Citadel of the Maccari
The site of Cittadella is located on a small rocky promontory located between the Roveto quagmire to the north, the Sichilli quagmire to the southwest and a low sandy coast that separates it from the sea to the east. The news on the site dates back to the mid-sixteenth century by Fazello and to the end of the eighteenth century by Houel. The Fazello describes the remains of numerous buildings (public and private), the church of the Trigona, dedicated to the Savior, the remains of another church and finally the remains of structures that he assumes to be thermal baths. The Houel also describes the Trigona, which chronologically places in the late empire, later used as a church. Currently the Trigona is incorporated within a rural farmhouse (Masseria Geraci) and shows the signs of a sheepfold use. Around and in the vicinity of the Trigona there are numerous burials in catacombs and aedicule tombs. The burials are mostly pits
terragne with E / W orientation and rarely N / S; the catacombs, four in number, consist of a central corridor flanked by polysomal arcosoles; the aedicule tombs, typical of Syria and widespread in the Mediterranean area, have the shape of houses covered by a barrel vault with a
very low entry; inside they kept two or three burials. Both the catacombs and the aedicule tombs represent the typical noble burial ground while the earth pits were mostly the burial of the poor people. Closer to the sea, the numerous ceramic remains, the multiple piles of stones mixed with loose tiles and the remains of rough stone structures, attest to the presence of a village connected to the nearby port area. In fact, in the eastern quagmire, you can see the remains of at least four port docks about 50 meters long. The connection of the quagmire with the open sea was obtained by means of a channel which is now silted up. The importance of the village and its economy is certainly to be connected to the port activity which must have been very intense due to the convergence of the North African and Aegean-Eastern trade routes, attested by archaeological evidence up to at least the seventh century. The village must therefore have been the center for the collection and marketing of products from the hinterland centers and the southern coastal stretch. Its development and well-being is further attested by its four churches, of which it speaks
the Orsi in its reconnaissance, and of which now only the Trigona remains. As far as ceramic materials are concerned, we point out: fragments of large African cylindrical amphorae, fragments of Aegean and Palestinian amphorae and numerous fragments of African Sigillata. Finally yes
indicates the consistent presence of a vast road system located in the immediate hinterland of the current coastline. The road sections that have survived to this day are characterized by grooves carved into the soft limestone bank.
This dense system of terrestrial traffic is probably to be referred to the period of undoubted flowering that from the fourth century. AD onwards it characterized the entire coastal strip south of Eloro thanks to its inclusion in a vast system of trans-Mediterranean relations.
Area of archaeological interest, art. 142 letter m) Legislative Decree 42/04
(Text source: survey form no.72 Landscape Plan of the Province of Syracuse - Archaeological Heritage)
Archaeological Heritage Sheets Landscape Plan of Syracuse
PRESS: Well cataloged but partially geolocated. We invite you to provide your contribution by providing us with useful information that will allow us to geo-locate the listed asset. See also "Cultural Heritage to be Geolocated"
Card insertion: Ignazio Caloggero
Information contributions: Ignazio Caloggero Web,
Note: The populating of the files of the Heritage database proceeds in incremental phases: cataloging, georeferencing, insertion of information and images. The cultural property in question has been cataloged, georeferenced and the first information entered. In order to enrich the information content, further contributions are welcome, if you wish you can contribute through our area "Your Contributions"
