Syracuse was once the most important city in the Western world - at its height it was the supreme power in Europe. It was colonised by the Corinthians in 733 BC and gradually grew, being an important trade route, and an alliance with the Greeks at Akragas (Agrigento - see my other article) and Gela, victorious over the Carthiginians in 480 BC. After much assorted history, Syracuse fell to the Romans in in 211 BC, and eventually languished.

Now, since most business has moved elsewhere and political power is located in Palermo, it is ... (more)