Maddalena peninsula

Of great archaeological interest is the visit to the Plemmirio, reachable by a road of about 7 km along Porto Grande. The name derives from the presence in the peninsula, until the nineteenth century, of a church dedicated to Mary Magdalene.

This place, famous in the seventeenth century for the salterns there settle down by Baron Bonanno (now protected), includes a Gallitto Hypogeum and a rock-cut tomb, dating to the III-II century BC. The peninsula gets to the very tip of Capo Murro di Porco – the imagination of sailors equated it to pig snout – where one can often see dolphins.Here are the remains of a circular building, in which we recognize the traces of a mausoleum that the Syracusans erected in honor of their fallen during the war against Athens.

The Peninsula Maddalena of Syracuse, located a few kilometers south of the city, is the southern extension of the bay of Porto Grande of Syracuse and is characterized by the presence of coastal cliffs.

It can be reached by SS115 turning at the junction for Faro Carrozzieri: reached the Guardia di Finanza, continue towards Punta Mole, where you must leave your car and walk along the only path there available. The path goes along a very impressive cliff and, after about three kilometers, it gets to a beautiful inlet of the sea, made of rocky cliffs topped by a deep cave (nearly 300 meters) and known as the Cave of the Pilgrim.

The sea of the Peninsula of Maddalena is emerald in colour, crystal clear and of an extraordinary transparency, with a rocky bottom that makes it even more clear and perfect for snorkeling. The sea around the peninsula is protected by the Marine Protected area of Plemmirio.