Category: architecture
Siracusa, its duomo and patron saint – Santa Lucia
Let’s take a look inside Siracusa’s most celebrated landmark. Siracusa’s Duomo (cathedral) sits on the highest point on the island of Ortigia. The cathedral incorporates the remains of a Greek temple dating back to the 6th century BC. The temple was dedicated to Athena (Minerva in Etruscan) – the Roman goddess of wisdom and sponsor of…
Siracusa (Ortigia), Sicily, Part 2
This is part 2 of our post on Siracusa (read part 1 here). The city of Siracusa was named as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2006. This 2,700-year-old city played a key role in ancient times, when it was one of the major powers of the Mediterranean world. Piazza Duomo with the Duomo di…
Siracusa (Ortigia), Sicily, Part 1
Siracusa is one of two cities we stayed for several days on the eastern part of Sicily. Taormina is the other, see our earlier posts about it here and here. The city of Siracusa itself is not very scenic, so we stayed instead on the island of Ortigia (or Ortygia in English) at the southeastern…
Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion 張弼士故居, Penang
Back in Georgetown, Penang, among many of the heritage buildings, the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (張弼士故居) is one of the most celebrated example. UNESCO recognized it with an award in Heritage conservation in 2000. We were treated to a glimpse of how a Chinese tycoon lived at the turn of the century (19th-20th). The mansion is now…