Casa Lureca, a two-bedroom apartment in Ortigia, Siracusa, Sicily

A Two-Bedroom Apartment in Ortigia's Giudecca, Siracusa

Honey-colored limestone walls, ancient cotto underfoot on the rooftop terrace, 16th-century stone sinks in the bathrooms. These are the foundations that support this storied home, with a Bulthaup kitchen and Carl Hansen furniture bringing German and Danish precision into a building that predates both by several centuries.

The Bulthaup kitchen and dining table, dressed with Carl Hansen chairs, occupies the center of the living space. Both bedrooms open onto private balconies above the narrow historic street below. Bathrooms carry full brass fittings, 16th-century stone sinks, and shower seats carved from 300-year-old Sicilian marble.

The rooftop terrace, laid with ancient cotto tiles, is the home's principal outdoor room. It sits above the Giudecca roofline with open views over Ortigia, and is large enough for a breakfast table and shade umbrella. Each bedroom also has its own private balcony overlooking Via Del Crocifisso.

What we love

We love slow mornings. A swim at Spiaggia Diana just 300 steps from the front door, then back to make a mokka in the Bulthaup kitchen, carry it up to the cotto terrace, and watch the Giudecca come to life below. Inside, Carl Hansen chairs against 300-year-old marble and honey-colored stone walls: Scandinavian restraint inside a Sicilian palazzo, somehow it not just works, it creates a unique atmosphere.

Layout

This apartment for rent in Ortigia, Siracusa, sleeps up to six guests in two bedrooms on the upper floors of a historic palazzo in the Giudecca. Both bedrooms have a king bed and a Carl Hansen day bed that converts to a single, sleeping up to three each. One bathroom is en suite. The second serves the other bedroom. A shared rooftop terrace sits above the main living level.

- Bedroom 1 — King + single (day bed), en suite, private balcony

- Bedroom 2 — King + single (day bed), private balcony

Experiences

The hosts provide personal dining recommendations, cultural itineraries, and local guidance specific to the Giudecca and wider Ortigia, including quiet corners and opening hours not found in standard travel guides.

Good to know

Ortigia is a pedestrianized island, and the nearest parking is on the mainland side of the bridge. No car is needed once you arrive. Spiaggia Diana and Cala Rossa are accessible on foot, 300 steps away.

Amenities & services

Bulthaup kitchen, Carl Hansen dining furniture, private rooftop terrace, two private balconies, personal host guidance and local recommendations

Around

Ortigia's Giudecca quarter rewards slow walking. Piazza Duomo, the cathedral built around a 5th-century BCE Greek temple to Athena, is 10 minutes on foot. The Ortigia morning market, one of the best in Sicily, runs along the port side. Fonte Aretusa, a freshwater spring with papyrus growing at the sea's edge, is close by. At the island's southern tip, Castello Maniace frames the harbor. Osteria da Mariano serves traditional Syracusan dishes that change with what came in from the market that morning. For Modica chocolate gelato and cassata, Gelateria Biancamano. No car is needed; the entire island is walkable.