We visited the Paolo Orsi in 2011 and were impressed, not merely with the collection, but with Orsi himself, the turn-of-the-century native archaeologist who unearthed and interpreted much of Sicily's past, and especially its more remote past. Not many museum's are named for archaeologists. Not many museums are so indebted to one person.
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Alas, walking from the marina to the museum we passed
this, the "Basilica" Madonna della Lacrime, which now
dominates Syracuse's skyline |
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Syracuse has endured 2,700 years as a city, but this
architectural obscenity (neo-teepee?) may be its greatest
challenge |
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| Fortunately you can look the other way at the blossoming jacarandas |
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We were joined at the museum by several high school classes;
mostly they're on their phones or with each other, barely noticing
what is before them, passing quickly from room to room; same here
as in all the other countries we have visited; except France; oh, in the
foreground are skeletons of (fully-grown) hobbit elephants that once
roamed Sicily |
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The paleolithic stuff is incredible...5th to 6th millennium before
JHC, some of it |
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| Hopefully made someone very happy, 6-8 thousand years ago |
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| Strainer? |
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| Use still unkown |
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Door slab; not hard to figure out; but what was it a door to?
Sex education classroom? |
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| Alas, the Orsi has some roofing leakage problems... |
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| More odd and poorly understood vessels |
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| Arrival of bronze age, iron age |
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| Some beautiful Greek stuff, of course |
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| Gorgon fragment |
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| Votive offering casts |
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| Great educational displays; in English too |
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| Google Earth view of Syracuse, Ortigia pretty clearly in view |
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| Very well preserved Christian sarcophagus |
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| Writing on the lines now |
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| Lamps for Syracuse's extensive catacombs |
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Nice Anne Boleyn sculpture; 2nd century copy of Greek
4th century bronze; wait, no... |
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| Hobbit-sized satyr/telamon |
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| Toga! Toga! |
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| More sculpture, sarcophagi, on the beautiful grounds |
