When you are in the Neapolis Archaeological Park in Siracusa, Sicily there is more to see here than just the ancient Greek and Roman ruins. Pay attention too to the large pillar(s) that you’ll see in the Latomie del Paradiso on the way to The Ear of Dionysius cave. What exactly are these pillars? Well, think about the New York City subway. When in Manhattan, to take the trains (as we New Yorkers say), you go underground. You take stairs or an elevator and enter a whole other world of tunnels and train tracks and shops below. Meanwhile, above you is the bustling city with streets and cars and restaurants and … you get the idea. Well, that was true here too!
When you walk down the stairs and paths into the Latomie del Paradiso, or the Quarry of Paradise, you are descending into the ancient Siracusan underground. However, today, there’s no ceiling. No roof. No bustling city streets above ground. Get this: there was a bustling city until 1693! Archaeologists and historians will tell you that the massive 1693 earthquakes shook Siracusa and its surroundings so hard that the Neapolis (or New City) collapsed into the underground quarry. The pillar that you see pictured is what is left of the pillars that were keeping the above-ground city “afloat.” Look carefully at the top of the limestone pillar.
Do you see a chimney (maybe) of an old house? That’s part of the old city that existed on top of the ancient limestone quarry. A ruin from the 1600s.
Now think about that for a moment.
I hope that shook you up a bit!
Now you know how massive the 1693 earthquakes were.
Isn’t history cool?
