Valley of the Temples

The Valle dei Templi near Agrigento in southern Sicily is one of the most important and best-preserved examples of ancient Greek art and architecture outside Greece itself, a UNESCO World Heritage Site encompassing the ancient city of Akragas founded by Greek colonists in 582 BC. Despite its name, the temples sit not in a valley but on a ridge overlooking the Mediterranean Sea — the misnomer dates from Arab occupation of the region. The complex is divided into an eastern and western zone. The eastern ridge contains the best-preserved temples, principally the Temple of Concordia (5th century BC), one of the most complete Doric temples in the world; its survival is attributed to its conversion to a Christian church in the 6th century AD. The Temple of Hera (Juno Lacinia), also on the eastern ridge, retains 34 of its original columns and bears fire scorch marks from the Carthaginian attack of 406 BC. The western zone contains the more ruinous Temple of Olympian Zeus, begun after the Battle of Himera in 480 BC and intended to be the largest Doric temple ever built; one of the colossal Atlante figures that supported the entablature — a 7.5-metre stone figure — lies reconstructed on the ground. The site spans 3 kilometres of walking distance between zones; comfortable shoes and sun protection are essential. The adjacent Regional Archaeological Museum of Agrigento provides context, including the reconstructed Telamon and artefacts from the excavations. Evening visits during summer months (August especially) allow visitors to see the temples illuminated against the night sky.