The Valley of the Temples of Agrigento (UNESCO Heritage, 44km from Palermo by car or 2h by train) is Europe's most extensive archaeological park — 1,300 hectares including seven 5th-6th century BC Doric temples, a necropolis, remains of Greek dwellings and a first-rate museum. The Temple of Concordia (480 BC) is the world's best-preserved Greek temple in absolute terms — better than the Athens Parthenon, because in the 9th century AD it was converted into a Christian church and was not dismantled to extract the stone blocks. The site is best visited at three moments: at dawn (raking light on the columns is spectacular), in the afternoon (golden light from the west), and in summer evenings (evening opening with artificial lighting, April-October). From Palermo: 2h by train (€11) or 44km by car (A19). From Catania: 2h 30' by car. Agrigento has no airport — the nearest are Palermo (144km) and Catania (170km).
The Temples: Route and Priorities
The ticket (€16 online, €18 at the box office) includes the park and the Pietro Griffo Regional Museum. The main route (2h-3h on foot, 2km) starts from the Porta V entrance and crosses: the Temple of Juno Lacinia (450 BC, on the highest point of the hill, partly burned by the Carthaginians in 406 BC — the red marks on the limestone blocks are traces of the fire), the Temple of Concordia (480 BC, the best preserved — 34 intact fluted columns, the frieze with original triglyphs and metopes partly visible), the Temple of Heracles (6th century BC, the oldest, 9 columns re-erected in 1924), the Temple of Olympian Zeus (480 BC, never completed — would have been the largest Doric temple ever built, 112 x 56m, with the 7.65m male telamons supporting the entablature), the Temple of Castor and Pollux (four corner columns reassembled in the 19th century from pieces of different buildings — not authentic but the most photographed). Evening entry (April-October, Thursday-Sunday from 19:30, €8) with artificial lighting transforms the site.
The Pietro Griffo Regional Museum
The Pietro Griffo Regional Museum (included in the park ticket, closed Mondays) is one of Sicily's most important archaeological museums — it houses the site's portable finds that cannot be left outdoors. The main piece is the reconstructed telamon (7.65m, the stone giant that supported the Temple of Zeus's entablature) — the only complete one, the others are fragments scattered in the park. The Apulian red-figure vases (5th-4th century BC), architectural terracottas (temple pediments), votive ex-votos from the Hellenistic necropolis complete the collection. The upper floor has the medieval and Arab section — Agrigento was then colonised by Arabs (827-1087 AD) and Arab dwelling remains overlap with the Greek quarters.
Scala dei Turchi and Agrigento Surroundings
Scala dei Turchi (25km from Agrigento, Realmonte) is a white marl cliff descending directly to the sea — the horizontal stratifications create a natural staircase of very white rock against the cobalt blue sea. The beach at the foot is fine sand. Access: 20 min on foot from the road (paid parking €3) or by bus from Porto Empedocle. Note: the white marl is easily scratched — do not walk on the formations, the park is protected. Porto Empedocle (Agrigento's harbour) is the embarkation point for the Pelagie islands — Lampedusa (6h overnight ferry, the Conigli beach is among Europe's 3 most beautiful) and Linosa (volcanic, less touristy). Sciacca (50km from Agrigento) is the city of thermal baths and ceramics — Sciacca's hand-painted ceramics are a centuries-old craft.
Practical tips
The Temple of Concordia at dawn (before 8:00) is almost empty — the raking light on the 34 columns is incomparable
Evening opening (April-October, €8) transforms the site with artificial lighting — one of Sicily's finest experiences
The reconstructed telamon (7.65m) in the museum is why the ticket includes the Griffo Museum — don't skip it
Scala dei Turchi (25km) is mandatory — the white marl cliff on the sea is one of southern Sicily's most beautiful things
Agrigento in spring (March-May) has almond trees in bloom around the temples — a spectacle unique in the world
Plan your Agrigento visit
Valley of the Temples, museum and Scala dei Turchi — itinerary in 5 minutes.
Plan now
