Alla Giudecca

The staff creates a pleasant atmosphere with friendliness. Spacious, quiet, and comfortable rooms near the sea and Duomo square in a historic palace setting.

We stayed two nights here coming from Cantania , we were driving and when we got to Ortigia the medieval district driving became impossible to reach the hotel by car , the streets were to narrow . We had to park near the waterfront take our luggage to the hotel , then park the car in a overnight car park and walk back to out hotel a half mile away . This building was not originally a hotel but was a home in the 1500’s during the Spanish Inquisition. When the Spanish came the original building housed Jewish baths underground that were built in the 5-6 th century . They sealed off the baths and built above them . The Jews left for Northern Africa and Northern Europe and abandoned Siracusa. The building became abandoned as well until 1986 , when someone bought the building to convert it into a hotel. That is when they found the underground Jewish Baths , unsealed them and now gives tours . Imagine from the 1500’s until 1986 these ancient Jewish Baths were just sitting there under water . They now have a system to drain the water that comes from underground springs so that it doesn’t flood. The place is charming , the rooms are nice size luckily we had a room on the 1st floor. The room floor is uneven and has a small ledge which can really cause injury if you are not careful. The hotel is centrally located in the Medieval section of Siracusa near sights , the water , churches ( the Huge Duomo ) shopping , and many very good restaurants . The front desk closes in the middle of the day for a few hours and so does the underground tour. Friendly staff , when we needed more towels they were very accommodating. Everything is within walking distance even the Archeological sites . The breakfast room is okk the usual continental breakfast but will make omelets and cappuccino. It was satisfying and kept us full until lunch . . The ambience is really nice , we enjoyed our stay here . BUT remember there is NO parking . Street parking which is around on the water side is reserved for residences only . You have no choice but to use the parking garage $15 per 24 hours , which I thought was very reasonable. I would recommend this hotel if you really want to immerse yourself in medieval culture .

TV-no reception; no phone in room and reception unattended from noon onward; bathroom: no holder for shower head & half of light fixture burned out; kitchenette a joke, no kettle, coffee maker, toaster or microwave; many days with no hot H2O; poorly maintained: courtyard dirty & unkempt, dangerous screws sticking out of drawer fronts & shelves, closet door unhinged. Interesting building, but....