The valley of the temples of Agrigento is one of the main sicilian tourist attractions. If you are doing a Sicily tour, a visit to the valley of the temples should be a "must", despite the great distances and the long journey times to Agrigento departing from other Sicilian towns.

Spring and early autumn are the best seasons for a sightseeing tour in the valley of the temples, thanks to the mild weather. From late January begins the blossoming of almond trees (every year, the first week of February, the famous almond blossom festival takes place in Agrigento). In the following weeks, also the other flowers blossom, creating a fantastic colored carpet in the countryside. If you are visiting Agrigento in summer, think at the high temperatures of the Sicilian summer. In the valley of the temples are only few shadow spots, so avoid the hotest hours for your visit and eventually ask if the archaeological area is opened in the evening too.

The archaeological area is divided in two parts. In the centre you can find the ticket office and souvenir shops.

Walking on the temple hill with the huge doric temples all around us, is an impressive experience. The temple of Hercules is the most ancient of the temples of Agrigento. This ancient building has an extremely elongated structure.

The temple of the Concord is one of the greatest attractions of the archaeological park.It was build in doric style with six columns on the frontside. During the middleage, the temple was transformed into a Christian church..

At the highest point of the hill is setted the Juno Lacinia temple. This hexastyle peripteral temple is the best preserved of the valley toghether with the temple of the Concord.

The other buildings are in the other area of the archaeological park, on the other side of the street (same ticket for entrance).Here are the ruins of the huge temple of Olympian Zeus.The structure of this temple was supported by giant figures named Telamons (visible near the temple and in the archaeological museum of Agrigento with a reconstruction). The construction of this temple began in the fifth century B.C. but the building was never finished. In size it was only second to the temple of Diana in Ephesus.

The temple of Castor and Pollux is an other famous sicilian panorama. The doric columns were raised up again in the nineteenth century. Near this temple it is also possible to visit the sanctuary of the chtonic divinities and the Kolymbetra gardens.

Informations:

Agrigento - Parco Archeologico e Paesaggistico Valle dei Templi
Phone: +39 0922.62161
Fax +39 0922.26438
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Internet: official website

Tickets

€ 13,50 - Reduced € 7