Valley of temples

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The city of Agrigento in Sicily is famous throughout the world for the ancient ruins of the 5th-6th centuries BC. e., striking imagination of the monumental classic colonnade style of architecture. The valley of the temples (Valle dei Templi) is a place of almost sacral significance, for here, among the surviving temple buildings dedicated to the ancient gods, one can feel the harmony of man with the surrounding world, as well as the time of the revived myths forever locked in stone.

Valley of the Temples in Sicily includes facilities in honor of the gods Zeus, Juno, Hercules, Vulcan, Aesculapius, and the Temple of Castor and Pollux (Castor and Pollux), the Temple of Concord and the necropolis of the early Christians.

most luxurious Temple of Olympian Zeus, now almost completely destroyed, was built on the orders of the governor of Gerona in the 5th century BC e . . slaves Carthaginians after Himerskoy battle . It was supposed to occupy an area of almost 6,500 sq km . . The stability of this grand structure was provided by the Valley of temples sculptures of Atlantis Telamon height of 7, 5 meters . The figure of one of Atlantis can be seen lying in the ruins of the temple . other authentic Telamon on display right now (among other interesting finds from the excavations of the Sicily region) in the Archaeological Museum of Agrigento, which can be visited by the general excursion ticket to the Valley of the Temples .

Valley of the Temples. Agrigento (ital.)

The Temple of Concordia, or Concorde, is best preserved. An ancient shrine was rebuilt in the 7th century to the church of Saints Peter and Paul, which saved the architectural monument from possible barbaric destruction that other temples did not escape.

Part of the valley with the ruins of the Temple of Zeus closes at 19.00, but the other half with the Accord temples, Juno and Hercules is open at night. You can combine the inspection of the entire Valley of the temples in the daytime, stay in the uncovered part until dusk and enjoy the stunning spectacle of temples in an artificial night illumination. Ruins as if come to life, impressions will be unforgettable!

Practical information

The address of the complex: Agrigento, contrada San Nikola. Tel. 39 092 240 1111.

Working hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday - from 9.00 to 13.30; Tuesday and Friday - from 9.00 to 19.30; on holidays from 9.00 to 13.30