Ipogeo di Piazza Duomo

Ricovero Antiaereo di Piazza Duomo

Useful Information

Location:	Piazza Duomo, 14, Ortigia Island, Syracuse. (37.0588546, 15.2933395)
Open:	JUL Sat, 1st Sun 8:30-13:30. [2024]
Fee:	Adults EUR 2, Children (0-18) free. [2024]
Classification:
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Ipogeo di Piazza Duomo, Piazza Duomo, 7, Piazza Duomo, 14, Ortigia Island, 96100 Syracusa SR, Tel: +39-0931-450-804, Cell: +39-349-4273064. Ipogeo di Piazza Duomo, Comune di Siracusa, Piazza Duomo, 4, Ortigia Island, 96100 Syracusa SR, Tel: +39-0931-4508-111, Tel: +39-0931-4508-204. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1619-1629	large cistern of the Archbishop’s Palace built by Bishop Paolo Faraone.
1869	tunnel rediscovered during work in the area of the square.
1942	tunnels prepared as air raid shelter.
1943	used as an air raid shelter.
2006	opened to the public.
16-JUL-2014	reopened to the public.

Description

Ipogeo di Piazza Duomo (Hypogeum of Dome Square) is a former underground quarry, on Piazza Duomo in Syracuse. Today it is a square in the middle of the island of Ortigia. The Greek, which started the city used the limestone, which is relatively soft and easy to cut, for erecting their buildings. It was used to create underground cisterns, aqueducts, and catacombs during the millennia. The hypogeum on the other hand is quite young, and it has different parts which were connected by a tunnel. None of the parts is a pagan temple though, which would explain the name Subterranea Hypogeum, actually the term is used in Sicily for any underground site which is a little enigmatic.

The site is more or less a straight underground tunnel, partly with a barrel vault, linking the Piazza del Duomo to the Marina walls east-west. Another tunnel runs north-south from the Archbishop’s Palace to the Giardini dell'Arcidiocesi (Gardens of the Archdiocese). And there are small side branches. In the courtyard of the Archbishop’s Palace is a huge cistern which was built by Bishop Paolo Faraone (1619-1629). This cistern was an important infrastructure of the island, as it was the water supply of large parts of the island. So the tunnel is at least partly an aqueduct. Another part is a former quarry, where the stone for the construction of the Syracuse Cathedral (or Syracuse Dome) was extracted. The quarry is not very big, it only provided the stone for the façade, a fact which is mentioned in an 18th-century document.

When the tunnel was actually built is unclear, but it was forgotten for a long time. It was rediscovered during construction work on the square in 1869, one of the side branches was opened accidentally. However, the tunnel was not used for any purpose and soon forgotten.

And the most recent use of the tunnels was as an air raid shelter during World War II. Italy was a Fascist country, part of the so-called Axis powers, with il duce Mussolini as head of state. As a result, the Allied troops fought in Italy, and there were Anglo-American air raids in 1943. For this purpose, the walls were fortified with concrete and concrete benches for the people were added. Also a storage room for the artworks and treasure of the dome was created, where they were stored until the armistice was signed in 1943. The site was abandoned after the war.

THe tunnels were always there, and in a rather well-preserved state. It seems the city remembered their existence and had the idea to open them as a tourist site, which happened in 2006. The tunnels were equipped with a modern light system. An exhibition with photographs from the use as an air raid shelter was created inside. It is dedicated to the civilian victims of the Anglo-American bombing of Syracuse on 19-JUL-1943. The site is also called Ricovero Antiaereo di Piazza Duomo (Dome Square Anti-Aircraft Shelter). After a few years, it was closed for renovations and new exhibitions were curated by the CNR. The site was reopened in 2014.

There are actually two entrances on the piazza. One is located along the perimeter wall of the garden of the Archbishopric.