Thursday was earmarked for the journey from Palermo to Syracuse a six hour journey with a change in Messina. Our hotel in Palermo was very close to the station so our departure was very straight forward, except the train was running 10 minutes late and we had 10 minutes to make the connection in Messina. We got in touch with Byway by our dedicated WhatsApp customer service connection to check what would happen if we missed the next train. Hebe at Byway identified two later trains and promised to be on hand if we needed her to change our reservation, that took all the stress from the situation.

The track hugged the coast nearly all the way to Messina, it reminded us of the GWR line at Dawlish but with views over the Mediterranean and more lemon groves.

As we approached Messina the delay fluctuated between 6 minutes (possible) and 11 minutes (impossible). We arrived in Messina having resolved to reschedule for a later train but as we headed for the ticket office we saw our next train still standing at the platform. We rushed up the steps,which was more of a challenge for Mark as he was carrying the suitcase, the guard saw us coming and signalled a colleague to hold the doors for us. We leapt aboard, the train was packed but we found two fold down seats by the door. This was the first train on which we didn’t have reserved seats but at least we’d caught it.

The second leg of the day’s journey was a local service and it skirted the foot of Mount Etna. As passengers came and went we were able to find more comfortable seats and settled down for the ride to Syracuse. It was a long hot journey but it was fine until about five minutes from Syracuse when the train in front broke down and we stopped between stations for half an hour.

We arrived in Syracuse tired thirsty and a bit disoriented so we headed for the station bar for a drink, a snack and to ask directions to the bus stop all of which were provided with a smile. The bus left half an hour later, it was a minibus service and gave us our first views of Syracuse.

For some reason we hadn’t read up much on Syracuse and had no expectations, turns out it is a beautiful and very historic town. Our hotel was on Ortigia Island, a small island joined to the main town by three road bridges. Syracuse has been an important strategic port for millennia and has changed hands repeatedly between the Greeks, Arabs, French, and Italians all of whom have left their mark. This heritage is embedded in the streets of Ortigia and the island is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Having checked in, cooled down and caught our breath we decided to go out and explore. What a revelation, Ortigia at sunset was beautiful, every road and alleyway was paved in marble, piazzas were surrounded by candle lit cafes and restaurants. The temperature was perfect for walking the streets were quiet and music was playing in restaurants, at one place a waiter was singing to the customers sitting outside!

We hadn’t eaten much but sadly neither of us were very hungry so instead of picking a restaurant (how could we have chosen?) we bought slices of warm focaccia from a small shop and sat in the main square watching the fountain. We followed up with ice cream from one of the ubiquitous gelateria and ate it as we wandered the streets eventually finding ourselves overlooking the harbour.

After breakfast the next day we had planned to get two buses out the the Archeology Park and the Greek amphitheatre but instead made our way to the Tourist Information office and picked up a guide to Ortigia instead. The island is so beautiful and so small we barely needed the map. We found our way to the crescent shaped piazza in front of the cathedral with statues of St Peter and St Paul both of whom preached in Syracuse. From there we walked to the waterside and saw a sunken pool, the Fontana de Arethusa, mythical refuge of a nymph transformed in to water to escape attack by the river god. We followed the road south to the castle on the tip of the island with amazing views. Rounding the tip we continued along the quayside past swimming spots (which looked very enticing) and back to the center of the island.

We stopped at a cafe and ordered cold drinks, in Sicily a drink called Spremuta is popular, fresh fruit juice with sparkling water (I think). Mark fancied that but asked for Lemon Spritz, imagine his surprise when his first sip of the large glass revealed it was half Lemoncello half soda. He drank it and enjoyed it but soon felt it’s effects!! We bought a sandwich and an arancini for lunch then headed back to the hotel to write some postcards and take  a siesta (or to sleep off the alcohol?).

Later that evening we repeated our walk through the backstreets, we knew our way around by then and could happily wander without worrying about getting lost. Still no appetite for dinner we just enjoyed the atmosphere. Heading down one street of very fancy shops we came across a square and to one side the remains of the Greek temple of Apollo, built in 600BC very subtly spotlit amid the restaurants. Archimedes lived and died in Syracuse, the temple would have been 400years old when he was born.

We loved Ortigia and there is much more to see in Syracuse and beyond, I hope we have an opportunity to return.