Visit The Largest Archaeological Site In The World: The Valley Of The Temples In Sicily, Italy

Discover Magna Grecia visiting one of its most preserved temples: the Temple of Concordia

The Temple of Concordia, symbol of the Valley of the Temples, is considered one of the most remarkable monuments of the Greek civilization.

“Concordia” is the latin name for the Greek word “Harmonia” the goddess of harmony and concord.

Walking through the vestiges of this extraordinary temple is an unmissable experience and with a pinch of imagination you can still visualize maidens, priestess and devotees praying and carrying out rituals.

Once you get inside the archaeological park area after few minutes walk, the impressive size of this building will draw immediately your attention.

Thanks to its good state of preservation you can still admire the six Doric order columns facade. Unfortunately, the wall of the cell and the pagan altar was destroyed when the temple was turned into a church. You can also see tombs both inside and outside dating back to the High Middle Age.

Find the Temple of Juno, an archaeological treasure nestled in the Valley of the Temples

Continuing your walk through the Valley of the Temples you will easily find the Temple of Juno. “Juno” is the latin name for “Hera”, goddess of fertility and marriage, sister and wife of Zeus.

The Temple of Juno and the Temple of Concordia are both Doric order column-style temples with 6 columns on the short side and 13 on the long side. They also share a similar size and for these reasons are commonly considered the “twin temples”. This beautiful Greek architecture is dated back to about 450 B.C but unfortunately does not share the same good preservation state with its twin.

Enjoy an astonishing panorama from the Valley of the Temples plateau

The Valley of the Temples is located on a beautiful plateau with an incredible view of the Sicilian landscape.

What makes this beautiful panorama unique is the succession of colors, many different shades of yellow, green and blue contribute to realize a beautiful artistic portrait. Yellow and green are the colors of the Mediterranean scrub, the typical sicilian vegetation, constantly hit by the sun, and blue is the color of the sky.

Although the slightly less pleasant view of the modern city of Agrigento is also visible from this spot, you can still enjoy a relaxing walk through all the paths that this archeological park offers to visitors and enjoy many beautiful panoramas.

Experience a beautiful natural path through the luxuriant Garden of Kolymbethra

Located just outside the archaeological park main entrance you will find the Garden of Kolymbethra. This beautiful garden is nestled in a small valley full of a luxuriant and heterogeneous nature.

“Kolymbethra” is a Greek word that means “pool”, referring to the old Roman pools used for the typical Romans aquatic games. Through a complex hydrological system and knowledge of the rock morphology this pool was constantly full of water and became a relevant spot for all the people in the nearby.

Over the centuries a luxuriant garden took the place of the pool and, thanks to the quality of the ground and the opulence of water, now is one of the most beautiful natural gardens in Sicily where you can find: citrus fruits, pistachios, mulberry, pomegranate, myrtles and beautiful examples of Mediterranean scrubs.