Agrigento, the Ancient Greek city of Akragas is believed by many to be an even better monument to the Ancient Greeks than the Acropolis in Athens. It is now by far and away the best preserved of the cities of Magna Graecia. An area stretching along the whole of Southern Italy and Sicily, it was occupied by colonialists from the City States of mainland Greece between the XIII century BC up until the fall of Syracuse to the Romans in 212 BC.
Agrigento is a mere 3 hours 20 minutes from Pozzallo. Not the sort of distance for a day trip but an ideal place to visit on a long weekend. The Valle dei Templi, UNESCO World Heritage Site, just has to be seen at night to be believed, of course you need to do your sightseeing during the day but a night visit with the floodlit temples is one you will always remember. The Valle is simply lined with temples, a truly extraordinary sight.
Must see:
A Rosario Gagliardi masterpiece, very similar to that in Modica, but with more pleasing proportions, dominates the Piazza. You cannot help but think that it is a pity houses have been erected so close to it.
A very civilised way of admiring the façade and grand stairway of the Duomo is to enjoy a coffee or a Campari at the Cafe at the foot of the Duomo.
Another magnificent temple of the Doric period built in 450 BC. It was destroyed by fire during the siege of Agrigento in 406 BC.
Not much to be seen but it is the symbol of Agrigento.
To be expected, this museum houses an extraordinary collection. A must for those interested in the Ancient Greeks.
The great author, Luigi Pirandello, Nobel prize for Literature 1934, was born here, one can visit his house in Agrigento. Nearer home, Andrea Camilleri, of Commissario Montalbano fame, was born in Agrigento – still going strong.
Lunch is always on the itinerary in Sicily and your best bet is to take a few minutes drive to the coastal resort of San Leone for a nice and very reasonably priced fish lunch.
