The Quarries of the Capuchins (Latomie dei Cappuccini) in Syracuse.

The contrast between the idyllic beauty of the garden, created by the Capuchin monks in this former quarry, and the dizzyingly sheer cliffs that surround it, has fascinated visitors to this site for centuries, to the point that since the 17th century it was included as "must see" of the "Grand Tour" in Italy.
 

Signs of mining activity that took place in the quarries of the Capuchins of Syracuse remain evident even after thousands of years.

Additionally, this quarry (the oldest of those in Syracuse, going back to the 6th century B.C.) started as a stone quarry, but aside from signs of human activity also shows signs of the force of nature, including earthquakes, landslides, and erosion, in addition to an explosion of lush greenery, giving this site a rather "wild" and sometimes "lunar" appearance that cannot fail to strike the imagination.

For the traveler a century ago, immersed in readings of classical antiquity, the fascination of this site was heightened by the dramatic fact that these caves were used to imprison the Athenian soldiers captured after the failed military strike against Syracuse in 415/413 B.C., told with powerful detail by Thucydides in The Peloponnesian War.
The slaughter was enormous: of an estimated 50,000 participants in the military expedition of no more than 7,000 survived, only to be sold as slaves.

Here is the account of Thucydides:

The prisoners in the quarries were at first hardly treated by the Syracusans. Crowded in a narrow hole, without any roof to cover them, the heat of the sun and the stifling closeness of the air tormented them during the day, and then the nights, which came on autumnal and chilly, made them ill by the violence of the change; besides, as they had to do everything in the same place for want of room, and the bodies of those who died of their wounds or from the variation in the temperature, or from similar causes, were left heaped together one upon another, intolerable stenches arose; while hunger and thirst never ceased to afflict them, each man during eight months having only half a pint of water and a pint of corn given him daily.
In short, no single suffering to be apprehended by men thrust into such a place was spared them. For some seventy days they thus lived all together, after which all, except the Athenians and any Siceliots or Italiots who had joined in the expedition, were sold.
The total number of prisoners taken it would be difficult to state exactly, but it could not have been less than seven thousand.
This was the greatest Hellenic achievement of any in this war, or, in my opinion, in Hellenic history; at once most glorious to the victors, and most calamitous to the conquered. They were beaten at all points and altogether; all that they suffered was great; they were destroyed, as the saying is, with a total destruction, their fleet, their army, everything was destroyed, and few out of many returned home.
Such were the events in Sicily.
(Quote from: History of the Peloponnesian War, translation by Richard Crawley, 1903).
 

This pylon which is now isolated once held the vault of a cave, which was destroyed by earthquakes over the centuries.	This enormous cavity in the Quarries of the Capuchins of Syracuse was completely excavated from human activity.

 

In addition to caves created by excavation and the pylons and gorges remaining from the collapsed caves, the site has paths immersed in vegetation, and an immense, impressive, open-air cavity, the edges of which peep out of the construction above, as though hovering over the void, while aerial roots of ficus run around the walls.
During the summer, in such an area used as an open-air theater, a program of theater, music and dance presentations called "Latomia Arte” is organized every year (one can ask for the program at the reception desk of the Algilà Ortigia Charme Hotel).

How to reach the Quarries of the Capuchins from the Algilà Ortigia Charme Hotel.
The Quarries of the Capuchins are located at the extreme northeast of ancient Syracuse. Given the distance from Ortigia, a visit on foot is not recommended (although it is possible if desired) especially for those who have limited time available for sightseeing.
By car one can reach the site along the Riviera Dionisio il Grande (the road that runs along the sea), which leads right to Piazzale Cappuccini.
Those who do not have their own transportation (car or bicycle) can call a taxi at the reception desk at a special rate.
Alternatively it is possible to take a bus.

Visitor Information.
After a "restoration" that lasted 30 years, during which they were closed to the public, the Quarries of the Capuchins in Syracuse are now open thanks to the efforts of the association "Italia Nostra" of Syracuse, Monday through Friday, 9: 30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (ticket: € 2).
For information: tel. / fax (++39) 0931/411394, or 333.6456499; email siracusa@italianostra.org.
 

Over the centuries, corrosion and collapse helped to shape the rocks of the Syracusan quarries into fantastic and capricious shapes.

The structure of the site, dug many meters below the surface level, is characterized by steps and relatively steep stretches, which unfortunately do not allow visits to people with mobility problems.

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