Travels in Italy--Agrigento (Part 2 of 2)

Our visit to Agrigento continues.

The primary reason to visit Agrigento is not brioche con gelato.  Instead, the Valley of Temples is why travelers visit Agrigento. 

Located between the town and the sea is a small valley where the Greek inhabitants built many temples to worship their gods.  Some temples are in ruins, while one is in very good condition.  

Below is an aerial view of Agrigento.  The modern town is located on a ridge in the upper part of the photo, while the Valley of Temples is green area in the lower part. Another photo below identifies the many temples located in the valley. 

We already learned a bit about ancient Greek temples while visiting Segesta.  We learned even more visiting the Valley of Temples in Agrigento. 

Temple of Hercules:  The temple is believed to be the oldest one in the valley, built during the 500's B.C., but some believe it might have been built during the 400's.  Regardless, the once magnificent temple is in ruins.  The columns in the photo were reconstructed with the original stones during the 1900's.

Temple of Hera or Juno (Giunone):  The temple, built around 450 B.C., is dedicated to the worship of Hera, the Greek goddess of women and marriage.  The temple was destroyed over time, with its stone carted away for use in other buildings nearby. (Why quarry new stones when there are perfectly good stones nearby?) The temple has been partially restored using the original stones that were not hauled away.

Temple of Concordia:  The temple of Concordia was built 440-430 B.C. and is very well preserved.  Some say the temple is the among best preserved Greek temples anywhere.  The reason for its excellent state of preservation is its almost continuous use over the centuries--first by the Greeks, then by the Romans and, following the decline of the Roman Empire, by Christians who transformed the temple into a church in the 500's A.D.  The outer columns were filled in and became a solid wall, while the walled inner sanctum of the temple became a nave with arches cut into the walls.  It remained a church until 1700's when the Spanish rulers of Sicily decided it should be restored to its original state.    

Exploring the Valley of Temples:  The temples are located in a very large park.  In addition to temples, we saw many other sights.

A road runs the length of the park, providing easy access to everything there is to see.

A natural rock formation that has been carved over the millennia.  Above, an opening provides a view to the sea.

Our guide Pipo explains that ancient people carved tombs into the rocks

More tombs

There is another explanation for the missing heads.  Headless statues may have been carved and then offered for sale.  A buyer would have a head carved in his or her likeness and placed on the statue.

While visiting the Valley of Temples, we saw a lot of flora and even some fauna. 

A very old olive tee growing neat the Temple of Concordia, still growing after hundreds of years

The acanthus flower, which some believe resembles the top of a Corinthian column (photo below).  The legend is a Greek architect saw the flower growing near a child's grave.  To honor the child's memory, the architect sculpted the capital of a column to resemble the flower. 

Example of a Corinthian column from the Roman era (Villa Romana del Casale)

If you adopt a goat, please let us know.

Thanks for visiting Agrigento with us.