Siracusa beyond the Neapolis: museum, tombs, plays

After the Neapolis, Siracusa's second day belongs to the Paolo Orsi archaeological museum, open Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm and closed on Mondays, and to Pantalica, the rock-cut necropolis 40 km away that shares the city's UNESCO listing.

The Paolo Orsi museum, never on a Monday

The Paolo Orsi regional archaeological museum opens Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm and closes every Monday. On weekdays with the ticket office closing at 6:00 pm, and on Sundays and holidays 9:00 am to 1:45 pm.

The most common mistake is planning the Neapolis and the Paolo Orsi for the same Monday. Give the museum a weekday morning, and note that the hours were published for July and can shift with the season.

Palazzo Cappellani, home of the Museo Gabriele Judica, closes on Mondays as well. The museum's ticket price isn't in the data verified for this page.

Pantalica: the other half of the listing

The UNESCO site "Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica" was inscribed in 2005 under criteria ii, iii, iv and vi, and it has two parts: the ancient city, meaning Ortigia and the Neapolis, and the Pantalica plateau, 40 km away.

At Pantalica more than 5,000² tombs are cut into the rock, most of them dating from the 13th to the 7th century BC. That's older than Siracusa itself, which Corinthian colonists founded in 743² BC.

So the listing joins a Greek city to cemeteries that are mostly older than it. Access to the plateau and its paths isn't covered by our verified data, so check locally before you drive out.

Akrai and the Villa del Tellaro

The archaeological park runs two more sites beyond the Neapolis, and the Neapolis ticket doesn't cover everything. Akrai, at Palazzolo Acreide, opens 8:30 am to 7:30 pm with the ticket office closing at 7:00 pm, and the Villa del Tellaro opens 8:30 am to 7:30 pm.

The Castello Eurialo was listed as closed on the regional portal in September 2026, while the Neapolis ticket page still names it among the sites included. Check before you go out of your way for it.

Greek plays in the Greek theatre

The INDA foundation's classical plays in the Greek theatre reached their 61st season in 2026, running from April 13 to June 28 with Alcestis, Antigone, The Persians and the Iliad. Performances begin at 7:00 pm in May and at 7:30 pm in June.

The 62nd season, in 2027, has already announced Trojan Women, Philoctetes, The Birds and Ulisse, l'ultima Odissea. Individual dates weren't out when this page was checked.

The city is at Siracusa, the park at the Neapolis, the plays at INDA in Siracusa, and a week that joins it all at 7 days in eastern Sicily.

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