09/11/2008: Featured Destination: Siracusa, Sicily
Siracusa remains a hidden treasure buried amidst the Sicilian Coastline
Siracusa is located on the Ionian sea in the southeast region of Sicily. It has a rich history--originally settled by the Ancient Greek Corinthians, it later became part of the Roman Republic and Byzantine Empire. Today you can see remnants of all of Siracusa's conquerers in many of the ancient buildings.
Ortigia is the small peninnsola which houses the restored ancient Siracusa city center.
As shown by the map--Ortigia is reachable by a bridge from the New Siracusa. Some of the main attractions in Ortigia include the Temple of Apollo, Piazza Duomo and Maniaces Castle. The most captivating aspect of Siracusa however, is it's charm.
All of the buildings are fashioned in their original style giving the feeling of a quaint Greek city that is thousands of centuries old. At night the city lights up as a preserved paradise with outdoor cafes for an evening drink, or un dolce.
Sicily is famous for their desserts which were first introduced by the Byzantines and later influenced by Arabs. The Sicilians use their natural resources of orange and lemon groves, almonds, cinnomon and pistachio's to flavor their desserts. The most famous desserts include La Torta Cassata, a sponge cake made with ricotta cheese, chocolate and candied fruit. La Granita Siciliana alla mandorla a dessert composed of crushed ice then flavored with almond milk (usually served in the morning with a brioche). Torta di pistacchio-a light mousse cake flavored with pistachio nuts. And of course Il Cannolo which is far beyond your average American "cannoli". In Sicily there are many different kinds of Cannoli, it can be flavored with pistachio cream, ricotta cream with a rich cinnamon flavor, chocolate cream and vanilla pastry cream. They are all prepared differently as some are dipped in crushed pistachio's while others are covered in candied fruit and chocolate. Regardless they are delicious! A great place to enjoy a cannolo in Siracusa is at :
Corsino
Via Nazionale, 2
Palazzolo Acreide
Siracusa, 96100
you can visit their website at http://www.corsino.it/
And for a better look at the beauty of Siracusa you can take a moment to watch this short video on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ_w6m31QY8
Alla prossima! Ciao!
