Temple Time

For our last big outing in Sicily we drove up the western side of the island to Agrigento to visit the Valley of the Temples. Despite the name, they are up in a ridge and it is quite a sight to be driving along a modern highway and see ancient temples dotting the skyline.

We had picked the coolest day of the week for our visit and in the shade, with a breeze blowing, it was quite pleasant. But with the sun beating down from a cloudless sky, it was brutal. I was very happy to remember the tiny umbrella I carry in my purse, which helped enormously, but by the end of our trek through the park my face was tomato red from the heat. Miraculously we all managed to avoid any sunburn!

Our visit started at the Temple of Juno, which all the signs warn is just a traditional name with no evidence to support it.

Along the way we passed several different sections of graves from the Early Christian era, after the city of the Greeks had been abandoned.

A cafe along the trail served the best granita we had on the island, made in house with fresh oranges and lemons, and served at tables shaded by olive trees.

Our next stop was the Temple of Concordia, which is in shockingly good shape because it was used as a church and maintained by them.

We moved on past an area reserved for a group of Girgentana goats, an indigenous breed being rescued from extinction.

We passed through the lovely shady gardens around the Villa Athena resort, where there was an art exhibit we could have visited, but didn't want to stand in a long line in the sun.

Next up were the remains of the Temple of Hercules.

We crossed over the Porta Aurea, the Golden Gate in the old city walls that the road still uses today.

We approached the Temple of Zeus on the eastern side, and had a view of the altar and one of the capitals.

Continuing around the northern end of the ruins, we had a view of the Temple of Obscure Gods.

Then we visited the eastern side of the Temple of Zeus, where there is a reconstructed telemon of Atlas, holding up you the world.

We were so happy to board the shuttle that would return us to the start of the path. Along the way we got a good view of the bronze statue of fallen Icarus lying on the eastern side of the Temple of Concordia.

After a stop for lunch and a chance to cool down, we drove over to the Archeological Museum, down a beautiful treelined road.

In the museum we saw many archeological finds from the Agrigento site. Here are a few of my favorites:

This three-legged spiral is on the Sicilian flag.

A model of the Temple of Zeus, so you can see how the telemons would have fit into the building, more than ten storeys tall by today's standards.

By the time we'd spent an hour at the museum we were very done and ready to head home. I'd done all the driving up to that point, but needed a break, so Jason drove the last hour and a half back to Scicli, arriving in time to Zoom in for the funeral of his uncle, who died recently. It is such a gift to be able to share in events of our family and community, even when we're so far away.

On our walk Tuesday, Alice and I had noticed a restaurant that looked fun along the course of the Santa Maria de Novo stream--dry now, but walled in. So we had made a reservation for 9pm and strolled down the hill to My Name is Tannino, where Jason’s steak was the star of the show!