The Parco Archeologico lies north of the modern city, but the walk here from Ortygia si dull, so plan to take a cab or bus No. 1 from Ortygia’s Piazza della Posta. The park extends over a new area of the ancient city, built as a predominantly recreational zone in the third century BC, well after the settlement of Ortygia and its hinterland.

The entrance is marked by a small visitor centre and a sprawl of souvenir stands. Beyond these on the left lies the site’s first major ruin, the Ara di lerone II, created as a vast sacrificial altar where up to 350 bulls could be slaughtered in a single day.  Such altars to the gods were common in the Greek world.

Concerts and plays are still regularly performed here in May and June. Performances are also held in the Anfiteatro Romano, the Romans’ own amphitheatre, built in the third century BC to meet an almost insatiable demand for circus and gladiatorial games.