The memorial of all of Sicily - so briefly but succinctly can be characterized Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. Here, even the dust underfoot seems to be infinitely ancient, sacred, prayed and ... stained with the blood of countless and nameless slaves who erected enormous ancient sanctuaries, defenders of Aragragas, who fought to the last for their own walls, hundreds and thousands of victims of inexorable rulers - from tyrants to governors of the emperor. They all sunk into oblivion under the yoke of merciless Time, and only the ruins of temples and necropolises in Agrigento remained under the hot sky of Sicily silent eternal witnesses of great human tragedies.
Earlier Blogoitaliano already mentioned the park museum Valley of the Temples in Agrigento in Sicily. But this topic is almost not disclosed, but, meanwhile, it is so interesting that, perhaps, we will return to it more than once.
The park museum with a dozen of Doric temples, necropolises, agora, a forum and an ancient wall is the territory of the ancient city of Aragragas, which much later "moved" to the neighboring hills. By the way, the valley is a conditional name, because in ancient times the temples were located on one of the highest places of the polis, and even now they are on a hill. However, if you look at the temples of Agrigento from a modern city, the ruins will indeed be below level.
From Agrigento to the Valley of the Temples is only 5 kilometers
The bloody beginning of the story of Akragas
Akragas - an ancient policy based on the departure of the VI century. BC. descendants of the Cretans and Rhodes as a satellite of the neighboring rich Gela. Aragragas developed rapidly thanks to a good location and successful maritime trade. No wonder the famous poet Pindar called him a century later "the most beautiful among the mortal hands."
But the rapid heyday of Aragragas was preceded by a series of terrifying events, which, perhaps for all 25 centuries, predetermined the history of the city, which did not become great. As early as 570 BC the power in the policy was seized by a certain Falaris, a former taxpayer. It was he who got the order for the construction of the first temple of Zeus in the future Valley of the Temples in Agrigento.
From the Byzantines in the valley of temples preserved tombs and catacombs
The ingenuity of Falaris is worthy of the pen of Machiavelli, he had lived 2,000 years earlier. To fulfill the order for the construction of the sanctuary, the future tyrant attracted foreign criminals. Falaris ordered the construction site to be surrounded by a strong fence, supposedly to protect materials. After using the trust of the townspeople, he took their weapons from them and, during one of the local holidays, arming his "builders", ordered to kill all the men of the policy, children and women, to take prisoner, to destroy or seize property. The sanctuary of Zeus, of course, was so built and was not.
Falaris tyrannized, by modern standards, not for long - only 16 years, but left a strong memory about himself: the stable phrase “Bull of Falaris” still remains in use.
This bull was a copper hollow statue in which criminals sentenced to death and simply people who were not pleasing to the tyrant were roasted alive. Smoke flowed from the nostrils of the statue, and the system of curved pipes inside the copper belly provided a multiple intensification of the martyr's cries, and it seemed that the bull mooed - Falaris, like all tyrants, was no stranger to aesthetics in his understanding. According to legend, the first victim of the bull was its creator - the inventor Perill.
Agrigento listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
In 554 BC the city was saved by Telemachus of Rhodes, who arrived from Santorini and spoke under the city walls along with a few Akragas exiles. His small detachment could not have overpowered the army of Falaris, but an uprising broke out in the polis, and by joint efforts he was released.
Falaris did not have time to escape and became the next - and, alas, not the last - victim of the notorious bull. However, fate has its own irony: a century later - in 488-472. BC e. - The new tyrant of the city was Feron, the great-grandson of Telemachus, at whom the construction of the temple of Zeus - Olympus, was finally begun. But he was a tyrant only in the form of government: he did not use the bull, welcomed poets, participated in the Olympic Games and built temples.
Temples of Agrigento: history and current status
The most ancient Greek temple in the Valley is recognized Temple of Herculesbuilt around 510 BC Its dimensions are 67 × 25.3 m. Scientists, determining the "belonging" of the sanctuary, focused on the note of Cicero, who wrote that the Temple of Hercules is located near the forum of Akragas. A forum was found, and a deity was identified.
The building was restored in Roman times, but then collapsed again. In 1921, at the initiative of the retired captain of the British Navy and amateur archaeologist Alexander Hardcastle, 8 of the 36 columns of the temple were raised.
Temple of Concord (Concordia) one of the best preserved temples
Olympiondedicated to the victory over Carthage in 480 BC, it was conceived as the most magnificent Doric temple not only in Akragas, but throughout the world: 112.7 × 56.3 m and an area of 6340 square meters. m. The height of the columns (according to various estimates) is from 14.5 to 19.2 m. The upper part of the outer wall of the temple receded back, forming niches with 8-meter figures of Atlanteans from large stone blocks. In Olympiaion, one similar atlas was preserved in separate fragments: a copy rests directly at the temple, the original - in the Regional Archaeological Museum, in the Valley of the Temples.
On the one hand, the sanctuary was decorated with reliefs depicting the battle of the titans, on the other - the battle of Troy. But time was especially merciless to this temple, which began to settle and collapse before the new era. The builders also made their contribution, dismantling it, like other temples of Agrigento, first for the construction of Catholic shrines, then for the construction of Porto Empedocle.
To the west of the temple of Zeus are ruins Dioskurov Temple - Castor and Pollux, who, as the ancient patrons of navigators and warriors, were highly revered in Akragas. He appeared in the middle of the fifth century. BC. In the XIX century. it was cleared, but only 4 columns with entablature remained from the entire sanctuary measuring 31 × 13.3 m. It is this "corner" of the temple has become one of the symbols of the modern city.
From the temple of Zeus preserved a giant figure of Atlanta
Researchers suggest that another temple was dedicated to Dioscuros - Concordia (Concord) mid V century BC, perfectly preserved, due to the fact that from the end of VI to XVIII centuries. it was the church of Peter and Paul. The temple was built according to the canons of the classical era: a colonnade of 34 columns 6.75 m high, standing on a quadrangular platform measuring 39.4 × 16.9 m. Not far from the Temple of Concord, there are early Christian burials and the remains of the southern wing of the city wall of ancient Akragas.
Another temple worth noting was perhaps dedicated Hera Lacinia (Juno) - So say the scientists who compared it to the more famous sanctuary of Hera at Cape Lachinio (Calabria).
Built around 450 BC, it was the same classic rectangle. Literally half a century later it was destroyed by a fire, and the Romans already restored it. To our time, only the northern colonnade has remained of the temple.
Temple of Castor and Pollux is considered a symbol of Agrigento
To the south of the ancient walls lies temple of Asclepius V century BC. Its dimensions are relatively small - 22 × 11 m, and its affiliation was determined from figures found at the sanctuary depicting body parts. These figures were presented as a gift to the healing god by those who prayed for healing, or as a sign of gratitude for getting rid of the disease.
Excavations and restoration of the building began in 1926 at the initiative of Alexander Hardcastle and continue to this day. It was discovered that near the temple there was a hotel or hospital with 28 beds, and a large cistern with healing water.
To the west of the temples are necropolises of the Greco-Roman and early medieval eras, caves (catacombs) of Fragopane IV century. and the so-called tomb of Feron.
The Temple of Juno (Hera) was burned by the Carthaginians in 406 BC
How to get to the Valley of the Temples in Sicily
Get to Agrigento in Sicily can be by train: Several trains run daily from Palermo (9 euros) and Catania via Syracuse and Messina (11-19 euros). Prices are as of September 2016.
Well, now about the buses. The central bus station in Agrigento is located at Piazza Rosselli (Rosselli Square). From Palermo to Agrigento there is an Autoservizi Cuffaro bus: on weekdays there are 8 flights, on Saturday - 6, on Sundays and on holidays - 3. The issue price is 9 euros, and travel time is 2 hours. The bus station in Palermo is located on Pizzetta Cairoli.
To Agrigento from Catania You will be taken by SAIS buses. Catania Central Bus Station is located at Piazza Papa Giovanni XXIII (Pope John XXIII Square). Buses to Agrigento run literally one after another, from 6.15 to 23.30. Ticket price - 13.40 euros, travel time - 5 hours.
The central bus station in Agrigento is located at Piazza Rosselli
With a special desire, you can not get to Agrigento, but sail through Porto Empedocle by ferry from Genoa, Cagliari, Livorno, Naples.
The most advantageous option is, of course, to rent a car. From Palermo to Agrigento there is the SS189 highway, and following the SS115 highway, you can reach your destination from Trapani and Syracuse.
Little things remained: to get from the center of Agrigento to the Valley of the Temples. You can, of course, and on foot, if you are not afraid of a 5-kilometer walk. But it is better, of course, to take a bus from the central bus station from Rosselli Square. Buses Nos. 1,2 and 3 go towards the museum park. You can buy a ticket at one of the kiosks on the square near the bus station, the cost is 1.10 euros. For those who nevertheless sailed, a ticket from Porto Empedocle will cost 1.50 euros.
Agrigento Temple Valley Tickets
Park Museum Valley of the Temples in Agrigento in Sicily is open daily from 8:30 to 19:00. In addition, every year from approximately mid-July to mid-September it can be visited in the evening: on weekdays from 19:30 to 21:30, on weekends and holidays - until 23:30.
The meaning of an evening visit is in aesthetic pleasure: the Valley of the Temples in the sunset and backlit is an unforgettable sight. By the way, inveterate aesthetes recommend visiting the Valley of Temples in February, when almonds bloom - a tree-symbol of the city, and when the annual almond festival is held on the territory of the park-museum.
Christian necropolis
Agrigento Temple Valley Tickets can be purchased at the box office on the spot or booked online online in advance here. The price of tickets is more than reasonable. Buying online makes sense, so as not to test the body in line for one of the main attractions of Sicily under the merciless southern sun in the summer, or in the rain on a dank breeze in the winter. This is especially true if you are traveling with children or the elderly.
At the peak of the season, there are often days when in the queue it is quite possible to lose a few hours. Moreover, for the inspection of the Complex itself, 3-4 hours should be separately laid.
Also, regardless of the method of buying tickets, we highly recommend taking water and sunscreen with you.
