The Temple of Apollo (Tempio di Apollo) is the first ancient monument most people see in Ortigia: a sunken rectangle of weathered stone in Largo XXV Luglio, just across the bridges from the mainland. Built in the early 6th century BC, it is thought to be the oldest Doric temple in Sicily. And someone made sure he would be remembered: an inscription carved into its steps names a man called Kleomenes.
The Temple of Apollo at a glance
- Where: Largo XXV Luglio, at the northern entrance to Ortigia, the island that forms the old town of Syracuse, a short walk from the bridges.
- Built: early 6th century BC, little more than a century after Greek settlers from Corinth founded Syracuse in 733 BC.
- What it is today: an excavated archaeological site in the middle of a busy square. You can't go down into it, but you can see everything from the railing around it.
- Time needed: 10–15 minutes.
Temple, church, mosque, barracks
The temple was a Doric peripteral building, with 6 columns across each front and 17 along each side, all roughly 8 metres tall. The columns stand unusually close together, which is often explained by the builders' caution: Doric architecture in stone was still new, and they were not yet sure how much weight it could carry. The roof was covered with painted terracotta, and pieces of that decoration are now in the Paolo Orsi Archaeological Museum.
Its later life is a summary of Sicilian history. The temple became a Byzantine church, then a mosque under Arab rule, then a church again under the Normans. Under the Spanish it was partly demolished and built into a barracks, and later houses grew over it, until the temple practically disappeared. Remains were noticed inside the barracks around 1860, and between 1938 and 1942 the later buildings were cleared away and the site was excavated, leaving the ruin you see today.
What to look for
- The corner where two columns still stand to a good height, with a fragment of architrave: the best place to imagine how massive the temple once looked.
- The stumps of the other columns along the sides: compare their thickness with the narrow gaps between them.
- The long stretch of stone wall that survives on one side.
- The stylobate, the stepped stone platform on which the columns stand, where the Kleomenes inscription is carved.
- The setting: the temple sits below today's street level, which shows how much the ground has risen since antiquity.
Who was Kleomenes?
The inscription on the stylobate is written in archaic Greek letters. One common translation reads 'Kleomenes, son of Knidieides, made it for Apollo', but the archaic letters are hard to read and scholars still debate the exact text. Nobody knows for sure who Kleomenes was: the architect, the man who paid for the temple, or possibly a ruler of Syracuse. Either way, it is a rare case of a Greek temple that still carries the name of the person behind it. The inscription is difficult to make out from the railing, so don't worry if you can't spot it.
Tips for your visit
- Walk the whole way round the railing: each side shows a different part of the ruin, and the corner with the standing columns is best seen from close up.
- Come in the morning and combine it with the Ortigia market, a few steps away, when the stalls are at their liveliest.
- Use the temple as your starting point for Ortigia: from here, Corso Matteotti leads straight towards Piazza Archimede and the cathedral.
Nearby
- Statue of Archimedes: the bronze statue by Pietro Marchese between the two bridges at the entrance to Ortigia, showing Archimedes holding a mirror and looking out to sea; its base reproduces his Stomachion puzzle.
- Ortigia Market: the street market just east of the temple, with fish, fruit, cheese and street food stalls.
- Fountain of Diana: the early 20th-century fountain by Giulio Moschetti in the middle of Piazza Archimede, about 5 minutes' walk south.
- Syracuse Cathedral: the church built into the Temple of Athena, about 10 minutes' walk south, where you can see Doric columns still standing inside the walls.
See Syracuse with World City Trail
Our Syracuse scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 36 minutes of walking. It takes you through Ortigia and includes the Archimedes monument just by the bridges, the Foro Siracusano and the church of San Tommaso al Pantheon.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Syracuse.
Play the Syracuse scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Syracuse →
Play the outdoor escape game in Syracuse →
Facts checked in October 2026.