Italy, Agrigento

The Valley of the temples

THE VALLEY OF THE TEMPLES The Valley of the Temples is a great

Archeological and tourist area enclosing a large number of witness of Greek and Roman domination with its several temples built in the fifth century AC in Doric style.

They are consideredUNESCO HERITAGE

CASTOR AND POLLUX TEMPLE• Built in the last decades of the fifth

century BC, it was dedicated to the twins born from the union of Zeus and Leda and it is the symbol of Agrigento. There are only four columns of the temple and part of entablature. There are also that are thought to belong to a shrine

• In Roman times it was dedicated to the to Dioscuri.

HERACLION TEMPLE• It is the oldest of the temples and is in

Doric style. It consists in only eight columns. It has decorations included the bronze statue of Heracles. In Roman times it dedicated to Hercules. A little further on is the Villa Aurea, rebuilt and inhabited by English Captain Hardcastle, that payed its

• reconstruction.

CONCORDE TEMPLE

It is one of the best preserved temples of antiquity. It was a place of cult converted into a church in the sixth century. This transformation has partially changed the architecture of the temple but it has remained the form and original materials. It was built around 430 BC but it is not certain whom it was dedicated to.

THERON TOMB• The monument is mistakenly believed

to be the tomb of the tyrant Theron, but instead it goes back to Roman times and was erected to honour of soldiers during the Second Punic War. The monument was made up of tuff and it is slightly pyramidal and it has decorated corners of the columns.

Its Monuments

The Museum

Modern Agrigento