Syracuse (or Siracusa in Italian or Συρακούσες in Greek) was founded in the 8th century BCE by the Greeks. In the 5th century BCE the population is estimated to have been 200,000 and perhaps up to a million.
Today the population is 120,000. Sicily is the biggest island in the Mediter-ranean. After WWII it was decided to build a huge refinery on the seacoast. At its peak 6,000 peope worked there and it was an important part of reconstructing the Sicilian economy .The refinery is nearly inactive now.
The water facing part of the city is beautiful. Just barely visible on the right is a fortress.
We chose an excursion to a winery near the city. Many of the families who owned property near the refinery chose to sell and move. Agriculture was not considered a viable way to survive. The Pupillos decided to continue and the they turned property into a very successful winery. The first wine was produced in 1909 and sold in bulk. Sicilians would bring a 5 liter container and buy their wine for a week. This is basically one bottle per day. They bottled their first red wine in the 1960s. White wine was bottled soon after.
Part of the farm was an old castle and a garden. The family lived in the castle until recently. Now they have moved into the city. With a few million Euros it would make a wonderful boutique hotel. Here are some pictures.
A glowing turret on the left. A door in the old castle wall on the right.
On the left are steps leading to an entrance into the old part of the castle. Not sure why the cats don’t like me, but this one seems ready to pounce on me.
There was giant ficus tree in the garden. Amazing.
Of course wine was tasted. A dry white, a sweet white, and a dry red which Dave and I really liked. On the right is evidence of how American culture has influences all over the world.