at the morning market.
In an hour or less you can be parking up in Noto, one of southern Sicily's most handsome Baroque towns, and home to arguably the best gelato in Italy, at Caffe di Sicilia – I have food writer Lauraine Jacobs to thank for recommending it. The owner, pastry chef Corrado Assenza, is profiled on an episode of Netflix's Chef's Table, if you'd like to whet your appetite.
For those tired of the go, go go, Rovos Rail offers the ultimate in luxury train travel.