You will meet your guide at your accomodation in Ortigia start this private walking tour, during which you will discover the secrets of rich history of Syracuse. You will sightsee the Cathedral Square, world heritage site, with its bright limestone buildings - the Cathedral, the most important baroque monument in Sicily, Palazzo Beneventano, that in the past was a site for the senate of the city, St. Lucy's Church, norman monument of fifteenth century dedicated to the patron saint of the city. The tour then continues to Arethusa Fountain. The legend tells that the nymph Arethusa, changed into a watercourse by her goddess Artemis/Diana in order to escape the attention of unwanted suitor Alpheus (Alfeo). Later we will arrive to the Jewish Quarter, Via Maestranza, the street where the nobility of the town had their pompous homes. Finally, you will arrive in Archimedes Square, and sightsee the neoclassical Fountain of Diana which reminds about the glorious past of Syracuse. The tour concludes with a traditional lunch. Vegetarian and other dietary options are available upon request
My wife and I debated whether to take a day trip from Taormina to Syracuse and Ortigia. We are glad we went. Corrado was an excellent guide. He was knowledgeable and friendly. If you want to gain an understanding of all the various cultures and evolution of Sicily this is the tour to take.
We had a fun, informative walking tour of Ortigia with Biagio. He shared a lot of history and fun facts about Siracusa and Ortigia. We ended our tour with a delicious lunch at Temple of Athena Restaurant. The restaurant was extremely accommodating for us. We had one person with a gluten - allergy and another vegetarian. The restaurant made delicious Gluten- free pasta and Bruschetta.
We had a great tour of Syracuse with Corrado. He is one of the most knowledgeable guides we have met. Lots of detail. At the end, drop you off a great restaurant and you can order anything off the menu for lunch. Fantastic and we absolutely enjoyed every minute.
Corrado was very accommodating. He knew the history well and he showed us many sights in Siracusa. We wrapped up with a fantastic lunch that he organized for us.
Corrado took us on a wonderful archaeological and all around tour of Syracuse and Ortigia. He was entertaining and super knowledgeable about the history and architecture. It was capped by a wonderful lunch that I will dream about back in the states. I highly recommend.
Corrado is an excellent tour guide! We toured many sites and his explanations were very interesting and informative. His knowledge of Siracusa history is excellent.
Corrado was our tour guide. He is very knowledgable and passionate about Siracusa. He gave us a lot of information about Sicily that would’ve otherwise gone unnoticed, and truly gave us an understanding of how Siracusa came to be. It is a charming town that deserves special attention to detail.
Great walking tour of the area. Our guide was fantastic and very knowledgeable. Highly recommend if you haven’t been to ortigia before
Biagio was a great guide , so knowledgeable about the area . We learned so much & enjoyed the tour . We loved the special cookies & the lunch was amazing . If you are traveling in this area definitely take this tour !
Excellent private tour. Guide so full of history and willing to share! Following and part of tour was a fabulous lunch at local establishment. Highly recommend
Michele was very knowledgeable! Food was wonderful. Saw all the sights of Ortigia. We were picked up at our Hotel.
We took a tour of historic places in Ortigia with Corrado, a guide we highly recommend. Lots of information about the places and history of the Syracusa region, all told with generosity, in detail and in a friendly atmosphere. We ended the tour with a meal of Sicilian dishes on a friendly terrace. Corrado is proud of Sicily and Syracusa and it showed during the visit.
We took a tour of historic places in Ortigia with Corrado, a guide we highly recommend. Lots of information about the places and history of the Syracusa region, all told with generosity, in detail and in a friendly atmosphere. We ended the tour with a meal of Sicilian dishes on a friendly terrace. Corrado is proud of Sicily and Syracusa and it showed during the visit.
Corrado is a wonderful guide - an amazing source of knowledge everywhere we went from the archeological park to the monuments and churches. He is calm, steady and sets a really good pace. He also navigates traffic like a pro. LOVED the food tasting - good representation of the region. We completely enjoyed ourselves.
Corrado was an awesome guide! Knowledgeable and flexible because we had two small kids in our party. He hooked us up with an afternoon boat tour with a great captain who continued the tour on the water; a lovely anti-pasti lunch, wine, and swim in the a mediterranean!
Shopping and cooking and going to Gilda’s home was an absolute pleasure. We all learned so many great cooking tips -the Sicilian way! Loved her home and family and the entire experience.
Private walking tour by Biagio, a native of Syracuse. Visited out-of-the-way places that one would not normally see. Visited the local market and learned a lot about local produce and cuisine. It was an unusual, pleasurable, 3-hour experienceTwell worth the price Ended the tour at a Wine Bar for tasting, paid for by Viator, which was an unexpected treat
Our guide, Biagio, took us on a walking tour of Ortigia that was amazing! He was born in Siracusa and has lived there his entire life. He knew all of the history and the best places to have coffee, a snack or eat. He’s passionate about his city and I see why, it’s a beautiful place. We ended our tour at Taverna Giudecca where Antonio and family served us wine and beautiful food that was AMAZING!
We had the best tour guide, Biaggio. He was so knowledgeable and the kindest man. It was a pleasure walking around with him
Our tour guide Biagio was such an informative and knowledgeable person he made our time with him very interesting. We got to know each other in two days and would consider him a friend. Next time we come back I would hope to see him again.
Michele was an excellent guide. He knew the area well and made the touring very enjoyable. He gave us just enough info to help us understand how many historic changes in the city. His pace was perfect and the 2-hour length worked well. The added wine tasting and light food were a nice touch. We would recommend him to anyone interested in a great private tour. Tour was perhaps more pricy than other 2-3 hour city walking tours, but worth it!
We had a great tour! Paolo, our guide, was very knowledgeable, friendly and told us great stories. He lead us to all great places in Siracusa. Wine and food afterwards were also very good. Friendly host.
We did this tour on the day we arrived in Ortigia. Our guide was Marco and he was brilliant! We had a lovely walk around Ortigia, Marco told us many stories about the history of the island and Sircuse, including the mythology. He was knowledgeable and passionnate, a very engaging storyteller. We felt like we understood the place better after the tour. As it was winter, it was dark when we started the tour (5.15pm) so were worried we would miss out on some things, but we didn’t, everywhere we went had enough lighting to be able to see what was important. We particularly enjoyed visiting the unusual cathedral which Marco gave us a little tour around inside. We chose the option including food tasting and wine so Marco dropped us at a little cafe at the end of the tour where we were given a platter of Sicilian foods which was very yummy! Plenty of food to fill us up and we sampled 2 different Sicilian red wines. I would highly recommend this tour and I’d recommend doing it at the beginning of your stay in Siracusa/Ortigia like we did to really get a feel for the island.
Marco of Prestelli Tours took us on a visit to the Siracusa Archaeological Park and then a walk through Ortigia, the "old town" island area of Sircusa. We were interested in learning about the ancient history of Siracusa, and Marco delivered. Marco was friendly, extremely knowledgeable, and took the time to patiently answer our questions. We greatly enjoyed the historical facts and legends that Marco told about the history of Siracusa and the artifacts we visited. We highly recommend this tour and Marco.
<p>Marco was so knowledgable about Ortigia! I studied abroad in Ortigia three years ago for six weeks, so I knew a lot of the history but there is always more to learn. Marco answered all of our questions and showed us all around the island. His English was great as well! The food and wine tasting is worth the extra money. We tasted 5 different Sicilian wines and got a traditional Sicilian aperitif of cheese, olives, and meats. We were so full afterwards that we didn't even need dinner!</p>
La comida. El tour es MUY BUENO, vale la pena, el guìa muy bueno, pero al no ser en el idioma madre, pierde gracia, hay cosas que se pierden, por que uno no entiende, o no escucha, mucho barullo en la calle, y no quiere hacer el papel de pesado pidiendo que repitan lo ya dicho. La verdad una pena, si lo cobran no es gratis, ofrezcanlo en otros idiomas.
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