Siege of Syracuse (397 BC)

Syracuse ( SIRR-ə-kewss, -⁠kewz; Italian: Siracusa [siraˈkuːza] (listen); Sicilian: Sarausa [saɾaˈuːsa]) is a historic city on the Italian island of Sicily, the capital of the Italian province of Syracuse. The city is notable for its rich Greek and Roman history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture, and as the birthplace of the pre-eminent mathematician and engineer Archimedes. 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. Syracuse is located in the southeast corner of the island of Sicily, next to the Gulf of Syracuse beside the Ionian Sea. It is situated in a drastic rise of land with 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) depths being close to the city offshore although the city itself is generally not so hilly in comparison. The city was founded by Ancient Greek Corinthians and Teneans and became a very powerful city-state. Syracuse was allied with Sparta and Corinth and exerted influence over the entirety of Magna Graecia, of which it was the most important city. Described by Cicero as "the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all", it equaled Athens in size during the fifth century BC. It later became part of the Roman Republic and the Byzantine Empire. Under Emperor Constans II, it served as the capital of the Byzantine Empire (663–669). Palermo later overtook it in importance, as the capital of the Kingdom of Sicily. Eventually the kingdom would be united with the Kingdom of Naples to form the Two Sicilies until the Italian unification of 1860. In the modern day, the city is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site along with the Necropolis of Pantalica. In the central area, the city itself has a population of around 125,000 people. Syracuse is mentioned in the Bible in the Acts of the Apostles book at 28:12 as Paul stayed there. The patron saint of the city is Saint Lucy; she was born in Syracuse and her feast day, Saint Lucy's Day, is celebrated on 13 December.

Porta Ligny or Porta Ligne was the main city gate of the island of Ortygia in Syracuse, Sicily. It was constructed in 1673 and demolished in 1893.

Stadio Nicola de Simone (commonly known as La Fossa dei Leoni) is a football stadium in Syracuse, Sicily. It is the home of Siracusa football team and has a capacity of 5,946 spectators. The stadium was built in 1930 and was inaugurated in 1932. It was originally named the Stadio Vittorio Emanuele III, after the King of Italy, but it was re-named in honour of Nicola de Simone, a Siracusa player who died tragically as a result of an accidental kick to the side of the head he had received during a game against Palma Campania on 13 May 1979. The stadium is located in the Piazza Luigi Leone Cuella in central Siracusa's historic Santa Lucia district, near the Basilica of Santa Lucia and the Shrine of Our Lady of Tears.

Siracusa is the main railway station of the Italian city of Syracuse (It.: Siracusa), in Sicily. Like Palermo Centrale, Catania Centrale and Messina Centrale it is one of the most important stations in Sicily. It is owned by the Ferrovie dello Stato, the national rail company of Italy.

The Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi of Syracuse, Sicily is one of the principal archaeological museums of Europe.

The Temple of Apollo (Greek: Ἀπολλώνιον Apollonion) is one of the most important ancient Greek monuments on Ortygia, in front of the Piazza Pancali in Syracuse, Sicily, Italy.

San Paolo Apostolo is a baroque-style, Roman Catholic parish church located on via dell'Apollonion on the island of Ortigia, in the historic city center of Siracusa in Sicily, Italy. It serves as a parish church for the Quartiere di la Graziella, once the quarter housing the families who worked in the fishing trade. Alongside the church are the ruins of the Temple of Apollo.

The Roman amphitheatre of Syracuse is one of the best preserved structures in the city of Syracuse, Sicily, from the early Imperial period.

Palazzo Vermexio is a 17th-century Baroque monumental building, located facing Piazza Duomo in the island of Ortigia in Siracusa, region of Sicily, Italy. It presently serves as city hall.

The Palazzo Beneventano del Bosco is a large urban palace, located on piazza Duomo, across from the present city hall and diagonal to the Cathedral of Syracuse, in the island of Ortigia in the city of Syracuse in Sicily, Italy.

San Filippo Neri is a baroque-style, Roman Catholic church located on via Vittorio Veneto, facing seaside, on the island of Ortigia, in the historic city center of Siracusa in Sicily, Italy.

Ortygia (; Italian: Ortigia; Greek: Ὀρτυγία) is a small island which is the historical centre of the city of Syracuse, Sicily. The island, also known as the Città Vecchia (Old City), contains many historical landmarks. The name originates from the ancient Greek ortyx (ὄρτυξ), which means "Quail".