Tag: valley of the temples
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The Headless Roman
This torso is part of an exhibition at Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. It displays findings from an archaeological excavation of the Roman forum that was conducted between 2012 and 2014. Now, imagine that you spent a lot of time and money creating this statue of the current governor or prefect. Then imagine that…
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Buried Treasure? We’ll find out.
This fall, the exciting news from Sicily for geeks like me is that archaeologists believe they have finally found the location of the amphitheater at Agrigento. For centuries, scholars have searched for its location, knowing that a city of the size and magnificence of Akragas, as the metropolis was called during ancient times, must have…
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Savoring Sicily, Day 4: The Wonder in Their Eyes
Visiting the temples for the gods never gets old! For our fourth day of Savoring Sicily, we spent the morning making our way through the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. The best part for me is seeing the wonder in our clients’ eyes when they see this magnificent, 2-km long UNESCO site. Behind me,…
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He’s So Horny
Agrigento is host to a rare breed of goat called capra girgentana. Distinguished by their spiral, tall horns and long hair, this domesticated animal is valuable for its milk that possesses an equal amount of fat to protein. The name girgentana recalls the old Sicilian name of the city of Agrigento, Girgenti. During the mid-twentieth…
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Today, Wear Comfortable Shoes
On Day 4 of Savoring Sicily, you’ll start the morning by greeting the gods at Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples. First stop, the 5th century B.C. Temple of Juno (or Hera, if you are Greek!). This magnificent monument is just one of seven in the UNESCO World Heritage Site that spans 2 kilometers. So wear…
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Our May 2016 Tour: Tall, Massive, and Handsome
The Temple of Heracles (also known as the Temple of Hercules) of Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples possesses eight reconstructed, massive Doric-style columns. Built in the late 6th century BC, it is considered the first temple to have been built of the seven that we know of at the Valley of the Temples. Valley of…
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They are Still Finding Stuff!
When grants support archaeological work, more excavations take place. This is true all over Italy. I was surprised this summer when I was at Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples (during 3 different visits) and I learned that various parts of the UNESCO World Heritage site were still subjects of research projects. For example, this statue…
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Temple of Harmony
The magnificent Temple of Concordia is named for a Latin inscription that was found on a dedication marker unearthed in the vicinity of the Valley of the Temples archaeological site–i.e., a marker not associated with the temple; however spirited archaeologists took the text on the marker that said something to the effect of “dedicated to…
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Today’s Trip Highlight: Agrakas’ Valley of the Temples
This is a scene I was thrilled to see again today! The four remaining columns of the Temple of Castor and Pollux, built in the 5th century BC and reconstructed in the 19th century. We walked the full 2 kilometers of Valley of the Temples that sits on a ridge with sweeping views of the…