The hypogeum of Piazza Duomo and the most important hypogeum of Ortigia, which is accessed by a small opening along the wall of the garden of the Archbishop’s Palace. The route was rediscovered in 1869 during work in the area of the square between the Archbishop’s Palace and the Church di Santa Lucia alla Badia.
The Hypogeum is composed of a long main gallery, which connects Piazza Duomo with the Marina, and a series of smaller galleries, one of which joins the large cistern of the Archbishop’s Palace built by Bishop Paolo Faraone (1619-1629).
The last stage of the transformation of this hypogeum dates back to the Second World War when it was expanded to be used as an air-raid shelter. The U.M.P.A. Citizen’s Committee (Military Union for Anti-Aircraft Protection) set up collection points for the civilian population in the event of an attack. For the occasion, in the impending war, numerous teams of excavators were used with the task of expanding the route already marked by the pre-existence of an ancient quarry, the latter mentioned in local chronicles of the eighteenth century as latomy from which the stone used for the construction of the facade of the cathedral was removed. A room was also excavated where the silver simulacrum and the treasure of Saint Lucia, hidden since December 1942, could be kept in zinc crates. Access for the population to the wall of the archiepiscopal garden was arranged with a further entrance to the galleries in the ancient wall of the Navy.
At the end of the war, the anti-aircraft shelter was decommissioned. The Hypogeum was opened in 2006 and, following a further period of closure, on July 16, 2014 it was reopened to the public with new exhibitions curated by the CNR. The route, dedicated to the civilian victims of the Anglo-American bombing of Syracuse on 19 July 1943, allows the visitor to experience the various transformations of the complex through a series of explanatory panels with thematic plans and period images taken in the refuge during the war.
OPENING HOURS AND PRICES
Location: Piazza Duomo, 14 – Isola di Ortigia – Siracusa
Contacts.: +39 349 4273064
Entry ticket: Adults € 5,00 – Children up to 11 years old free entry
Guided tours included in the entry ticket at 11.00 a.m. – 12.00 noon – 1.00 p.m.
OPENING HOURS: Every day from 10.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m.
