It is among the most incredible places in Italy, the Valley of the Temples of Agrigentoand an archaeological site extraordinarily preserved, a UNESCO heritage site and visited every year by tourists from all over the world. Corresponding toAkragas, the original nucleus of the city of Agrigento, hosts majestic monuments and fascinating treasures. A mix of art, history and nature that makes the Valley of the Temples one of those places that everyone, without exception, should write down in their notebook.
The history of the site
"The most beautiful city among those that are hotels for men”: this is how the Greek poet Pindar defined the ancient Akragas. Founded in 580 BC by settlers from Rhodes and Gela, it stands on a promontory looking towards the sea. The monuments that can be observed here bear witness to how much the city expanded between the middle of the 200th and the end of the 406th century BC (it came to have 210 inhabitants!). Destroyed by the Carthaginians in XNUMX BC and conquered by the Romans in XNUMX BC, Akragas changed the name to agrigentum. But there were not only the Greeks and Romans. Arabs, Berbers, Spaniards, Egyptians, Syrians and Persians also passed through the Valley of the Temples. A mix of cultures, as is typical of the island that hosts it.
What to see in the Valley of the Temples
On the highest spur of the hill of the Temples, the Temple of Juno it is a building of Doric origin seriously damaged by fire and then restored several times. The most beautiful temple, as well as one of the best preserved of Ancient Greece, however, is the Temple of Concord. Why is it so special? Because it retains almost entirely the elements of the entablature and the two eastern and western pediments. And because its perfect conservation is due to its "transformation" into a Christian church.
In the Valley of the Temples there are also the necropolis. On the remains of the stretch of walls that run between the Temple of Juno and the Temple of Concordia there are the so-called acrosoles. The open-air necropolis instead consists of 130 tombs carved into the rock, and the Via dei Sepolcri is today a destination for interesting educational visits. But there are also there Tomb of Nero, la Giambertoni Necropolis with its limestone tombs, the Temple of Ascelpio which can only be visited by reservation. And then the Temple of Hercules, the oldest in Agrigento, the ruins of Temple of Jupiter, Sanctuary of the Chthonic Divinities, entire neighborhoods and ruins of theaters and civil buildings. Because it really feels like you're walking through history when you get here.
How to get to the Valley of the Temples and how much the ticket costs
The archaeological site is currently open from Monday to Friday from 10 to 14 and from 15 to 19. Saturday, Sunday and holidays from 10 to 19. The cost of the visit? 10 € for the Valley of the Temples, 13,50 with access to the “Pietro Griffo” Regional Archaeological Museum (citizens of the European Community between 18 and 25 pay 5 and 7 euros respectively). If you arrive by plane, from the airport of Palermo, Trapani and Catania it is possible to rent a car. Alternatively you can use the bus numbers (lines 1, 2 and 3) which leave from the bus station in piazzale Rosselli and from the central railway station of Agrigento. If you choose the train you have to go down to Agrigento. In auto, from Palermo take the SS121 with exit Agrigento / SS189, follow the signs for Caltanissetta, Canicattì and enter the Caltanissetta - Porto Empedocle towards Porto Empedocle. Arriving at the Giunone roundabout, under the temple of the same name, take the tree-lined avenue up to the Sant'Anna car park.
