9/17/11 SATURDAY - ISLAND OF ORTIGIA

We were ready to go out and about again with confidence now that the car issues were no more.  Our plan was to see Ortigia which is a small island just off Syracusa.

CLICK>> TO SEE THE BEAUTY & HISTORY OF ORTIGIA

The open air market was going in full swing.  It was noisy, smelly (in a good and bad way!), flashy and nothing we had ever experienced.  Goods from all over the area to include all kinds of fish, farm products, clothing, flowers, women's accessories, tons of sunglasses *that must be a staple for EVERY flea market all over the world!!*, etc etc etc. 

The vendors were theatrical and flamboyant.  I heard this one vendor from a block away.  He was "promoting" his fish and it was working because his booth was almost empty of goods.  Just as I got there with my camera, he stopped to have a cig and a break.  I started filming and only had to say 'FACEBOOK??' and he was happy to get back on for his 21 seconds of fame. 

There were eateries with tables/chairs on the sidewalk where strollers had to walk around and did without complaint or annoyance.  Some sat without buying anything just happy to be present and taking up space.  We bought our first gelato which is
Italy’s version of ice cream, with three major differences.

 Gelato has significantly less butterfat than ice cream's typical 18 and 26 percent, having less than 10 percent butterfat.  However, less fat does not mean less taste. With the lower butterfat content, gelato is less solidly frozen than ice cream and melts in the mouth faster.Therefore, the customer will taste gelato’s full flavor immediately.


I was also interested in going because Pastor Sue Hamilton Graham had spent July & August preaching the book of Acts at our church, Depue United Church of Christ.  Both Paul and this temple would have been at the same place at the same time!! Hard to believe it still survives 2600 ++ years old!

Chronologies of Paul's life are approximate and debated by scholars. At some point around the year 59 he visited Syracuse where he preached - probably in the place where the paleo-Christian Church of Saint John was built. Whatever was said was expressed in Greek, the vernacular of Roman Sicily (where Latin was a second language). It is possible that a few Jews came to hear Paul talk, as there was a Jewish community at Syracuse. There was no subsequent "Letter of Paul to the Syracusans." However, there is no doubt that it was Paul who brought Christianity to Sicily, even though his stay in Syracuse lasted only three days before he departed for Reggio Calabria, Pozzuoli (near Naples) and then Rome.

The description of this journey is found in Acts of the Apostles, 28:11-13.

The Temple of Apollo (Tempio di Apollo) on the island of Ortygia in Siracusa, is a Greek temple dating from the 6th century BC. This is the oldest known Doric temple in Western Europe. An inscription says that the temple honors Apollo.  Regardless, the temple was turned into a Byzantine church (527- 565) and then the Muslims took over and converted it into a mosque. Later, under Norman rule, it was turned back into a church.