Syracuse - mopping up

We spent another day in Syracuse picking off a number of other places I wanted to visit, especially the archaeological museum. But first, because it was so close to and  prominent from our apartment we wanted to go to the brutalist catholic Sanctuario della Madonna Delle Lacrime. It was commissioned to house a statue of the Madonna that apparently shed tears for 5 days in the 1950s and lots of miracles happened. (Yeah, right, pull the other one). Anyway, no doubt at great expense they got this wigwam built. It is a very impressive structure, although terrible inside. If you have seen any new catholic buildings the artwork generally looks like it has been sourced from the tackiest of tourist knick-knack shops

The archaeological museum is nearby, also in a modern building

The museum has a very extensive ceramic collection, and its well displayed except that it is all in glass cabinets that reflect a lot of light, artificial light and light from all the windows. Just makes it hard to examine the exhibits. 

Then onto the castle, standing at the end of the Ortygia. Not an awful lot to see indoors, although there was also an impressionist exhibition

The impressionist collection, all I suspect from the one private collection

I persuaded Mike to go to the medieval and modern art gallery, in part just to see the 13th century palace in which it is housed