Agrigento:
The most beautiful city
amongst mortals

Agrigento viewed from the Valley of the Temples

Agrigento is well known as the site of the ancient Greek city of Akragas, one of the leading cities of the ancient civilization of Magna Grecia.

Akragas grew rapidly, becoming one of the richest and most famous Greek colonies and was considered the most beautiful city of mortals. Today Agrigento is a major tourist centre, famous for its extraordinarily rich archaeological legacy.

Roman Amphitheatre

In the old city, full of exquisite medieval and baroque architecture, one is still able to live and enjoy the local customs and traditions and be hosted by the city’s charming inhabitants.

Luigi Pirandello, a Nobel prize laureate for literature in 1934, was a native of Agrigento.

Pirandello working at his typewriter

The Valley
of the Temples

The Valley of the Temples is the biggest archaeological site in the world. It is an outstanding example of Magna Grecia art and architecture, and is one of Sicily’s main attractions as well as an Italiannational monument. This area was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

The Valley includes the ruins of seven temples, all in doric style, including the magnifi cent Temple of Zeus, the largest temple of the ancient Greek period, and the Temple of Concordia, one of the best preserved in the world.

In addition the city’s Archaeological Museum has one of the fi nest collections of ancient Greek artefacts in the world.

Temple of Hera at sunset

Temple of Concordia at sunset

Scala
dei Turchi

Scala dei Turchi viewed from above

The Scala dei Turchi is an amazing natural sculpture, one of the most characteristic and particular of Italy’s natural attractions.

The name’s origin is from ancient times when pirates used to moor their ships there. Its white surface has been shaped like a staircase by the action of the sun, wind and rain.

Every year thousands of tourists are attractedto this wonderful site and use it as a platformto dive into the sparkling Sicilian sea.

Vulcanelli
di Aragona

Vulcanelli di Aragona

The natural reserve of Macalube, locatednear Agrigento, is famous for its little vulcanoesnamed vulcanelli, described as a rare geologicphenomenum called sedimentary vulcanism.

There are many of them in the Agrigento area, characterized by muddy grey and white soils. The tallest vulcanello can reach about 1 meter in height.

Plato, Aristotele, Diodoro Siculo and Pliny the Elder all described this incredible area in ancient times. The Romans believed that the clay coming out of the vulcanelli was excellent for rheumatic and beauty treatments, and still today many people come to take advantage of its healing properties.