catacombs of st. john (catacombe di san giovanni)

My husband and I visited the Catacombs without a guide but I think it would have been a much more informative experience with an english speaking guide. That said it was still very interesting and would recommend a visit when in syracuse.

There is a tour about a half hour long that is very informative. It's a worthwhile quick stop in Siracusa. Not the largest catacombs I've been in, and fyi you can't take pictures in the catacombs, but I enjoyed the visit. Would give it 3.5 stars.

We went on a guided tour of these catacombs on a Sunday morning. The Italian guide repeated her information in English. She spoke good English and included the history of the catacombs through various periods of their history. We were surprised at how extensive the catacombs were. The normal entrance fee is €8 but we got a €3 reduction having visited the Duomo the day before.

We visited the catacombs and were part of a small group of tourists. If we had not done some research on our own, we would have not gotten the full understanding of the catacombs. We requested an English speaking guide. We were the only English speaking tourists in our group. The guide explained each part of the catacombs to the Italian speaking tourists first. It was quite a lengthy explanation and then she spoke to us - that took about one minute. We felt like we were not getting the full explanation. We asked questions and the guide did not answer them. I'm not sure if she was well versed or she just did not want to answer our questions. It was an incredible structure and I'm glad we did our homework. The guide was the downfall of our visit.

This is actually a larger site, made of the Church of St. John (San Giovanni) and the catacombs of St. Giovanni. The church itself was built at a later date, sometimes in the Middle Ages. The catacombs are very extensive, and together with the other 2 or 3 similar sites in Siracusa, are the most extensive catacombs remaining from the Roman world, after Rome! There are no photos allowed inside, but one can buy some written materials (books) from the excellent bookstore which also hosts the ticket office. The catacombs are very extensive and full of history. I've seen a crypt with an altar from the times of an early church ... there are also paintings on the walls from those times ... very impressive when one thinks of their age. The church above, or rather its remains are also very beautiful, and an interior courtyard (also very beautiful) is visitable from within the site itself. This place is highly recommended for a visit, due to so much history one can see there.

The tour was very well conducted with an excellent guide. Really interesting to see all these ancient relics. Was well worth being underground on a hot afternoon

I had always wanted to visit "the catacombs" and decided to take an hour and stop at the Catacombs of San Giovanni on our way out of Siracusa. These were catacombs that were built in 300's AD to bury the dead. They were not hiding places for the early Christians. the tour in English was very good and informative. Well worth the stop.

visit by tour only, which was very nice and informative and given fairly frequently in english, luckily for us. Its long history and various types of graves provide insight into early christian practices. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately!) all the bones were removed and reburied during the war when it was used as a shelter.

The visit was a bit of an anti-climax. Having visited the Catacombs in Paris I often made comparisons between the two. You aren't able to explore at your own pace here and there isn't reading material to read. Instead your pay a high fee to be escorted around and told the history in Italian and English. Unfortunately I found the poor commentary costly for a half a hour tour. I would recommend if you are visiting you should bring a cardigan or jumper as it gets colder than expected.

Short and a bit rushed tour of the catacombs was a bit overpriced, but still very interesting to see and gets you out of the steaming heat for a bit. The restrooms are somewhat hidden which you see a small sign at the end of the tour. We got scolded like children trying to backtrack to access them. After paying the fee and our guide clearly posturing for a tip, getting yelled at was neither appreciated nor necessary.

The dead from past centuries were buried in these extensive catacombs. Great well explained tour starting every 30 minutes. Well worth a visit.

Very interesting. Miles of catacombes. The visit is only possible with a guide who takes you to only parts of this subterranean maze but can still give you an idea about all the elements that form the catacombs. Worth the visit.

This tour was fascinating and definitely worth it. We visited after the Parque della Neapolis as it's an easy walk between the two. The catacombs are huge; you only get to see a small area on the guided tour. I would have loved to see more. The friendly guide did the tour in Italian & English and explained details such as how the burial areas were arranged, what types of families would be placed in each one, what kind of decorations they would use. She was very knowledgeable. The tour was about 45 minutes. You are not allowed to take pictures inside, unfortunately, and also there are no longer any bones - just empty graves. Well worth a visit!

Highlight of the 4 days in Syracuse for me - you need to go with the guide (40 mins) and pay the entrance but worth it! Huge network and interesting history well explained by the guide

The tour is given in Italian and English, which is VERY rare in Sicily. Normally, there arent even many signs, and those that are there are in Italian. It was short, but informative. Interesting and close to walk to the Greek theater area.