The Trip That Keeps Growing: 19 September 2023 Agrigento and Piazza Armerina

19 September 2023 Agrigento and Piazza Armerina

Today was a travel day as we drove into the center of Sicily to our next destination Piazza Armerina, a farmhouse that is part of agriturismo in Italy. Agriturismo (a combination of agriculture and tourism) is a stay at a local farmhouse where you can participate in and help with the farming chores while learning about Italy’s agricultural traditions. We will only spend one night here before continuing our tour of Sicily.

We left Mazara del Vallo after breakfast and first drove to the Valley of Temples, located just outside the city of Agrigento. Once known as the Greek city of Akragas, it was one of the most culturally advanced cities of the ancient world. Founded in 582 BCE, the city changed hands several times between the Greek and Carthaginians before being conquered by the Romans in 210 BCE, who changed its name to Agigentum. After the Romans, the Byzantines and Christian took over the site. Today, the modern city of Agrigento, built on the ruins of the old city of Akragas, is a mixture of medieval, Byzantine and new architecture

The Valley of Temples, built on a plateau that today looks out at the modern city of Agrigento, contain the ruins of Greek Temples that were built between 510 and 430 BCE and the remnants of the former city walls that were destroyed by the Carthaginians and a series of earthquakes. As you look over the countryside in the Valley, you see honey-colored buildings, rolling hills dotted with homes, ancient olive and almond trees, and gardens that form a patchwork of green, brown, and white. There is one main road running through the center of the Valley of Temples with the ruins on either side of the road.

As Bill was having some difficulty walking, our TL got him one of the electric wheelchairs they had available. He became quite adapt at driving it – and by the end of the tour many wished they had one. Our local guide was very knowledgeable of the Valley of Temples, but he tended to talk too long at each site, especially as we were all standing in the hot sun with no shade available. After the Temple of Concordia, I decided to walk down the main road and see the ruins (and read the very informative placards around the ruins) at my own pace and then find some shade to rest. I have put the pictures from the Valley of the Temple at the end of our walk through the park.

The first temple we visited (located on the eastern side of the plateau) was the Temple of Juno (or Hera) dedicated to the goddess of fertility. It was built in the Doric style (5 columns across the front and back ad 13 on each side) very similar to the Temple of Concordia (which we will visit next). This temple was destroyed by the Carthaginians, and you could still see traces of the fire on some of the walls.

We then walked down the road and stopped to view some of the remains of the old city wall. Built in the early 500s BCE, they were originally 7 miles long with 8 gates. Most of the wall were destroyed by the Carthaginians and a series of earthquakes. After the Christians took over, they turned parts of the wall into an early necropolis with tombs built into the natural holes of the walls. Very close to the old walls stand two marble statues of headless Romans,

Our next stop was the magnificent Temple of Concordia, built in 430 BCE and the only temple in Sicily that never collapsed. Although today it is one of the world’s best preserved Greek Doric Temples, it was the least important temple in the Valley when it was built. On explanation for its mint condition is that it became a Christian church during the Byzantine rule and remained a church until 1788. It has a double dedication – it was first believed to have been dedicated to Castor and Pollux, and as a church it was dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul.

I then continued my own walk down the road, admiring the beauty of the place. There is a small park/garden that you can walk through which ends at the Hardcastle Villa. Located between the Temple of Concordia and the Temple of Hercules. It was once the home of an English Captain named Alexander Hardcastle who also created the lovely gardens that surround the villa. While living in the park, he spent much of his personal wealth reconstructing the temples. As a result of his efforts 8 columns of the Temple of Hercules were re-erected and many ancient monuments were discovered.

The last temple I visited was the Temple of Hercules, the oldest temple in the Valley. Although it is now in ruins, eight of its columns of been restored on one side of the temple. Hercules is the national hero of Sicily.

The rest of the group finally caught up to me and we quickly made our way to the air-conditioned comfort of our bus.

Bill and his Motorized Wheelchair

Looking out at City of Agrigento

Temple of Juno

Looking out toward Temple of Concordia

Old City Wall

One of Early Christian Tombs

Marble Statue of Ancient Roman

Temple of Concordia

View of Agrigento

Small Park/Garden in the Valley of Temples

Hardcastle Villa

Temple of Hercules

Map of the Valley of the Temples

From the Valley of the Temples, we drove to a local farmhouse where we had a light lunch, complete with home-made limoncello. The owner then took us downstairs to view the beautifully colored wooded wagons that his father made and which he has now continued this tradition. The wagons were magnificent. We then went outside to see some of the tools he uses. Bill even tried his hand using one of them – a small knife-like or planner tool used to shape small pieces of wood. It was a wonderful visit and we all got to buy some of the homemade limoncello.

Handmade and Handpainted Wagons

Handpainted Wagon

Bill Using Planner-like Tool to Shape Wood

After a 2-hour drive in the afternoon we arrived at Piazza Armerina, the farmhouse where we will spend the night. This is a very scenic, quite and relaxing location, and as it is at a higher elevation than the coast, it was cooler with less humidity. Just what the doctor ordered! We all wished we had a longer stay here. Some took advantage of the swimming pool, but Bill and I just sat on our balcony enjoying a nice glass of wine. Dinner was served in the courtyard of the farmhouse and was a wonderful combination of meat and freshly harvested vegetables. And, of course more delicious wine.