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Ortygia also known as Città Vecchia (Old City), contains many historical landmarks. The name originates from the Ancient Greek ortyx , which means "Quail".
Ortygia is located at the eastern end of Syracuse and is separated from it by a narrow channel. Two bridges connect the island to mainland Sicily. The island is an extremely popular place for tourism, shopping, entertainment and also a residential area.

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http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-00a0-81bc-44d9?ytv2=1 - Created at TripWow by TravelPod Attractions (a TripAdvisor™ company) Ortygia Syracuse This offshore island was occupied by the Greek colonists who fortified it and constructed the earliest structures, including the temples of Athena and Apollo, whose remains can still be seen today. Read more at: http://www.travelpod.com/ad/Ortygia-Syracuse Travel blogs from Ortygia: - "...

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The Cathedral of Syracuse stands on the elevated part of the island of Ortigia, on the ancient foundations of a temple in Doric style, dedicated to the goddess Athena by the Greeks-siceliots, in the fifth century BC.
Symbol of the city, the religious building became part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2005, together with the Necropolis of Pantalica, so great is its wealth, cultural and architectural.
In addition to the foundations of Greek origin, it is worth mentioning the façade, a typical example of baroque and rococo, as well as the medieval interiors of Byzantine origin. The Sanctuary is also important also at the religious level; in fact it preserves several relics, statues and remains of Saints and nobles who inhabited the city.

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DIONYSUS is the god of the grape harvest, theatre and religious ecstasy in ancient Greek religion and myth. His worship became firmly established in the seventh century BC. He may have been  worshipped as early as c. 1500-1100 by Mycenean Greeks. Some legends say that Hera also drove Dionysus insane. Thereafter, Dionysus wandered the world accompanied by his teacher, Silenus, bands ofsatyrs,and his women followers, who were known as maenads. When Dionysus traveled to Egypt, he introduced the cultivation of grapes and the art of winemaking. When he went to Libya, he established anoraclein the desert.

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The Ear of Dionysius is a

limestone cave carved out of the Temenites hill in the city of Syracuse, on the island of Sicily in Italy. Its name comes from its similarity in shape to the human ear..The name of the cave was coined in 1586 by the painter Caravaggio. It refers to the tyrant Dionysius I of Syracuse. According to legend, Dionysius used the cave as a prison for political dissidents, and by means of the perfect acoustics eavesdropped on the plans. The visitors of the cave can however still hear the echo while they are in the Ear of Dionysius.

Because of its reputation for acoustic flawlessness, the Ear of Dionysius has also come to refer to a type of ear trumpet that has a flexible tube.
There is a strong possibility that this feature is actually of natural origin. It lies on the down slope side of a substantial. The highly polished sides also suggest that the phenomenon was created by water. Such a natural feature, especially given its acoustics, would have been valued in the ancient world for its supposed sacred properties and this could have led to its preservation. The building of the extensive necropolis that abuts it on the hillside above involved removing a huge amount of the original overlaying rock, it is also possible that this 'canyon' extended even further before men began quarrying there.

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This modern museum contains one of Sicily's largest and most interesting archaeological collections. Allow plenty of time to investigate the four sectors charting the area's prehistory, as well as Syracuse's development from foundation to the late Roman period.
The museum contains artefacts from the prehistoric, Greek and Roman periods found in archaeological excavations in the city and other sites in Sicily.
The space is divided into four sectors (A – D) and a central space (Area 1) which is dedicated to the history of the museum and briefly overviews the material displayed in the individual sectors.
The sectors:
•Sector A, dedicated to the prehistoric,
•sector B, dedicated to the Greek,
•in sector C there are finds from the colonies of Syracuse: Akrai, Kasmenai, Camarina, Eloro,
•Sector D contains finds from the Hellenistic and Roman periods.

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The archaeological site, situated in the northwest of the town, is home to a big number of well-preserved Greek remains.The main attraction isthe Greek Theatre, that dates back at least until the 5th Century BC. Its cavea is the largest ever built: en fact its 59 rows could accommodate up to 15,000 spectators. The theatre is still used for an annual Greek theatre festival.

The Roman Amphitheatre, built in the 3rd Century AD, is also very impressive: 140m long, it is one of the largest to be found anywhere. originally it was used for gladiatorial combats and horse races. In the centre is rectangular hole that is thought to have had one of two purposes: a space for scenic machinery or a drain for the blood.

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For the classicists, Syracuse’s real attraction is NEAPOLIS ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK. Hewn out of the rocky hillside, this 16000 capacity amphitheatre staged the last tragedies of Aeschylus. In late spring it’s brought to life with an annual season of classical theatre. Beside the theatre is the mysterious Latomia del Paradiso, a deep, precipitous limestone quarry out of which stone for the ancient city was extracted. Riddled with catacombs and filled with citrus and magnolia trees, it’s also where the 7000 survivors of the war between Syracuse and Athens in 413 B.C. were imprisoned. Back outside this area you’ll find the entrance to the 2nd-century Anfiteatro Romano, originally used for gladiatorial combats and horse races. The Spaniards, little interested in archeology, using it as quarry to build Ortygia’s city walls. West of the amphitheatre is a monolithic sacrificial altar to Heron II. To rich we can use the transport from Molo Sant’Antonio, on the west side of the main bridge into Ortygia or walking for 30 minutes or by car.

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In the modern day, the city is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site along with the Necropolis of Pantalica.

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Syracuse is was foundend in 734/733 BC by Greek settlers from Corinth and Tenea and became a very powerful city-state. At the height of its economic, political and military powers, the city was "the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all".

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Syracuse (or Siracusa) was the most important city of Magna Graecia. The city is notable for its rich Greek history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture, and as the birthplace of the mathematician and engineer Archimedes.