Tourism and tourist places in Siracusa: L'Orecchio di Dionisio

Tourism in Siracusa

Dionigi's Ear

Visiting Siracusa you soon realize how glorious it was in the past.

Amongst its many beauties, we include the characteristic latomìe, huge caves whose stones were used to build the mayor buildings of the Greek town.

These caves, once excavated were also used as prisons.

The largest is called Paradiso (Paradise), and here you find the most famous cave, called Dionigi's Ear, for its peculiar shape.

This artificial cave is mined in the limestone and its sinuous walls end with a very uncommon vault.

The name was given by the painter Caravaggio (1571 ? 1573-1610) who visited it.

He started the legend telling that the tyrant Dionigi ordered the construction of the cave to lock prisoners.

Through a small hole at the very top of the cave itself, he could catch all their words which arrived amplified to him.

Actually, the shape of the cave is due to the fact that it was mined from the upper part. The miners realized that the stone was very good and they went excavating downer and downer up to the ground floor.