# Siracusa beyond the Neapolis: museum, tombs, plays

> Siracusa's Paolo Orsi museum closes on Mondays. Pantalica, 40 km away, holds over 5,000 rock tombs, and the INDA plays return in 2027.

URL: https://myitalia.it/towns/siracusa/things-to-do
Last updated: 2026-09-11

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 5,000 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 743 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](/towns/siracusa), the park at [the Neapolis](/attractions/neapolis-siracusa), the plays at [INDA in Siracusa](/events/inda-siracusa), and a week that joins it all at [7 days in eastern Sicily](/itineraries/7-days-eastern-sicily).

## FAQ

### Is the Paolo Orsi museum open on Mondays?

No. The Paolo Orsi regional archaeological museum closes on Mondays and opens Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, with the ticket office shutting at 6:00 pm, and on Sundays and holidays from 9:00 am to 1:45 pm. Nearby Palazzo Cappellani also closes on Mondays.

### How far is Pantalica from Siracusa?

40 km. The Pantalica plateau is the second half of the UNESCO site listed in 2005 together with ancient Siracusa, and it holds more than 5,000 tombs cut into the rock, mostly between the 13th and the 7th century BC.

### What plays are on at the Greek theatre in 2027?

The 62nd INDA season in 2027 has announced Trojan Women, Philoctetes, The Birds and Ulisse, l'ultima Odissea. Exact dates weren't published when this page was checked; in 2026 the season ran April 13 to June 28, starting at 7:00 pm in May and 7:30 pm in June.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Il Museo archeologico regionale Paolo Orsi di Siracusa e' chiuso il lunedi' e apre da martedi' a sabato 9:00-19:00 (biglietteria fino alle 18:00) e la domenica e i festivi 9:00-13:45; il vicino Palazzo Cappellani, sede del Museo Gabriele Judica, e' anch'esso chiuso il lunedi'. | [Regione Siciliana - Parchi archeologici](https://parchiarcheologici.regione.sicilia.it/siracusa-eloro-villa-tellaro-akrai/orari/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Il sito UNESCO 'Siracusa e le necropoli rupestri di Pantalica' e' iscritto dal 2005 con i criteri ii, iii, iv e vi e comprende due componenti: la citta' antica (Ortigia e l'area archeologica della Neapolis) e l'altopiano di Pantalica, a 40 chilometri, dove sono scavate nella roccia oltre 5.000 tombe databili soprattutto fra il XIII e il VII secolo a.C. | [Ministero della Cultura - Ufficio UNESCO](https://unesco.cultura.gov.it/projects/siracusa-e-le-necropoli-rupestri-di-pantalica/) | medium | 2099-12-31 |
| Il biglietto della Neapolis non copre tutto: il Parco archeologico di Siracusa gestisce anche l'area archeologica di Akrai a Palazzolo Acreide (8:30-19:30, biglietteria fino alle 19:00) e la Villa del Tellaro (8:30-19:30), mentre il Castello Eurialo risulta chiuso (settembre 2026). | [Regione Siciliana - Parchi archeologici](https://parchiarcheologici.regione.sicilia.it/siracusa-eloro-villa-tellaro-akrai/orari/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Le rappresentazioni classiche al Teatro Greco di Siracusa, organizzate dalla Fondazione INDA, sono arrivate nel 2026 alla 61ª stagione, andata in scena dal 13 aprile al 28 giugno con Alcesti di Euripide, Antigone di Sofocle, I Persiani di Eschilo e l'Iliade; la 62ª stagione 2027 e' gia' annunciata con Troiane, Filottete, Gli Uccelli e Ulisse, l'ultima Odissea. Gli spettacoli iniziano alle 19:00 a maggio e alle 19:30 a giugno. | [Fondazione INDA](https://www.indafondazione.org/) | medium | 2027-07-31 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/city.siracusa.1600.jpg
Author: Julian Lupyan. License: CC0 (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fountain_of_Diana,_Siracusa.jpg

## Other languages

- it: https://myitalia.it/it/paesi/siracusa/cosa-fare.md
- es: https://myitalia.it/es/pueblos/siracusa/que-hacer.md
- fr: https://myitalia.it/fr/villages/siracusa/que-faire.md
- de: https://myitalia.it/de/orte/siracusa/aktivitaeten.md