Siracusa
TERRITORIAL SCALE: CONURBATION
In an enviable geographical position, between the waters of Porto Grande, the only natural shelter of the Sicilian coasts, and the Iblei Mounts, Siracusa was founded by a group of Greek colonists coming from Corinth and led by Archia in the 8th century B.C. The area was already inhabited, as confirmed by the archaeological finds retrieved in Piazza Duomo.
Today Siracusa is formed by five districts of the ancient Pentapoli of Dionisio with Greek names (as Akradina, Tike, Neapolis, Ortigia) and Santa Lucia; the area of Cassibile in the South, close to the homonym river (called Kakiparis by the Greeks) and Belvedere, not far from Eurialo Castle.
The railroad was realized near the town, in areas not involved by urbanisation at those times. Therefore, the layout considered only the topographic and geological characteristics and not the urban problems concerning the future development of the town.
The railway track, that develops along the coast for about 9 km, representing a barrier between the plateau and the sea, has been recently dismantled and the areas have been given to the Municipality of Siracusa.
