Descending a Secret Underground Stairwell Toward Sicily’s Jewish Past

In old-town Syracuse, Sicily, at the corner of Via della Giudecca and Via del Crocefisso — “Ghetto” and “Crucifix” streets, respectively — an all but forgotten past lurks just below the surface. The low-lying Ponte Umbertino welcomes you to Ortigia — the small island that constitutes Syracuse’s historic center — and its cluster of cliched Sicilian beauty. Bored young women peddle boat tours to passing gentry; a huddle of underemployed neck tattoos smokes handrolls under an overgr