Valle dei Templi

The Valle dei Templi, commonly known in English as the Valley of the Temples, is an archaeological park on a ridge outside the town of Agrigento in southwestern Sicily, Italy. Despite its name, the site is not a valley but a limestone ridge that once formed the southern edge of the ancient Greek city of Akragas. It is one of the most outstanding examples of ancient Greek art and architecture in Magna Graecia and ranks among the premier attractions of Sicily. Since 1997, the entire area has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The archaeological and landscape park encompasses 1,300 hectares, making it the largest archaeological park in Europe and the Mediterranean basin.

The city of Akragas was founded around 582 BC by settlers from Gela and Rhodes under the oikists Aristonos and Pystillos, during a second wave of Greek colonization. The site had likely already served as an emporion, or trading post, within Gela's sphere of influence. The city soon rose to prominence, particularly after the Battle of Himera in 480 BC, when the tyrant Theron defeated the Carthaginians. This victory brought wealth and prosperity, and the city embellished itself with monumental temples constructed using captured labor. By the mid-5th century BC, Akragas possessed more temples than the Athenian acropolis and had become the second most important Greek polis on Sicily after Syracuse. The city's wealth derived from fertile plains producing olive oil, wine, and wheat, which were traded throughout the Mediterranean, notably with Carthage. The site plateau was naturally defended by the rivers Akragas (modern San Biagio) to the east and Hypsas (modern Drago) to the west, which converged south of the city before reaching the sea approximately four kilometers away. A massive 12-kilometer circuit wall enclosed an area of 4.5 square kilometers, with nine fortified gates. The systematic study and preservation of the site began in earnest from the mid-18th century. Johann Joachim Winckelmann published his observations on the temples in 1759. In 1796, Prince Gabriele di Torremuzza, appointed guardian of antiquities for the Val di Mazzara, oversaw the re-erection of columns at the Temple of Hera and the removal of Christian additions from the Temple of Concordia. The creation of the Commission of Antiquities and Fine Arts for Sicily at Palermo in 1827 led to further restoration of the Temples of Concordia and the Dioscuri. Domenico Antonio Lo Faso Pietrasanta, Duke of Serradifalco from 1809 to 1812, conducted excavations in 1835-1836 and is credited with much of the early archaeological work at the site. More intensive excavations followed between 1925 and 1932 under Pirro Marconi, financed partly by Alexander Hardcastle.

The archaeological park preserves the remains of seven major temples, all constructed in the Doric order during the 5th century BC and earlier. The ascription of names to these temples, with the exception of the Temple of Olympian Zeus, derives from Renaissance tradition rather than ancient documentation. The temples line the southern edge of the ancient city on a ridge known in archaeological terminology as the Collina dei Templi (Hill of the Temples). The site also includes numerous other features: the so-called Tomb of Theron, a large pyramidal tuff monument; arcosolia and sepultures from Byzantine times; and extensive necropolises. The remains span from prehistoric occupation through Greek, Roman, and medieval periods, with the urban plan revealing orthogonal street grids from the second half of the 6th century BC. The temples demonstrate the full range of Doric architecture, from well-preserved peripteral structures to heavily ruined foundations, offering exceptional material for studying Greek colonial building practices.

The Temple of Concordia stands as the best-preserved structure and one of the finest surviving examples of Greek temple architecture anywhere. Its six-column facade inspired the UNESCO World Heritage symbol. The temple features a peristasis of 6 by 13 columns over a basement measuring 39.44 by 16.91 meters, with Doric columns of twenty flutes each, slight entasis, and perfectly preserved tympani. Polychrome stucco once covered its interior and exterior, and the roof was tiled with marble. Converted to a Christian church in the 6th century AD, it was modified with a nave and two aisles, arched openings, and sacristies carved into the eastern corners. The Temple of Heracles, traditionally dated to the last years of the 6th century BC and possibly begun under Theron, is the oldest in the valley; an earthquake reduced it to eight standing columns. The Temple of Olympian Zeus, constructed in 480 BC to commemorate the victory over Carthage, was distinguished by its use of colossal atlantes, one of which was reconstructed by Raffaello Politi and is now housed in the Museo di San Nicolà in Agrigento, with a copy placed at the site. The Temple of Castor and Pollux, though only four columns remain, has become the symbol of modern Agrigento. The Temple of Hera, dating to circa 450 BC and measuring 38.15 by 16.9 meters, was damaged by fire in 406 BC and later restored in Roman times. The Temple of Asclepius, a smaller structure of 21.7 by 10.7 meters probably from the late 5th century BC, featured an unusual fake opisthodomus with two semi-columns; Polybius mentioned a temple to Asclepius in this area, though scholarly attribution remains debated. The Temple of Hephaestus, also 5th century BC, was once among the most imposing but is now one of the most eroded.

The temples are situated on a limestone ridge south of the ancient urban center, which occupied a rectangular plateau of approximately 2.2 by 1.6 kilometers. The plateau's surface forms a trough running east-west, bounded by the Athenian Rock (Rupe Atenea) to the northeast and the Girgenti Hill to the northwest, where the archaic acropolis stood and where the historic core of modern Agrigento now lies. The southern boundary of the plateau is marked by the lower ridge where the temples are arrayed. This ridge, viewed from the medieval city center on the Girgenti Hill, appeared to lie in a valley, giving rise to the popular misnomer Valle dei Templi. The Temple of Hera occupies the easternmost end of this ridge, built on a massive artificial terrace with four-stepped base. The Temple of Concordia sits on the same ridge line, its exceptional preservation due in part to its conversion to a church and its relatively sheltered position. The Temple of Asclepius lies apart from the main ridge, in the middle of the San Gregorio plain, approximately one mile from the ancient city walls as noted by Polybius. The Tomb of Theron, a pyramidal tuff monument, also stands on the ridge, believed to commemorate Romans killed in the Second Punic War.

The Valle dei Templi is located in Agrigento, Sicily, Italy, with its official website at https://www.parcovalledeitempli.it/. The archaeological park covers 1,300 hectares and is publicly administered as the largest archaeological park in Europe and the Mediterranean basin. Visitors can access the site from the modern town of Agrigento, which sits atop the ancient acropolis on the Girgenti Hill. The park's extensive size and scattered monuments require considerable walking across the ridge and adjacent areas. The site has drawn European intellectuals and travelers since the mid-18th century, including Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who described his visit in his Italian Journey, and later visitors such as Alexis de Tocqueville and Guy de Maupassant. The Museo di San Nicolà in Agrigento houses original sculptures and architectural elements from the site, including the reconstructed atlante from the Temple of Olympian Zeus. The entire complex was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, recognized specifically for preserving one of the greatest cities of the ancient Mediterranean in exceptionally good condition, with its magnificent series of Doric temples standing as outstanding monuments of Greek art and culture.