Agrigento: Valley of the Temples

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Our visit to Agrigento and tour of the Valley of the Temples was our first introduction to the ancient Greek cities in Sicily. The ruins in Agrigento, or Acragas of the ancient Greeks (Agrigentum, to the Romans) were impressive. The archaeological park is best experienced with the aid of knowledgeable guide such as Luigi Napoli who guided us through the park and museum for over six hours. His knowledge (and enthusiasm) of history gave us a sense of ancient life and made our visit to Agrigento most enjoyable. The size and scope of the ancient city was a clear indication of the significant role that Acragas must have played in 5th century BC western civilization. According to Luigi, it is estimated that at it's peak the population of Acragas was probably close to 200,000 and as such was the third largest city of the western world. The site chosen for the city was a major factor for its rapid growth and prosperity. It was walled by natural tuffa cliffs on all sides and was bordered by two major rivers, one the East and one on the West side of the city. The ocean was to the south of the city approximately less than 2 miles away from the city wall. It enjoyed the best of both worlds, a defensible layout plus great commercial access.

After touring Agrigento, we programmed the TomTom for another town in the interior of Sicily, Piazza Armerina about two hours away. As we progressed about halfway to our destination the TomTom began to have a nervous breakdown. First, the navigators voice started to stutter, then finally it stopped altogether. A little later it began to give directions that appeared to be 180 degrees opposite to the road signs. I tried to reboot the unit and all I got was the grey-screen-of-death (all you Windows users know what I'm talking about). We observed a moment of respectful silence for our lost travel companion and then forged on. For the rest of that afternoon, we had to rely on (aargh!) maps and road signs. After an extensive tour of the backcountry and few loops through Piazza Armerina we made it to our final destination, Agriturismo Gigliotto . We checked into our rooms and later that night enjoyed a country style home cooked meal on the terrace overlooking the farms vineyards and the valley beyond.

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Photos

Temple of Concordia
Much of it's seismic stability (i.e. longevity) can be attributed to the modifications (cut arches)
to the interior vestibule and the use of segmented columns (versus one piece columns)

Temple of Hercules
As you can see we are larger than in the last photo....and we are barely one-third of the way
through the trip.

Ancient Drinking Game
The winner (the one that flung the most wine onto the plate on the floor) apparently got the
girl.

Ancient Clothes Pin
The clothes pin holds the tunic together and in a pinch can be
used as a weapon.

Master Gigliotto
We shared a meal.