ITALY: Ortigia was a Greek Epicentre in Sicily

Ortigia was the original settlement of Ancient Syracuse, founded by Greek colonists in the 8th century BCE. 

 

The island is small at 1 sq km.

At one time the city was one of the most powerful cities in the Greek world.

Over the centuries it became an important center in not only the Greek world, but also the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Norman and Spanish worlds.

Today, traces of these eras are still visible in the architecture and layout of the city.