Next on our agenda was Valley of the Temples (Valle dei Templi). Once we dropped our luggages and took quick shower in B&B Villa Seta (really nice establishment and they grow their own herbs and fruits!) we went to Valley of Temples just a bit before sunset. That way we could see everything in daylight and as well at night and it looks quite different as you will see from the photos.
Agrigento – Valley of Temples
You can see one of the Agrigento temples – Temple of Hera Lacinia (Juno).
Agrigento’s The Valley of the Temples is an archaeological site containing some of the most impressive ancient Greek temple ruins in the world. The site is located on a ridge overlooking the town of Agrigento, and consists of the remains of seven temples dating from the 5th century BC. Two of the most impressive temples are the Temple of Concordia and the Temple of Juno Lacinia. The Valley of the Temples is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Sicily. The site was first inhabited by the Sicilian Greeks in the 6th century BC, and it is believed that the first temple was built around 510 BC. The temples were built to honor the gods and goddesses of the Greek pantheon. The site was destroyed by the Carthaginians in 406 BC and was later rebuilt by the Romans. The Valley of the Temples was abandoned in the 5th century AD, when the town of Agrigento was sacked by the Vandals. The site remained largely untouched until the 19th century, when it was rediscovered and excavated by Italian archaeologists. Today, the Valley of the Temples is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Mediterranean region.
Temple of Dioscuri
Temple of Castor and Pollux (Temple of Dioscuri), was built in the 5th century BC, during the reign of the Greek tyrant Theron. It was one of the most important temples of the ancient city, dedicated to the Dioscuri, the twin sons of Zeus and Leda, Castor and Pollux. The temple was built on the highest point of the Acropolis and was the first of the five temples of Agrigento. It was built in the Doric style, with six columns on the short sides and thirteen on the long ones. It was destroyed in 406 BC, during the siege of the city by the Carthaginian forces, and then rebuilt in the 4th century BC. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the temple was abandoned and eventually destroyed by earthquakes in the 8th century. The ruins of the temple were rediscovered in the 19th century and excavations began in the early 20th century.
The Sanctuary of the Chthonic Deities, located at Porta V, is a series of adjacent places of worship devoted to subterranean gods Demeter and Persephone. At the northernmost part of the sanctuary, a small temple with three rooms, a room with a square altar, and a room with a circular altar can be seen. Additionally, two small temples featuring an atrium, a naos, and a rear chamber for religious officiants are present. Between these two temples is a large circular altar with an internal recess, and a square altar. The most characteristic ruin of the Valley of the Temples is the Temple of Castor and Pollux, a Doric temple dating back to the second half of the fifth century BC, with six columns on the short sides and thirteen on the long sides and interior divided into an atrium, a naos, and a rear chamber. Although it is often referred to as the Temple of Castor and Pollux, it is likely the temple was dedicated to Demeter and Persephone, the gods to which the entire area is devoted.
Temple of Heracles
The Temple of Heracles in Agrigento is the oldest of its kind (well what’s left of it), having been constructed in the late sixth century BC. It is believed to have been dedicated to the Greek hero based on Cicero’s passage that mentions a temple devoted to Heracles in Agorà, the area immediately north of Agrigento. It is a Doric order building with a three-step base that supports six columns on the shorter sides and fifteen on the longer ones. Inside, the long and narrow temple is divided into a portico, a naos, and an opisthodomos, both of which are framed by two columns. The door to the naos is flanked by two pillars with a service ladder leading to the roof, the earliest example of this kind in Akragantine temple architecture. The roof is decorated with two types of rainwater gutters shaped like lions’ heads, one from the late sixth century BC and the other from the first half of the fifth century BC. To the east of the temple are the remains of a monumental altar and the terracotta ruins of a small archaic temple. In the Roman era, the naos was divided into three chambers to create a small religious building, likely due to the transfer of the Cult of Asclepius to the temple. Restoration works have been conducted on and off since the 1920s, with the most recent being done by the Archaeological Park of the Valley of the Temples.
Temple of Olympian Zeus
The ruins of the Temple of Olympian Zeus bear witness to one of the largest Doric temples of classical antiquity. Unfortunately, the area was likely already damaged by earthquakes in the past and was used as a quarry in the Middle Ages (the cava gigantum cited in archival documents). In the 1700s, it became the site of the harbour of Porto Empedocle.
According to Diodorus Siculus, construction of the temple began immediately after the great victory of the Greek cities of Sicily over the Carthaginians in the battle of Himera in 480 BC. Unfortunately, the building was never finished as the city of Akragas was conquered by the Carthaginians in 406 BC, leaving the temple without a roof. The temple was characterised by its highly original architecture, which included a gigantic rectangular platform with a five-step base, the final step being twice as high as the other four, to create a podium and set the temple apart from its environment. The structure was surrounded by an outer wall, with seven half-columns in the Doric order on the short sides and fourteen on the long sides, corresponding to the same number of rectangular half-pillars on the inside. It is estimated that the half-columns had a height of over eighteen metres.
Outside the temple, huge statues of Giants (Atlases), each around eight metres tall, were positioned in the spaces between the half-columns on platforms measuring around eleven metres, with the figures seemingly supporting the entablature of the temple with their strength. Inside the very tall building – very similar to an enclosure – there was once a highly original naos with no roof, most likely interpreted by Diodorus Siculus as a sign of the construction’s unfinished state. The façades were embellished on the east side with sculptures depicting a fight between the gods and the giants, and on the west with the sacking of Troy (Iliupersis). The remains of the great rectangular altar are visible a short distance from the eastern side of the temple.
Temple of Hera Lacinia (Juno)
The Temple of Hera Lacinia (Juno) is situated on the highest crag in the Valley of the Temples in its easternmost part. Though it is unclear to which god the temple was devoted, it is believed to be dedicated to Hera Lacinia due to an incorrect interpretation of a passage by Roman writer Pliny the Elder, which in reality pertained to the Temple of Hera Lacinia (Juno) on the cape of Capo Colonna near Crotone in Magna Graecia. This building, constructed in the Doric order, likely dates back to the mid-fifth century BC and includes a base of four steps, with six columns on the small sides and thirteen on the long sides. It is divided into a portico, naos, and opisthodomos, the back chamber, with the portico and opisthodomos bracketed by two columns. A staircase is situated between the portico and naos, flanked by two pillars, which leads to the roof for maintenance purposes. Fifteen metres away from the entrance on the east side is the altar, reached by ten steps. It is thought that the temple was substantially damaged by fire during the Carthaginian siege in 406 BC, and may have been restored during the Roman era. Since the late eighteenth century, restoration projects have been carried out, including levelling the columns on the north side and more recently, conservation work on the stonework by the Archaeological Park of the Valley of the Temples.
The Paleo-Christian Necropolis of Agrigento extends across the Collina dei Templi, between the Temple of Hera Lacinia (Juno) and the Temple of Heracles, and dates back to the third to sixth century AD. Among the remains of the old wall between these temples, there are several tombs, known as “arcosolia” due to the presence of an arched recess. The sub divo necropolis, the open-air area of the cemetery, has around 130 chest tombs (formae) carved into the rock, located around the Temple of Concordia. Grotta Fragapane is the largest catacomb of the necropolis, consisting of corridors (ambulatories), small burial chambers (cubicles) and rotundas (large burial chambers). Additionally, there are several small underground chambers (hypogea) for burial purposes, located along the Via dei Sepolcri that crosses the cemetery from east to west, carved into an ancient Greek water pipe. The Via dei Sepolcri has been transformed over the years into an open-air museum, now offering one of the most exclusive educational tours of the Valley of the Temples.
Gin
Just by doing more investigation when writing this article I found out that there is so much to see in the necropolis and we saw just very small bit of it. So make sure you explore and take that tour!
In 2005, two marble statues of Romans wearing togas, known as the Togati statues, were discovered. Unfortunately, the heads are missing, which prevents identification of the figures, but the rest of the sculptures are in excellent condition.
Temple of Concordia
The Temple of Concordia is one of the most well-preserved ancient Greek temples. Its traditional name comes from a Latin inscription from the first century BC that mentions the “Concordia degli Agrigentini”. This was mistakenly attributed to the temple by Tommaso Fazello in the mid-1500s. Built with a Doric order of architecture, it has four steps at its base and six columns on its short sides and thirteen on its long sides. It is unique in that its entablature and the two capitals on the east and west sides have remained almost entirely intact. The interior comprises of a portico at the entrance, a naos (the inner chamber or sanctuary of a temple), and an opisthodomos (rear room), all framed by two columns. The entrance to the naos is flanked by two pillars that have a carved service staircase leading to the roof. It is believed that the temple was converted into a Christian church in the late sixth century AD, when Bishop Gregory of Agrigento exorcised the pagan demons Eber and Raps and dedicated it to the Apostles Peter and Paul. This is evidenced by the twelve arches in the walls of the naos. Finally, there is the theory that the temple was originally devoted to two Greek gods, such as Castor and Pollux. Unfortunately, there is no archaeological or epigraphic evidence to prove this.
Gin
Unfortunately the entrance to the Temple of Concordia was closed, so we couldn’t explore it form inside.
Gin
We completely missed the broken statue of Icarus! Just by accident took some photos when passing in that shuttle bus. In our defence, we were really tired after all day of adventures.
In front of the Temple of Concordia, the broken Statue of Icarus stands in a dramatic pose, a modern interpretation of the classical style by Polish artist Igor Mitoraj. This statue is all that remains of an exhibition of 17 statues by the artist that took place at the Valle dei Templi in 2011, and serves as a reminder of Icarus’ disobedience to his father Daedalus, who flew too close to the sun and burnt his wax wings, causing him to fall into the Mediterranean.
You can take this Sacred Street Shuttle from one end to another. You have to pay a small fee (~3 EUR) though, but believe me after few hours of walking it worth every penny!
Villa Aurea
Sir Alexander Hardcastle, a British army captain, resided at Villa Aurea between 1921 and 1932. He procured the estate, located near the wall of Akragas, at the end of the nineteenth century, and named it Villa Aurea due to its proximity to the eponymous gateway of the ancient fortification. For twelve years, Hardcastle supported archaeological work with his wealth and collaborated with the archaeologist Pirro Marconi in numerous excavations. Unfortunately, due to the Wall Street Crash of 1929, Hardcastle was left destitute and sold Villa Aurea to the Italian state. He was committed to the asylum in Agrigento for depression and unfortunately passed away in 1933.
The garden of Villa Aurea is built on the remains of an old Paleo-Christian necropolis and features a variety of Mediterranean maquis, exotic, and rare species, including the only case of Eucalyptus Erythrocorys found in Sicily’s historic gardens. Visitors can wander the paths and take in the archaeological discoveries, characteristic trees and shrubs of the Mediterranean maquis, and the views of the temples, countryside, olive and almond groves, and the plains extending to the Mediterranean Sea.
I think you really need a full day to explore it fully! Also, probably you should plan some tours to explore the necropolis and other places that you can see only with a guided tour!
So we had a very productive day seeing Villa Romana del Casale museum, visiting Castello Chiarmontano and nearby abandoned Customs House (ex Caserma della Guardia di Finanza) as well as Valley of Temples!