Ortygia
A small island that is the historic heart of Syracuse, joined to the mainland by bridges. Within a short walk are the Temple of Apollo, a cathedral built around the columns of a Greek temple of Athena, and the freshwater Fountain of Arethusa by the sea.
- Where
- Syracuse, Sicily, Italy
- Grade
- UNESCO heritage
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 8 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 37.0610, 15.2945
Get the Ortygia stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Ortygia. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Sicily volume with your photos and a note.
Near Ortygia
Noto Cathedral 27 km
A Sicilian Baroque cathedral begun in the early 18th century and finished in 1776, dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra. It stands at the top of a broad flight of steps in a town built in warm, honey-coloured stone.
Mount Etna 81 km
One of the tallest active volcanoes in Europe, rising about 3,400 metres above the east coast of Sicily between Catania and Messina. Its height shifts with summit eruptions, and a cable car and off-road buses carry visitors high onto its slopes of black lava.
Ancient Theatre of Taormina 88 km
A Greek theatre of the 3rd century BC on a hillside above the sea. From its tiers the view runs past the ruined stage to the coast and the slopes of Etna, and it still holds concerts and plays in summer.
Villa Romana del Casale 91 km
A large Roman villa of the early 4th century AD, about 3 kilometres from the town of Piazza Armerina. Its floors hold one of the richest collections of Roman mosaics anywhere, from great hunting scenes to young women exercising in what look like bikinis.
Aeolian Islands 163 km
A volcanic archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Sicily, said to be named after Aeolus, the mythical ruler of the winds. Seven islands, among them Lipari, Vulcano, Salina and Stromboli, are linked by ferries, and together they are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Scala dei Turchi 163 km
A white marl cliff on the south coast of Sicily near Porto Empedocle, worn by wind and sea into broad steps. Its name means the Turkish Steps, and it is known to readers of Andrea Camilleri's detective stories about Commissario Montalbano.
Stromboli 194 km
An island off the north coast of Sicily that is almost entirely the cone of one of Italy's four active volcanoes. It throws up small bursts so often that sailors called it the Lighthouse of the Mediterranean, and in myth it was the home of Aeolus.
Palermo Cathedral 207 km
The cathedral of Palermo, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Centuries of additions have left it a mix of styles, with Norman and Gothic work outside and a Neoclassical interior from the last remodelling in the 18th century.
More UNESCO World Heritage sites in Sicily
Questions
Where is Ortygia?
Ortygia is in Syracuse, Sicily, Italy. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Noto Cathedral (27 km), Mount Etna (81 km), Ancient Theatre of Taormina (88 km).
How do I get the Ortygia stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Ortygia and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Sicily volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Ortygia before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Sicily volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.