Agrigento - Day three and four

 From Ragusa we traveled to Agrigento, which is the city near the famous Valley of the Temples.

We followed the Google maps through some very beautiful and rural areas of Sicily, and arrived near Agrigento around noon.  The route we took led us next to the temple valley, and even from a distance they were a sight to behold.

Agrigento

Agrigento is a very old city, originally set up by Greek refugees in the 6th century BCE.  Like a lot of Sicilian cities, it occupies a steep hill overlooking a valley which flows down to the Mediterranean.  

The valley of the temples is about a mile across, and features some of the most exquisite and intact (if somewhat reconstructed) temples from the Greek era of Sicily, mostly from approximately 6th century to 4th century BCE.  The temples are visible from many different locations in and around Agrigento and were likely large enough and prominent enough to be visible from the sea.

Our first day

Since we arrived at mid-day, our accommodations weren't quite ready for us, so we ate a quick lunch at a cafe near our B&B (La Panetteria Rosticceria).  The food was great (good arancini, breads and pizzas) and the guys there were helpful.  From there we drove down to the museum (Pietro Griffo) dedicated to the area.  We did not do this intentionally, but I'd recommend it now that we've done it, that is, going to the museum before going to the temples.  The museum has a lot of the context and history that will be helpful as you look at the temples and is definitely worth a visit.  And, as with many locations in Sicily, the grounds have Greek and probably Roman ruins as well.  They will sell you a ticket to enter the museum and the temple valley, and you don't have to do them both on the same day.

One of the many artefacts found in the Valley of the Temples

A telemon - part of the columns that held up the Temple of Zeus

We stayed at a small B&B just north of the valley of the temples called Panoramica dei Templi.  From the outside, it does not look promising.  It is on a relatively busy street, where restaurants are on the first floor.  But the B&B sits on the third floor and is relatively small, about 10 rooms, well appointed.  We were fortunate enough to be assigned a room with a view - we could look out our window at the temple of Concordia. 

The view from our room - zoomed in a bit!

 The B&B provided a good room, a good breakfast, and the owner provided us with a lot of good information about Agrigento.  The benefits of this B&B are many:

• It is clean, comfortable and well-appointed, with a good breakfast
• It is walking distance to both the museum, the valley of the temples and (slightly longer and uphill) downtown Agrigento
• On the street just below the B&B there are several excellent restaurants

For dinner, we looked at several of the nearby restaurants and decided to try the restaurant just down the street from our B&B called the Bonamorone.  The setting was very nice; the service good and the food was delicious.  I'd highly recommend this place if you plan to visit the valley of the temples.

Second Day

We got up and had a great breakfast at the B&B, then walked down the street to enter the valley of the temples on the eastern side.  Basically, you are walking along what was a city wall, with the Temple of Juno at the eastern end, the temple of Concordia in the middle and the temple of Zeus Olympian at the western end.  The walk from the B&B was downhill and about 2/3rds of a mile.  

As noted, we saw the Temple of Juno, the temple of Concordia (which is the most complete and somewhat reconstructed temple) and several other temples from the time of the ancient Greeks.  The temple of Zeus is basically a rubble field, but you can see bits and pieces of what must have been an amazing temple, over 300 yards long and potentially 100 feet tall.  These temples, the ruins and the artifacts are worth the time and effort it may take you to get to Agrigento.  This easily parallels the Colosseum in Rome or the Parthenon in Athens.

Template of Juno on the eastern end of the Valley

Concordia Temple

We spent several hours looking at the temples, using Rick Steve's guidebook and some of the signboards as guides as well.

After we finished, we walked uphill about a mile to our B&B, where we ate lunch.

That afternoon, we walked uphill to the center of Agrigento.  Agrigento is a relatively modern town, but like other Sicilian towns it has walking streets and alleyways full of shops and art.  In Agrigento, there is a small piazza with a statue dedicated to the author of the Montalbano books, so we got a photo there.

Per Rick Steves, we stopped in a small bakery and had a local snack.  The best way to describe it would be baklava encased in pistachios.  They were delicious.  

After touring Agrigento, we walked back down to our B&B and had dinner at another restaurant on the same street as our B&B, called Trattoria dei Templi.  This is a Rick Steves suggestion and was another great meal.

Third Day

We got up, had another good breakfast, then drove down to San Leone, the beachfront area of Agrigento to walk around the boardwalk and the beach.  From there, we were off to Piazza Armerina to see the Roman villa, then on to Zafferana.