Castello Eurialo, Siracusa

The construction of the Eurialo Castle (from the Greek euryelos: broad-based nail) is due to the military genius of Dionysius. After the war events that saw Syracuse besieged by the Athenians (415 – 413 BC) and that showed the weakness of that defensive sector, in the years between 402 and 397 the tyrant enclosed the city within a circle of walls 27 kilometers long that had the castle as its advanced point inland. It was an undertaking that ancient historians handed down to us with a tone of admiration; in any case, we are dealing with a truly cyclopean work (15,000 sqm) for those times.

After the Roman conquest of the city (212 BC) the large military complex of Eurialo was modified several times, until the Byzantine age when part of it was rebuilt using spolia from other ruined parts.

The keep was preceded by three large moats: the second and third are visible; the first is buried and was at the level of the current ticket office entrance.

The well-squared blocks visible inside the second moat belong to the perimeter structures.

From the third moat, which was at the foot of the keep, a network of galleries and tunnels branched out. Also in this third moat, there was a ravelin connected to the castle by a drawbridge.

The keep was protected in the Greek era by a triangular spur (of which collapsed remains remain) later replaced by five towers that reached a height of 15 meters; it is likely that catapults were housed at their tops.

From the plateau, it is still possible to see the northern section of the walls where a wicket gate (clamp work) opened.