Porto Marmoreo ( Porto Piccolo )

Porto Marmoreo, also known as Porto Piccolo, is located in the old port of Syracuse, Southern Italy, Sicily.
east of the small island of Ortigia. In the 6th century B.C. this port was separated from the southern Porto Grande by an artificial isthmus to connect the island of Ortigia with the opposite promontory of the interior of Acradina.
Porto Marmoreo (Porto Piccolo) is protected by two breakwaters and has a total of 640 moorings for boats up to 20 meters. The maximum depth inside the harbor is 3 meters. The harbor moorings are operated by five different private marinas offering mooring services for boats in transit.

Porto Piccolo has several marinas:

– Santa Lucia Free Wharf, 30 berths (small tonnage);
– S. Lucia floating piers for 130 berths with various types of services;
– Wooden piers of the Italian Marine League for pleasure boats, 300 piers of various purposes;
– Wooden piers of the sailing club Circolo Velico for pleasure boats, 150 berths for different purposes;
– Floating pontoons for sailing boats Aretusa Sailing Club, 30 low-tonnage berths (seasonally);
– Lakkios Yacht Club can accommodate boats up to 16 meters in length and 3 meters in draft with berth perimeter service (80 meters) and floating pier (50 meters).

Here you can find all basic amenities for your stay, such as water, electricity, weather information, toilets and showers and a gas station at the town pier. The proximity to the city offers additional services to those mooring in Porto Piccolo.

Mooring spots are limited, so we recommend making reservations in advance before visiting the marina

Ortigia

The islet of Ortigia is the oldest part of the city and was the first settlement chosen by the Greeks to establish a colony. Due to its geographical position and the presence of waters and springs, this land was the object of conquest by various dominations that succeeded each other: Greeks, Romans, Aragonese and Arabs, whose history is still told today by magnificent palaces and monuments located in the narrow streets of the island. Since the settlement of the Greeks, Ortygia has been of great political and administrative importance.

What to visit in Ortigia

Stop in the most famous areas of the islet of Ortigia: Bottari, Cannamela, Castello Duomo, Gancia, Giudecca, Graziella, Maestranza and Marina, admire the beauty of this place and take many photos. For example, you can start from the southern part of the island, where Maniache Castle is located. One of the most important monuments of the Swabian period, the castle, built on the orders of Frederick II, was used as a residence and as a building for the defense of the city. The castle was damaged by the 1693 earthquake and other events that changed its original structure; today only one of the four towers at the corners of the castle is visible.

Continuing from the castle of Maniache, heading towards the western part of the island, you will come across the spring of Aretuza. According to legend, the nymph Arethusa was turned into a fountain by the goddess Artemis to protect her from the river god Alpheus, who tried to seduce her. But Alpheus, deciding not to give up, went underground and surfaced in a large harbor with his beloved, and today the fountain is a meeting place for the Syracusans, and papyri grow in its waters.

Take a break in Ortigia

Stop your sailing trip, book a room in one of the authentic hotels of Ortigia Island and spend a couple of days here. But be careful – you may be visited by the thought of leaving everything and moving here to live forever. This happens to almost everyone who visits Ortygia once.

Hotels and Apartments near Porto Marmoreo ( Porto Piccolo )