Transport yourself back to the 6th century BC and the time of the Ancient Greeks when you visit Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples in Italy.

by Katy Clarke

This incredibly well preserved series of temples and buildings is one of Italy’s most famous archaeological sites and a must visit on your trip to Sicily.

Here you wander in awe of the civilisation that built and lived among the huge monuments and wonder how they stood the test of time.

ANCIENT GREEK RUINS IN SICILY

Almost 2,000 years ago, before the rise of the Roman Empire, Greeks ruled Sicily and left their mark with a series of important cities and sites.

Where Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples are found today was the huge site of Ancient Akragas, a wealthy city of as many as 500,000 people and one of the most important in Ancient Greece.

The city was founded in around 580 BC and prospered until it was conquered and destroyed by the Carthaginians in 406. Over the centuries the area was under Roman, Arab and Norman control, largely due to its strategic position overlooking Porto Empedocle and the Strait of Sicily. All left their mark at Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples shows evidence of all these civilisations.

It wasn’t until the 19th century that the area was rediscovered by archaeologist Domenico Antonio Lo Faso Pietrasanta and restoration work began.

Along with the amphitheatres in Taormina and Syracusa, the Parco Valle dei Templi are some of the most impressive Greek ruins in Sicily, if not the world. The park was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 1997.

MAIN SIGHTS AT THE VALLEY OF THE TEMPLES SICILY

The site at Agrigento is not a valley in fact, but a ridge, sitting 230 metres above sea level. Akragas’ ancient temples stand looking majestically out to sea and the surrounding countryside. They are a formidable sight now, so I can only imagine the awe they inspired in the people that lived in the city when it was built and those that came after.

As you walk through the site, the doric columns of the temples rise before you and you wonder.. how were they ever built and raised? Who were the architects and builders? And what inspired such worship?

TEMPLE OF CONCORDIA – TEMPIO DELLA CONCORDIA

Standing almost as it did when it was first built in around 440BC, the Temple of Concordia is simply an incredible sight. One of the best preserved Greek temples found anywhere in the world, at its highest point the monument is almost 17 metres. Each of the 78 columns measures 6 metres and is decorated with flutes or ridges.

The temple is named after the Roman goddess of harmony.

FALLEN STATUE OF ICARUS

The broken statue of Icarus that lies dramatically near the base of the Temple of Concordia is a modern interpretation of the classical style by Polish artist Igor Mitoraj. Icarus with the broken wing is all that remains of an exhibition of 17 statues by the artist that took place at the Valle dei Templi in 2011.

TEMPLE OF JUNO – TEMPIO DI GIUNONE

This temple celebrates Juno (Hera in Greek) – the protector and special counsellor of the state.

Similar in size to the Temple of Concordia, the Temple of Juno is also an example of the doric style. While Concordia is magnificent in its preserved state, I love the faded beauty of this temple that has stood through the centuries.

TEMPLE OF HERACLES

Thought to be the oldest of the temples due to the style and number of columns, the temple is dedicated to Heracles (Hercules in Latin) the son of Zeus.

TEMPLE OF CASTOR AND POLLUX

In the 19th century, pieces of several monuments were used to build this structure which is now the symbol of modern Agrigento.

GARDEN OF KOLYMBETHRA

What is now a beautiful garden full of citrus and olive trees was once an enormous swimming pool for the Ancient Greek inhabitants of Akragas. Eighteen tunnels fed the pool with water collected from higher ground that had been passed through a complex system of aqueducts.

ROMAN AND EARLY MEDIEVAL NECROPOLIS

Fashioned out of existing cisterns, these burial holes date from the late-Roman and Byzantine eras. There are spectacular views of the coast through some of them.

Source: Untold Morsels