As you approach the roundabout to turn onto Via Giuseppe la Loggia, perched
on a ridge to your right (looking north) is the majestic Temple of Juno (Tempio
de Giunone). When the temple comes into view you are almost at the town of
Agrigento. The Temple sits on the highest point at the eastern end of the Valley
of the Temples (Valle dei Templi), a World Heritage site. The site is the most
impressive surviving ancient Greek temple complex outside the Greek
mainland.
On a cloudless Mediterranean summers day, as you look towards the Temple
sitting at the top of a barren rock strewn pale faced ridge, sprinkled with
olive trees and with the azure sky as a backdrop, one can truly get a sense of
the brilliance of the architecture of the ancient Greeks.
Temple of Concord At Sunset (Tempio della Concordia)
The Temple of Juno is one of five temples situated on an east west axis along
the ridge, the others being The Temple of Concord (Tempio della Concordia),
Temple of Heracles (Tempio di Ercole), Temple of Zeus (Tempio di Giove) and
Temple of Vulcan (Tempio di Vulcano).
Although the town of Agrigento is where you may sleep and eat, apart from the
Archaeological Museum and a few of the archaeological digs nearby and the odd
obligatory medieval church, the town itself does not have a great deal to offer
the visitor.
The focus of any trip to Agrigento is the valley of the Temples and the
Museum.
Temple of Concord (Tempio della Concordia)
The main entrance to the Valley is near the Temple of Heracles. If you catch
the bus from town at Piazzaale Rosselli it will drop you there (at Posto di
Ristoro) where you can buy your entrance ticket and guide book. However, we
found the best entrance to the Valley was at the East end near to Temple of
Juno. It's about a 3k scenic walk from the train station in town to this
entrance. If you're driving, you're there in no time. In summer, take lots of
water and wear a shady hat.
At its height the population of ancient Akragas, the name given to the
original city by its Greek founders in 581BC, was believed to be around 200,000,
making it a major city by ancient standards. The city spread from the ridge upon
which the temples now stand, throughout the valley and covering where the modern
town of Agrigento is situated. The ancient Greek city lasted until 406BC when it
was sacked by the Carthaginians who occupied it until 210BC when it became a
Roman stronghold.
So in its short history of only 175 years the city expanded to become one of
the most populous and one of the richest and most powerful cities in the
Mediterranean. All the temples were built during this period except for the
Temple of Zeus which remain uncompleted and was abandoned when the Carthaginians
invaded.
Temple of Heracles (Tempio di Ercole), The Valley of The Temples, Sicily
After exploring the Temple of Juno, completed in 450BC and which occupies the
highest position and offers the most panoramic views of the surrounding areas,
we
wandered down a gentle sloping path of white crushed rock towards the Temple of
Concord. Scattered amongst the Temples are broken stone building
blocks, remains of ancient walls, gnarled olive trees and an exhibition of
modern sculptures by Igor Mitoraj.
Standing at the foot of the Temple of Juno is an ancient olive tree named the
Olive del Tempio di Giunone. It is five metres in height, 12 metres
around the circumference at stump level and is estimate to be over an astounding
500 years of age.
As we strolled the path heading towards Temple of Concord, and being there
late afternoon in mid September we were able to witness the moon rising in the
east behind the Temple of Juno and the red setting sun's ray peeking through the
columns of the Temple of Concord to the west.
500 Year Old Olive Tree At The Foot of Temple of Juno, The Valley of The Temples, Sicily
The temple of Concord has remained structurally intact for nearly 2,500
years,
and, together with the Theseion in Athens and the Heraion in Paestum, is one of
the best preserved temples of the Hellenic period. It is breathtaking to marvel
at the architecture, design and durability of this building. Fortunately its
longevity is in part do to it being transformed into a Christian basilica in the
late 6th century.
At this point in your walk spend a few moments to look south-west out over
the ancient walls into the Mediterranean Sea and imagine
the waterways alive with ancient Greek ships arriving at ports to unload their
goods and the bustling road traffic making its way to and from Akragas.
Temple of Juno (Tempio di Giunone), The Valley of The Temples, Sicily
Next in the axis is the Temple of Heracles (and near to the main entrance)
which was the first temple built in the Valley. Unfortunately, within the
jumble of weathered building blocks scattered about the site only eight columns
are standing that were painstakingly rebuilt during the early 20th century.
To get to the Temple of Zeus you need to cross the Strata Provinciale 4 which
separates this Temple from the others. Although now laying in a field of
weathers blocks of all shapes and sizes, this Temple is belived to be the
largest Doric temple ever built (although it was never completed) and is as wide
as a modern stadium and as high as a ten storey building.
One of the unique features of this building is the enormous giant statues (or
Telamonds) that, it is believed, stood between each of the outer columns. A
weathered replica lays within the grounds and an original may be seen in the
Regional Archaeological Museum.
Agrigento is located between Syracuse and Marsala near to the coast. It is
approximately 225km from Syracuse and between 2-3 hours by car, depending on the
route taken. From Marsala it is about 135km and takes around two hours, it's
about the same from Palermo.
