Cave of the ear of Dionysius. Ear of Dionysius. Syracuse. Church or juicer

Visiting Syracuse, the birthplace of Archimedes, was my old dream. Of course, when we were vacationing in Sicily, in Taormina, I had to visit this legendary Greek city. Below on the map are the sights that we visited.

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1 . Archaeological park - quarries ( Ear of Dionysus), the Greek theater of Syracuse, the Roman amphitheater, 2. Spring of Arethusa, 3 . Cathedral Square Piazza del Duomo, 4. Temple of Apollo - one of the first in Syracuse, 5 . Archimedes Square, 6 . Catacombs of Saint John

The ruins of the temple of Apollo - the first in Greek Syracuse.

A bit of Syracuse history.

syracuse- one of the first Greek colonies on the island. This ancient city was founded by the Corinthians around 735 BC. e. The settlement arose on the island of Ortigia, around the freshwater spring of Aretuza. There is a legend associated with this source. According to which Arethusa is a nymph. She chose to become a source rather than submit to the river god Alpheus.

Dionysius the Elder

Syracuse was famous for its tyrants. By the way, a tyrant is a person who forcibly seized power. One of them was Dionysius the Elder(405 - 367 BC)

He arrested his rich enemies. And their lands were divided among the ruined poor. With the rest of the money, he recruited mercenaries, expelled the Carthaginians, and united two-thirds of Sicily under his single authority. Scouts and scammers from Dionysius were the best in Greece.

Quarry "Ear of Dionysus"

The famous Syracuse quarries served Dionysius as hard labor, where he kept his opponents. Here people suffered for years and decades, gave birth to children, and when they grew up and were released into the wild, they shied away from the sunlight. These old quarries are called "Ear of Dionysus". Because of that in these quarries excellent acoustics and everything that the prisoners said among themselves became known to Dionysius.

entrance to the quarry

One of the legends is connected with Dionysius' friend Damocles. Once he expressed a desire: "I wish I could live like tyrants live!" Dionysius replied: "If you please!" Damocles was luxuriously dressed, seated behind a magnificent steel and began to serve. Damocles was enjoying his meal when he noticed a horsehair sword hanging from the ceiling above his head. And then a piece stuck in his throat. He asked: "What does this mean?" This is how the expression "Sword of Damocles" appeared.

Greek theater in Syracuse - one of the largest in the ancient world

Dionysius was an amateur poet. His adviser was the lyric Philoxenus. Once Dionysius read his poems to him. And Philoxenus listened and said: “Bad!”. Then the tyrant became angry and ordered to be thrown into the quarry. They say that when Dionysius called him again and read new verses, Philoxenus sighed, turned to the head of the guard and said: "Take me back to the quarry!" This time Dionysius laughed and forgave him. One of the faces in the Syracuse quarries was called Filoksenov.

Under Dionysius I, Syracuse consisted of four quarters. The population reached 500,000. At the highest point of the city was the acropolis. Now here is the Cathedral Square. On the site of the cathedral stood the temple of Athena. The remains of its columns can be observed inside the cathedral.

Doric columns - part of the temple of Athena, used in the construction of the cathedral

The capture of Syracuse and the death of Archimedes

Syracuse was the supporters of Rome in the war with Carthage. However, in 215 BC. e. After the death of King Hieron II, the Circuses entered into an agreement with Carthage. This was a big mistake. Because in 214 the Roman commander Marcellus approached Syracuse with an army and besieged it from the sea and land. During the capture of Syracuse, the famous scientist Archimedes died.

Archimedes Square

Archimedes born in 287 BC in Syracuse. He studied in Alexandria and his first works were devoted to mechanics. Archimedes was not only a mathematician and mechanic, but also one of the greatest engineers and designers of his time. For example, he invented a machine for watering the fields "Snail", a water-lifting screw (Archimedes' screw), various military vehicles.

Ruins of a Roman amphitheater

When the Romans laid siege to Syracuse, it was Archimedes' turn. The Greek historian Plutarch wrote: “During the double attack of the Romans (from land and from the sea), the Syracusans were dumbfounded, stricken with horror. That they could resist such forces, such a powerful army? Archimedes started his machines. The land army was struck by a hail of projectiles and huge stones thrown with great swiftness. Nothing could resist their cause, they threw everything before them and brought confusion to the ranks. As for the fleet, suddenly, from the height of the walls, the logs fell, due to their weight and natural speed, onto the ships and drowned them.

Sicily is a true treasure island. Even a sophisticated tourist has something to see here - ancient ruins, medieval fortresses, baroque towns from the UNESCO list. And the main treasure is the unique volcano Etna, the natural ruler of the island, who has repeatedly reshaped and rebuilt the local landscape at his own will, destroyed cities, and then generously poured volcanic rock to restore them.

We had only a week to get acquainted with Sicily, and we wanted to see as many beauties as possible. Back in Moscow, I painted the program by day. Almost every day in a new place. Syracuse, the birthplace of Archimedes, greeted us with long-awaited summer warmth, led us through narrow streets to the main square.

The main cathedral of Syracuse was rebuilt from the Temple of Athena.

Outside - the triumph of baroque.

Inside - antique columns and a portico in place of the altar.

Archaeological Park of Neapolis. Roman theater

The old house, where we stayed for two days, became no less an attraction. Located in the old city, it literally took us to the past. In addition, we found ourselves in the very center of Italian life, Italian grandmothers yelled at the top of their voices through the wall, and on Sunday morning the neighbors received guests and rejoiced so wildly at everyone who came, as if they had not seen each other for a hundred years.

From Syracuse it's only half an hour by train to But that- baroque pearls. The toy town, destroyed by the 1693 earthquake, was rebuilt in the 1700s - and walking through the gates is like being transported back 300 years.

Not just to the past - to some fabulous dimension, where cathedrals and palaces look like sand castles, and towers proudly soar to the blue sky.

In a modern resort Giardini Naxos we took a breath, sunbathed on sun loungers by the sea and rushed off for new experiences. First - along the breathtaking serpentine to the picturesque Taormina, inspect the famous ancient theater overlooking Etna, melt from the heat, marvel at the crowds of tourists (after Syracuse and Noto, there are plenty of them here!) And admire the landscapes admired by Maupassant, Goethe, Wilde and Lawrence .

View of Taormina from Giardini Naxos

The ancient theater of Taormina overlooking Mount Etna. The stage is being prepared for the Italian opera for the evening

View from the walls of the theater to the resort of Letojanni

View of the historic center of Taormina

“Take your time,” the waiter advised with a smile in the cafe where we ordered the famous local almond wine while waiting for the bus, “the bus to Taormina leaves every hour. If you don't make it this one, you'll leave on the next one." He carried wine with an Italian cassata cake for about twenty minutes, but it was absolutely impossible to be offended by him. It seemed that Sicily itself in his face was calling us, Muscovites, who are in a hurry even on vacation out of habit, to stop the race for new impressions and just feel the beauty of the moment.

I also found a library in Castelmola - in the main cathedral square, on a cliff above the sea. What views there must be from her reading room! Too bad it was closed. And then I would look!

All these days we circled at the foot Etna watching her from the side. And on the penultimate day, finally, they decided to conquer it. With a small group of seven people, with a cheerful Italian guide who is in love with the volcano, in a jeep bouncing on bumps, we reached the northern parking lot, destroyed by the 2002 eruption.

The guide showed us the roof of the hotel, buried under lava flows.

In addition to her, several cafes and a lift went underground. But no one was hurt - the lava moved at a speed of two kilometers per hour. People gathered their things and took photos and videos of the approaching lava, and when the lava approached, they moved away and continued to shoot. Now videos of the eruption and lava flows are shown to tourists in a souvenir shop.

From the parking lot we drove a little higher in a jeep and ended up ... in a birch forest!

Passing the birches, we moved up the black lava dunes. It’s cool and cloudy upstairs, windbreakers just came in handy. Fifteen degrees versus thirty on the coast.

The guide pointed either to the dark lava flows that passed through the green tops of the mountain and left their destructive mark, then to the extinct crater below, which, frankly, looked like an ordinary pit and did not betray the raging elements.

A cave created by lava flows.

Finally, we perched on the highest hill - up to a mark of 2200 meters out of 3300 possible.

Another group is on the heels.

From such a height, the volcano seems like a black sleeping dragon, curled up in a ball and hiding under the greenery.

Having slipped along the ridge and being afraid to inadvertently wake up a powerful element, we left the volcano to doze further and went down to the unique natural Alcantara river reserve, with bizarre gorges formed by lava flows and beautiful waterfalls.
Upper river

At the entrance to the Alcantara Gorge, he encounters such an announcement.

Going down two hundred steps down, you find yourself in a lost world

Towards the end, on the day of departure, we left a trip to Catania - where the baroque city center was built of black volcanic stone, but it did not work out. Alas, my plans to check out of the hotel in Giardini, arrive at the Catania airport, check in luggage in the luggage room and go for a walk light before the night flight, crashed against the harsh Italian reality - at the airport, where dozens of international flights arrive, there simply were no luggage storage. Having scored on Catania, we once again went to Taormina and went through those streets that we had not reached before.

Discovered the Roman theater that we skipped last time

During our holiday in Sicily in May, the sea was still too cold for swimming. Therefore, almost all our free time we traveled around the outskirts of the village of Giardini Naxos, where our hotel was located. The east coast of Sicily is famous for its ancient cities, but the most famous of them, I think, is ancient Syracuse. That's where we decided to go.

Under the Greeks, Syracuse was the largest city in Sicily, with a population of more than 500,000 people. Syracuse is also known as the birthplace of the famous ancient Greek scientist Archimedes. Here he was born, lived a long life, and died at the hands of the Roman invaders.

The legend of the founding of the city of Syracuse

According to legend, Syracuse was founded by a native of the ancient Greek city of Corinth - Archie. He belonged to a rich and noble family and kindled with passion not for the girl, but for the handsome young man Actaeon, who did not reciprocate his feelings. Then Archii came up with the idea of ​​kidnapping the young man. He broke into his house and tried to take him away by force, but Actaeon's relatives, of course, tried to prevent this. In a violent argument, the young man was torn to pieces. Actaeon's father, not waiting for retribution for the death of his son, committed suicide and cursed Archias. Then there was a terrible famine and epidemics in the city. The oracles explained these misfortunes by saying that the gods were punishing Corinth, since Archius had not received punishment for his crime. After this, Archius sailed from Greece to Sicily and founded the city of Syracuse there. During the reign of the Greeks, the city prospered and grew, but after its conquest by the Romans, it turned into an ordinary provincial town.

Naturally, we wanted to see this ancient city by all means. Since there are no direct buses from Giardini Naxos to Syracuse, and you will need to go there with a transfer in Catania, we decided to buy a sightseeing trip from a tour operator. Of course, it cost more, but we did not have to spend extra time on the road. The journey took about an hour and a half one way.

Archaeological park

First we went to the Archaeological Park of Syracuse, where the ancient quarries are located. They are inextricably linked with the name of one of the tyrants of Syracuse - Dionysius the Elder, who ruled in the 4th century BC. The ruler had many enemies, and many of them he arrested and threw into these quarries. People lived here for years without seeing the sunlight.

We visited one of the caves, which is called the "Ear of Dionysius". Since the acoustics are amazing inside, the tyrant liked to eavesdrop on what his prisoners were talking about.

Where did the expression "Sword of Damocles" come from?

By the way, a story is connected with the name of Dionysius the Elder, which served as the basis for the winged expression "Sword of Damocles". The tyrant had a beloved friend Damocles, who constantly admired the life of the ruler. Then Dionysius invited his favorite to live the royal life for one day. Damocles was dressed in chic clothes, seated at the head of the table and began to indulge in the best dishes. However, in the midst of the feast, he noticed a sword above him, hanging on a horsehair. So Dionysius tried to show his friend the fragility of the position of a tyrant, who in an instant could be killed and lose his well-being. One of the caves in the quarries is called Philoxenova, in honor of the famous ancient Greek poet. The fact is that Dionysius loved to write poetry and read them to his servants. Naturally, in order not to anger the ruler, everyone admired his creations. And only Philoxen frankly admitted to Dionysius that his poems were very bad. For this he was placed in the quarry. True, later Dionysius called the poet again and read him a new poem. Philoxenus silently turned around and ordered him to be taken back to the dungeon. This made the tyrant laugh, and he freed the poet from imprisonment.

This story is even described by the Russian poet Vladimir Benediktov in the poem "Dionysius and Philoxenus". In addition, Dionysius once placed the ancient Greek philosopher Plato in the quarries, because he proposed to organize an “ideal state” in Sicily, where philosophers would rule, and property, women and children would be common. The tyrant of Syracuse did not like this proposal, and only the intervention of influential friends saved Plato from a long imprisonment.

Nearby is an impressive ancient Greek theater, which is currently used as a venue for various theatrical performances. The Roman amphitheater, which was built for gladiator fights, is also well preserved.

Center of Syracuse

Then we went to the city center, which is located on the island of Ortigia.

First we saw Archimedes Square with a beautiful fountain, in the center of which there is a statue of the hunting goddess Artemis. Along the perimeter of the square are ancient buildings of the XV century.

Cathedral Square

Further along the narrow streets we come to the Cathedral Square. This is the most beautiful place in the whole city. In the center of the square, in the 7th century, a Christian cathedral was built on the site of the ancient temple of Athena. The columns of the ancient Greek sanctuary can still be seen inside the Cathedral of Syracuse. After the earthquake of 1693, this cathedral was rebuilt in the then fashionable Baroque style.

Also nearby is the Church of Santa Lucia alla Badia, dedicated to Saint Lucia, the patroness of the city and the blind. This saint lived in Syracuse and was martyred here. Inside you can see the work of Caravaggio "The Burial of St. Lucia." In addition, in the church you can buy a consecrated mask, which helps believers recover from eye diseases.

Opposite the Cathedral is the town hall and the palace of Beneventano del Bosco, which is still owned by representatives of this noble family. The entire Cathedral Square is lined with white polished stone and impresses with its beauty and harmony.

After exploring the old city, we were given some free time, but it turned out that during the day most of the shops and restaurants in the city close for a siesta. So we had a hard time finding a cafe where we could eat.

Church or juicer?

This modern building can be seen from afar, as it is 75 meters high, and a twenty-meter Madonna is installed on the spire. By its appearance, the building bears little resemblance to a church, but rather looks like a giant juicer. So this church was called by the locals.

And the history of this church began in 1954, when in one Syracusan family they saw that the icon of the Madonna, which was kept in the house, began to emit real tears. Hearing about this miracle, pilgrims rushed into the house, many of whom, having touched the icon, forgot about old ailments. The city apartment could not accommodate everyone who wanted to look at the icon. Then began collecting donations for the construction of the temple. It was completed only in 1994. I do not know what caused the desire to make the church so unusual in its architecture, but it makes a strange impression. I still like more classical buildings.

This ended our tour and we returned to the hotel. Syracuse made a mixed impression. On the one hand, I really liked the Cathedral Square, made of white stone. The magnificent buildings that make up the architectural ensemble of the square amaze with their beauty.

The more modern part of the city did not make much of an impression. I think that when you come to Syracuse, you can limit yourself to visiting the historical center. This city will be of particular interest to lovers of history and archeology, as quite a lot of ancient Greek and Roman ruins have been preserved here.

December 8, 2013

The Ear of Dionysius is the name of one of the most interesting and unusual caves in Italy. It is located on the island of Sicily in the city of Syracuse. The cave is rightfully considered a real miracle.

The shape and size of the unusual "Ear"

The cave in has an interesting shape. It resembles a human ear. Its height is about 23 meters. In the depths of a huge cliff, the cave stretches for almost 65 meters. Upward, the vaults of the cave narrow very strongly and form a drop shape.

The acoustics here are incredible. The unique effect of sound propagation appears due to this form of space organization. Even the most quietly spoken word, but always pronounced in a strictly defined place, will be heard in another part of the cave, located closer to the exit. Thanks to such unusual properties of the acoustics of the cave, it is famous all over the world.

The legend of the origin of the Italian ear-shaped cave

Such a strange name was given to the cave by the famous painter Caravaggio back in 1586. He came up with a story that in ancient times the tyrant of Syracuse, whose name was Dionysius I, set up a prison in this cave, where he kept opponents of the government and prisoners. The prisoners were placed in a strictly designated part of the cave, and thanks to the amazing acoustics, the cunning Dionysius could hear from a distance and expose the plans of those who were opposed to him.

Another legend tells that the cruel Dionysius ordered to gouge a huge cave in a limestone rock, which had the shape of an ear. Where the sound phenomenon was located, he placed the torture chamber, while he himself listened to the screams of the victims to the side. Creepy, of course.

Scientists are more inclined to believe that the origin of the cave is natural. Since the entrance to this cave is located just on the slope of the limestone massif, as a result of erosion, both water and wind, this miracle of nature appeared. This hypothesis is confirmed by the shape of other similar caves in different parts of the world. The walls of the cave are very smooth, which confirms the version that the water polished the surface for many years.

The natural phenomenon, which is the ear-shaped cave of the island of Sicily, unfortunately, is slowly being destroyed over time. This is because limestone is very susceptible to environmental influences. Nowadays, the amazing effect of sound propagation is practically inaudible, since the focal point, where the sound should come from, is not accessible for visits due to internal destruction.

The Ear of Dionysius remains one of the incredible sights that many seek to visit. Even if it is impossible to hear all the overflows of sound inside the cave, is it really worth missing the opportunity to get to know the amazingly shaped cave better? And the ringing waterfall, flowing from somewhere deep, adds magic and attraction to this beautiful place.

"Ear of Dionysius" - an amazing cave photo

The Mediterranean island of Sicily is rich in wonders, which, without a doubt, can be ranked - a limestone cave located in the city of Syracuse. As you might guess, it got its name due to the fact that it resembles the human ear in shape and properties.

The cave has a very specific acoustic shape, and therefore, an amazing sound effect can be observed in it. Even a very quiet sound produced in one strictly defined place can be perfectly heard in a completely different, close to the exit, end of the cave. It was this property of the Ear of Dionysius that glorified him all over the world.

The height of the vaults of the Ear of Dionysius reaches 23 meters, the tunnel goes deep into the rock for 65 meters. The cave, strongly tapering towards the top, has the shape of a drop, but if you imagine it in a horizontal plane, it will resemble the letter "s". It is thanks to this unique shape that the cave has amazing properties.

The cave owes its current name to the great Italian artist Caravaggio, who invented it back in 1586. Dionysius I - Syracusan tyrant, who lived in the IV century BC. e .. He became famous for his exceptional cruelty and inhumanity. It is believed that the name of the cave was given in his honor. According to legend, the cave was very attractive to Dionysius and was used by him as a prison to keep his political opponents. Thanks to its acoustic properties, he easily ferreted out the plans and secrets of his opponents. But it is possible that this legend was invented by Caravaggio himself.

There is another legend, more terrible than the first. It says that on the orders of Dionysius, the cave was carved in the shape of an ear in order to amplify the screams of the captives being tortured in it.

However, there are very serious grounds for believing that the Ear of Dionysius still has a natural origin. The cave could have been formed in prehistoric times, under the influence of heavy rains. This theory is supported by the fact that the Ear of Dionysius is located in a low hillside, which consists of hard rocks, and in shape resembles the shapes of canyons, which can be seen in large numbers on the geographical map of Utah (USA).

Due to the excellent acoustics and unusual shape, the ancient people revered the Ear of Dionysius as a sacred place, which helped it to survive well to our time. But the limestone of which the cave is known to be made is very sensitive to environmental conditions, and over time it breaks down. Today, unfortunately, the acoustic phenomenon has become inaccessible to us, because due to the collapse, the place of the "focus" is closed from people.

Information for tourists

You can read about other sights of Sicily at http://travels.co.ua. After all, this is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, which is the progenitor of ancient civilizations.
Address of the cave Ear of Dionysius

Italy, the city of Syracuse, Viale Paradiso, on the territory of the Archaeological Park.
Open from 9-00 to 18-00, visiting the cave is free.