Located on the southern coast of Sicily, Agrigento is considered as one of the most important historical cities of the world, mainly due to the ruins of Akragas, the ancient city founded by the Greeks.
The famous ‘Valley of Temples’ is located about 3 kilometers below the modern city of Agrigento, which is far from appealing from a visitors’ perspective. The roads are clumsy, and the motorways dotted with dusty old buildings converge from different directions on a ragged and tottering hilltop center that is dotted and scarred by loutish tower blocks. They remain more or less riddled with unruly and choking traffic, though all these are the aspects of a depressing outer layer that hides a bright kernel inside. That kernel consists of years of historic splendor and timeless significance that underlines the greatness that the city had once upon a time during its glorious past.
One of the most famous and spectacular places of historical attractions is the Valley of Temples, which is an awe-inspiring archeological park, which houses eight ancient Greek temples that were built sometime between 510 and 430 BC. These are the temples of Hera, Concordia, Heracles, Olympian Zeus, Castor and Pollux, Hephaestos, Demeter, and that of Asclepius, who is the Greek God of Medicines.
With the exception of the Temple of Asclepius, all the other temples are concentrated in a single area, which is known as the Valley of Temples, though the place actually is not a valley at all. The Temple of Asclepius is located on the shore of the River Akragas.
Other places of historical importance in Agrigento include The Temple of Juno, the residents of the great Greek philosopher of the pre-Socratic era - Empedocles, that of Luigi Pirandello, and the great Italian dramatist.
The city and its adjoining areas are also home to a number of other Hellenistic as well as Roman sites. These sites include a cave sanctuary of the pre-Hellenic era near the Temple of Demeter. Another funerary monument that was mistakenly christened as the Tomb of Theron is another star attraction of the city.
The most amazing fact Agrigento is that the city has not changed much since its early days – at least till the late 19th Century, when the city was expanded westwards and new establishments and buildings came up. Whatever change and development was made yet again suffered destruction due to heavy allied bombing during the Second World War, destroying a lion’s share of the city.
Today, apart from the places of historical interest, the main attraction of the city is its city center, which is Via Atenea. The place is an attractive strip of street that is lined on both its sides with innumerable shops, bars, restaurants, street side cafes and eateries and trattorias.
The city can be accessed by boat, bus and train. While there is frequent train services from Caltanissetta and Palermo, there is regular bus service between the city and Catania, Caltanissetta, Sciacca, and Palermo.
Visitors can also visit Agrigento by boats as well as hydrofoils during summer, which ferry passengers from mainland Italy and places like Linosa and Lampedusa and to the port of Agrigento, Porto Empedocle.
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