The Joys of Travelling to Ortigia, the Ancient Heart of Sicily

Photographer Dimitri D’ippolito shares his dreamy, sun-drenched images of Syracuse’s local scene and natural wonders.

“This is what I wanted Sicily to be: something to soothe my shattered soul.” These are the words of Anthony Bourdain, and to this day, the words ring true. As the largest Mediterranean island, Sicily is beloved for its local food; and within eastern Sicily is its historical heart – the island of Ortigia.

What can you expect to find there? Seafood, of course, and some of the most flavoursome Italian dishes that serve as a reminder as to why Sicily is known for its food. For those who are searching for a dose of zen, Ortigia Island is one of our top picks; its slow pace and balance of remoteness with a brewing cultural scene creating a revitalising atmosphere that'll leave you feeling full in several ways.

While this island may not crop up frequently in listings for festivals, there's a music scene within it that comes together each year with international talent, forming a cultural hub for experimental electronics. A certain languidness combined with its paradisiacal setting feels capable of ironing out the stressors of modern life. Marry that with the delights of Sicilian arancini and local fare, and you'll understand the irresistable pull of the island. As someone who keeps returning, photographer Dimitri D’ippolito has been lensing the island during his trips there, revisiting its flavours and sounds. Below, we speak to him about why he's continuously drawn to the area.

What does travel signify for you?

I travel in order to be myself, to feel like a flaneur over and over again. To confront myself with dynamics and places that are not part of my everyday life. Seeing and experiencing differences in ways of living, thinking makes me wonder and question myself and my being. I find it particularly difficult to look at my life in an objective way when I’m immersed in it. Travelling gives me the chance to dream unbridled, to hear my thoughts and to inhale the smells and the sounds of a different culture. It is the right soil to plant new seeds that will then grow and mingle with what is already in place or what needs to be replaced in my life.

Ultimately travelling, for me, is a chance and a space to rediscover myself in the differences that I am confronted with. It’s a liquid form of freedom. I say it is liquid because it takes shapes and follows the situations and experiences that I live. Like liquids, they take space following the shapes of the places they are introduced to.

Why did you travel to the island of Ortigia?

My reason for this trip was to work on a project that connects very important elements in my life: food, music, people and culture. The work focuses on the relationship between human beings (the artists, the audience), food and music; how it is impossible to separate one's presence in the area from a culinary culture as strong and ancient as the Sicilian one. I wanted to celebrate and narrate these elements and how they tangle with each other in the stunning Sicilian Baroque frame of Ortigia Island during Ortigia Sound System Festival. Both music and food, in their universal character of intrinsic human needs, contain unequivocal aspects linked to local culture, history and the land. Just as the eclectic music of the festival stems from different experiences, stories and artists with their lived experience, so too does the local cuisine as the result of centuries of influences, travels and dominations.

I’ve been wanting to work on projects about my country for a while. I love and thrive for Mediterranean culture, the light and pace of life. I wanted to celebrate all these elements. Celebrating the pulsing heart of the Southern summer dream.

Was this your first time in Ortigia? What keeps you coming back?

This was my third time in Ortigia. The first time I was a little kid on holiday with my parents – I have very vague memories of that time. I do remember one thing very well: eating a granita (typical Sicilian slush) with brioche for breakfast in the main square in front of the dome of Ortigia. The brioche with granita is probably the most iconic breakfast in Sicily. I was very happy last year to go back to the same place and continue this tradition that started 20 years earlier.

I went black on the island in 2018 with a lovely group of friends for holidays on the occasion of the Ortigia Sound System Festival of that year. I keep going back for four main reasons: the dreamlike features of the Baroque architecture, the stunning seaside and landscapes of the island, the food culture and the incredible vibe and community that Ortigia Sound System Festival brings together.

How would you describe Ortigia to someone who’s never been?

Ortigia is a little jewel of Sicilian Baroque that shines under the warm rays of the Mediterranean sun. Surrounded by the hug of a crystal clear sea, the island shows all its splendour and different influences of colonisation from different cultures: Greeks, Spaniards and Arabs. Ortigia Island is the city centre of Siracusa; the island, in fact, is separated from the mainland by a thin strip of sea and connected by two bridges. If you didn’t know this, you might not even realise that it is an island because of its proximity to the mainland.

The sea continues after centuries to give nourishment, joy, refreshment and stories to the locals and newcomers. Walking through the little narrow streets, submerging yourself between the stalls of the old market, sunbathing and diving off the cliff ("old-fashioned" pontoon, which is one of the emblems of Ortigia Island), visiting historical sites, jumping from an ice cream shop to a pastry shop, to a wine bar to a restaurant and to a food stall are some of the incredible experiences that you can have on Ortigia Island.

What was the best thing you ate on the trip?

The best thing I ate on the trip was pasta with sea urchin. Even if, on a more general note, one of my favourite things remains the granita and brioche breakfast previously mentioned, I wish I could have that every morning (if I lived in in a warm place).

Is there anyone you met on your trip that’s made a lasting impression?

A person I’ve met in the area that made a lasting impression is Pieter. Together with his wife Mariolina, who unfortunately I haven’t met, they run Vivai Cuba just outside Siracusa in Fontane Bianche. Vivai Cuba was founded in the 1960s by the lawyer Antonino Palermo (father of Mariolina). Cuba nurseries are specialised in cacti and succulent species grown from seed up to large specimens. There are over 300 species and varieties. To give the age-old specimens the right location, the “garden of mother plants”, has been recently established within the nursery. It covers some five acres and offers a wonderful “living catalogue” of products for botany enthusiasts and landscape architects. Pieter is also a talented painter, his pieces struck me. We connected immediately, he is a very humble and kind person with a great passion for his work and for the land that allows them to continue their mission. Thanks to their “garden of mother plants” they are also helping to repopulate succulent plants that are extinct in their country of origin. An interesting and unexpected encounter in a magical place just 20 minutes drive from Ortigia Island.