Select date to find best prices
Check Availability
English Version
  • Versione Italiana
  • Deutsch Version
  • Versión Español
  • Version Française
Check Availability
  • Home
  • Rooms
  • Restaurant
  • Syracuse and Surrounding
  • Offers
  • Press
  • Photogallery
  • Location
Syracuse and Surrounding

Residenza Alfeo

Syracuse and Surrounding

Antico Hotel Roma 1880

Syracuse and Surrounding

Algilà Ortigia Charme Hotel

prev-slider next-slider
  • Art and History in Syracuse
    • - Arabic Syracuse

    The Island of Ortigia
    • - The Fonte Aretusa of Syracuse
    • - Judaica. Exploring Jewish Syracuse
      • - Mikva (Ritual Jewish Bath)
    • - The Seaside of Ortigia, in Syracuse
      • - Papyrus Museum of Syracuse
      • - The Maniace Castle
    • - Piazza Archimede (Archimede Square)
      • - The Fountain of Diana
      • - Palazzo Mergulese-Montalto
    • - The Piazza Duomo in Syracuse
      • - Palazzo Senatorio (1633), City Hall
      • - The Artemision of Syracuse
      • - The Duomo (Cathedral of Syracuse / Greek Temple of Athena)
      • - The Archbishop’s Palace
      • - The Hypogeum of Piazza del Duomo in Syracuse
      • - Santa Lucia alla Badia a Siracusa
      • - Palazzo Beneventano dal Bosco
    • - The Galleria Regionale of the Palazzo Bellomo in Syracuse
      • - Church of San Martino
    • - Piazza del Precursore in Syracuse
      • - Casa di Mario Minniti
    • - Santa Maria della Concezione in Syracuse
    • - The Temple of Apollo in Syracuse
    • - Maritime Museum
    • - Shopping in Syracuse
      • - The Ortigia Market

    THE MAINLAND
    • - Euryalus Castle in Syracuse.
    • - The Complex of Saint Lucia.
      • - The Church of Saint Lucia.
      • - Caravaggio, Burial of Saint Lucia.
      • - Catacombs of Saint Lucia in Syracuse.
      • - Chapel of the Tomb of Saint Lucia.
      • - The Tomb of Saint Lucia
    • - "Latomìe": the Ancient Greek Quarries of Syracuse.
      • - L’Orecchio di Dionisio (“The Ear of Dionysius”) in Syracuse.
      • - The Quarries of the Capuchins (Latomie dei Cappuccini) in Syracuse.
    • - The Archaeological Park of Syracuse.
      • - The Roman Amphitheater in Syracuse.
      • - The altar of Hiero II
      • - San Nicolò dei Cordari.
      • - The Greek theatre.
    • - The Archaeological Museum “Paolo Orsi” in Syracuse.
    • - Shrine of the Madonna delle Lacrime (Our Lady of Tears) in Syracuse.
    • - The complex of San Giovanni Evangelista
      • - The Ruins of the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista.
      • - Crypt of San Marziano.
      • - Catacombs of San Giovanni in Syracuse.

    WHAT TO EAT IN SYRACUSE

    With Children in Syracuse
    • - Marine Aquarium
    • - Papyrus Museum in Syracuse
    • - Puppet Lab and Theater in Syracuse
    • - Boat Outing in the Port
    • - Ciane / Anapo Rivers
    • - The Nature Reserve of Vendicari

    Nature and the Sea in Syracuse
    • - Getting around by bike
    • - Fontane Bianche (White Fountains beach)
    • - Ciane / Anapo Rivers
    • - The Nature Reserve of Vendicari
    • - Spiaggia di Calamosche (Calamosche Beach)

    SEASON OF THE GREEK THEATRE IN SYRACUSE

    Surroundings of Syracuse
    • - A Trip to Noto – Sicily's Capital of the Baroque
    • - The Roman Villa of Tellaro (Noto) and its Mosaics

    Tourist Offers
    • - St. Ambrogio and Immacolata Offer
    • - Visit Eastern Sicily Offer
    • - "Visit Syracuse and its Surroundings" Offer
    • - Syracuse and Cinema - "The Sicily of Montalbano and of The Leopard" Offer
    • - Romantic Getaway Offer
    • - "Winter in Sicily is Warm" Offer

    Sports and Recreation in Syracuse
    • - Enjoy yourself and play sports in Syracuse
Open/Close

Ciane / Anapo Rivers

The Ciane and Anapo Rivers of Syracuse.

A single mouth connects two rivers, the Ciane (from a Greek word meaning "blue-green") and the Anapo. For some time it seemed that the first name was ironic, because of the risk that industrialization posed to the survival of these waterways. An excessive consumption of freshwater to meet the needs of industry had, in fact, caused them to refill with sea water, making the rivers brackish.

This can be particularly disastrous for the very element for which this river complex is famous: its papyrus vegetation, unique in all of Western Europe. According to recent study of DNA performed at Syracuse’s Papyrus Museum, this papyrus, a plant common to North Africa, was imported during the late Greek age, and now it represents the only place in Europe where it flourished as a wild plant.
This river plant was valuable because working its pith produced the ancient equivalent of paper, the very papyrus from which the word "paper" in many European languages (paper, papel, papier...) derives its name.

An erudite Syracusan managed, in the 18th century, to rediscover the secret of "papyrus" production, which has continued since then in Syracuse both for scholarship and for the production of souvenirs. The Syracusan practitioners reached such a level of competence that the Papyrus Museum of Syracuse is entrusted with the restoration of precious and fragile ancient Egyptian papyri.

In the 19th century, a visit to the papyrus plants was considered a must for every tourist, equivalent in importance to the Greek and Roman monuments, the Quarries, or the Duomo.  Tourists drifted in rowboats between plants as high as six meters, which rose, and continue to rise, directly from the water, enjoying "North African" nature within the Sicilian landscape.

All of this seriously threatened to disappear. First, during the reclamation of the late 19th century (during which they drained the "marshes" in which the double river tended to mire), they eliminated almost all reservoirs of slowly running water that the papyrus prefers, leaving in their place a faster moving stream in which river reeds thrive better. Then, especially after the war, the rise of salt water, as stated previously, seemed to provide the final blow.  The patches of papyrus were yellowing and emaciated and seemed destined to disappear.

Fortunately, the worst has been averted in extremis (also thanks to the citizens of Syracuse and the associations that long fought to save the area) both by the establishment in 1984 of the "Ciane River Nature Reserve - Saline di Siracusa" and because the excessive salinity of the water. This high salt content rendered the water unfit even for industries, so willingly or not,  they were forced to stop pumping it.
Today tourists can travel by boat along these rivers in which the papyrus plants have recovered splendidly, so much so that a section of the river appears as a “tunnel” of papyrus foliage, a truly unique setting to behold in Europe.

 

The Anapo river in the 19th century.    Photo by Giorgio Sommer (1834-1914)

Ciane / Anapo Rivers

How to reach the Ciane and Anapo rivers from the Algilà Ortigia Charme Hotel and the Antico Hotel Roma 1880.    

To reach the Ciane and Anapo rivers one must cross the gulf that constitutes one side of the island of Ortigia. This can be done either by sea or by land.  

  • To go by sea, cross the port of Syracuse, using the private boat service (reservation required), which makes the crossing and then travels up the rivers. The reception desk at the Algilà Ortigia Charme Hotel and at the Antico Hotel Roma 1880 is pleased to provide information on the schedules and boat landings (which depart a few hundred meters from the hotel itself).  

    During the summer, one can also rent a boat. Ask at the reception desk for additional information.
 
  • By car or bike one needs to travel the Siracusa-Canicattini Bagni motorway, and then follow the signs.  

    In the vicinity of the intersection between the road and the river one finds the boarding area for the tourist boats that travel along the river; it is strongly recommended to book the trip in advance, especially during the high season, to avoid the risk of finding no small boats available.  It is possible to obtain at the reception desk of the Hotel the phone numbers of some of the companies engaged in this service.

Visitor Information 
Access to the area is free.

  • Facebook
  • Google+
Terms and conditions - Privacy - Credits
Algilà Ortigia Charme Hotel ****S

Via Vittorio Veneto, 93
I-96100 Siracusa, Italy
Phone +39 0931 465186
E-mail algila@algila.it

Antico Hotel Roma 1880 ****

Via Roma, 66
I-96100 Siracusa, Italy
Phone +39 0931 465630
E-mail ahr@algila.it

Residenza Alfeo

Lungomare Alfeo, 17
96100 Siracusa, Italy
Phone +39 0931 465630
E-mail alfeo@algila.it

4 STAR HOTELS SICILY 

Our web services are cookie-based. You accept our policy by visiting our pages. Information