Valley of the Temples
The Valle dei Templi in Agrigento was a must see on this trip, a place of great archaeological treasure that we had bypassed in our last adventure here for a variety of reasons.
When visiting the Valley of the Temples one of the first things you'll notice is that it's not a valley, more of a ridge that runs between two rivers and overlooks the southern Sicilian coast. We parked at the top of the park, near the Temple of Juno, and walked down the ridge, which required walking back up when done. There is a service, 3Euro/person, to ride in a golf cart one way, and while it was pretty hot we walked both ways, much to the chagrin of my lady; we should have packed a second bottle of water.
The temple of Juno was only partially intact, as were most of the temples within the park. I will admit that takes away some of the awe for me, however the beauty of the structures as they exist, against the deep blue sky and backdrop of the sea, are lovely.
Temple of Concordia from the Temple of Juno
The Temple of Concordia is the only "intact" structure at the park, mesmerizing the groups of people visiting the park. It is really beautiful, and the broken bronze statue added to the scene.
The two giants of the valley were pretty cool:
We spent a solid 3 plus hours wandering the site, however the heat and the crowds, as well as the overwhelming size of the site which made it difficult to picture the activities of the ancient residents, took away some of the luster for me. Honestly I prefer Segesta and Selinunte in Sicily and Paestum on the mainland (in that order) ahead of the Valley of the Temples, however it is always interesting to see and put yourself in a place where people from 2500 years ago resided and built such wonderful things.
Ciao bella!
When visiting the Valley of the Temples one of the first things you'll notice is that it's not a valley, more of a ridge that runs between two rivers and overlooks the southern Sicilian coast. We parked at the top of the park, near the Temple of Juno, and walked down the ridge, which required walking back up when done. There is a service, 3Euro/person, to ride in a golf cart one way, and while it was pretty hot we walked both ways, much to the chagrin of my lady; we should have packed a second bottle of water.
The temple of Juno was only partially intact, as were most of the temples within the park. I will admit that takes away some of the awe for me, however the beauty of the structures as they exist, against the deep blue sky and backdrop of the sea, are lovely.
Temple of Concordia from the Temple of Juno
The Temple of Concordia is the only "intact" structure at the park, mesmerizing the groups of people visiting the park. It is really beautiful, and the broken bronze statue added to the scene.
Temple of Hercules, not much remains
and the Temple of Dioscuri, only a re-stood corner.
The two giants of the valley were pretty cool:
Ciao bella!
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