The Province of Syracuse ( it, provincia di Siracusa; scn, pruvincia di Sarausa) was a

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

in the autonomous island region of

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Its capital was the city of

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

, a town established by Greek colonists arriving from

Corinth Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part o ...

in the 8th century BC. It had an area of and a total population of 403,985 (2016). Syracuse had 8% of the Sicilian population and 8.2% of Sicily's area. Following the suppression of the Sicilian provinces, it was replaced in August 2015 by the Free municipal consortium of Syracuse ( it, Libero consorzio comunale di Siracusa, links=no).

Geography and heritage

The Province of Syracuse lies in the southeastern Sicily, in southwestern Italy. It is bordered to the north and north-west by the

Province of Catania The Province of Catania ( it, Provincia di Catania; scn, Pruvincia di Catania) was a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in southern Italy. Its capital was the city of Catania. It had an area of and a total population of about 1, ...

to the west by the

Province of Ragusa The Province of Ragusa ( it, Provincia di Ragusa; Sicilian: ''Pruvincia 'i Rausa'') was a province in the autonomous region of Sicily in southern Italy, located in the south-east of the island. Following the abolition of the Sicilian provinces, ...

, and to the east and south by the Ionian and Mediterranean seas. It occupies an area of . In 2002, ancient centres of Noto, Palazzolo Acreide and six other towns in the Noto Valley, were awarded

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

status, and is a significant attraction due to its historical, architectural, artistic and archaeological interest. The towns are particularly dense with late Baroque architecture, dates to the immense rebuilding of the towns which took place after the

1693 earthquake The 1693 Sicily earthquake struck parts of southern Italy near Sicily, Calabria, and Malta on January 11 at around 21:00 local time. This earthquake was preceded by a damaging foreshock on January 9. The main quake had an estimated magnitude of 7. ...

which devastated Sicily. The capital of Syracuse is an important road and rail hub of Sicily. The Park of Neapolis on the island of Ortygia is connected by three bridges to the mainland. The island contains the

Maniace Castle The Castello Maniace is a citadel and castle in Syracuse, Sicily, southern Italy. It is situated at the far point of the Ortygia island promontory, where it was constructed between 1232 and 1240 by the Emperor Frederick II. It bears the name o ...

, dated to the

Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynasty ...

period and the Doric Temple of Athena, which was renovated by the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Fran ...

. The Hyblaean Mountains are the dominant mountain range in the province, sloping down to a coastline which contains stretches of white sandy beaches, cliffs, bays, and islets. The coast to the south of Syracuse contains numerous protected areas, such as the Area Marina Protetta del Plemmirio, the Riserva Naturale Orientara Cavagrande between Cassibile and

Avola Avola (; scn, Àvula/, becoming / if preceded by vowel; la, Abola) is a city and in the province of Syracuse, Sicily (southern Italy). History The foundation of the city in an area previously inhabited by the Sicani and invaded by the Si ...

, and the Riserva Naturale Orientata faunistica di Vendicar, north of Pachino. Within the province lies

Lago di Lentini The Lago di Lentini, also called Biviere, is a lake near Lentini in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily, Italy. It is the largest lake on the island. History The origin of the lake is attributed to the Knights Templar between the end of the 12th and ...

, the largest lake in Sicily, and reputedly the largest artificial lake in Europe, which supports a marshland habitat with over 150 different species.

Towns

There are 21 '' comuni'' (or municipalities) in the province. The most populated as of 2005 were:

References

External links

*
Official Province website

{{Authority control

Wine regions of Italy