Sicily--a Whole new experience
Trip Start
Jul 21, 2005
1
8
15
Trip End
Aug 05, 2005
Agrigento,
Italy
Saturday, July 30, 2005
After a lousy night on the overnight ferry, we woke up in the city of Palermo, Sicily at 6:30 a.m. After a quick coffee and bathroom stop, we drove south to the other coast to the city of Agrigento. The state road south is two lanes only, with solid double lines, passing allowed every 10-15km or so. Got stuck behind a car transport truck for nearly 20 minutes, as others pulled out and passed with on coming traffic. Finally I was the first car directly behind the truck, when he suddenly turned his left turn signal on. But there was no road on the left coming up. I finally realized he was trying to tell me it was safe to pass. By the time I realized this however, he turned it off again at the next curve. The hills of Sicily were very dry and brown, mostly farmland as we drove south. The next time he signaled left, I quickly pulled into the oncoming lane, gunned it up to 160km and passed him just as traffic was approaching!
Agrigento, the ancient city of Magna Graecia, is home to the Valle dei Templi (The Valley of the Temples). The magnificent ruins, some as old as 6th century BC, are very much intact. Despite its name, the temples are actually situated along a ridge, designed to be visible from all around and originally a beacon for home coming sailors. The first temple is Tempio di Ercole (Hercules) and is the oldest. Unfortunately all that remains of its original 38 columns are 8 is semi ruins. It is said to have been roughly the same size as the Parthenon.
The magnificent Tempio della Concordia is the only one to have survived relatively intact. Built around 440 BC, it was transformed into a Christian church in the 6th century, thereby preserving it. It stands high on the ridge up the Sacred Way with spectacular views of the valley below to one side and the modern city of Agrigento to the other. Surrounded by old, knarelled olive trees, it is an incredible sight.
There is an ancient Necropolis on the site as well, with many open tombs and closed alley ways.
On the other side of the site, are more ruins of various temples, each in varying states of ruins. The Tempio di Giove (Jupiter) now totally in ruins, once covered an area 112m by 56m with columns 20m high. Between the columns stood telamoni (colossal statues), one of which is in the nearby museum. A copy lies on the ground among the ruins, giving you an idea of the immense size of the structure.
The Museo Archeologico up the road has some incredible artifacts from both the Valley of the Temples and other Greek ruins on the island. Their collection of vases is extensive. And well worth an hour or two.
Wandering about the site, we picked olives and almonds from the trees, and enjoyed a leisurely lunch at the restaurant at the entrance to the site. We then drove 3 hours north again to Palermo to the overnight ferry back to Napoli.
