Sicily - Italy - page 563

of Zeus. Today only eight pillars are standing. As you wander through the site,
peek out at the distant sea, a reminder that these temples stood as a beacon to
sailors and shone brightly through the day under the brutal Sicilian sun, the gold
decorations no doubt adding to the sparkle. The next large temple is the nearly
intact Temple of Concord, with its 34 columns. In the 4th century A . D . it was
consecrated as a basilica, which saved it from abandonment. The original intent
of this temple is a mystery; it was only named the Temple of Concord in 1748,
when it was restored to the state that you see today.
The last of the major temples in the eastern zone is the Temple of Hera, which
was used for sacrificial offerings (the red is not remnant blood, though, but the
scars of fires during various wars).
The Museo Archeologico (Via dei Templi; % 0922-40111; adults € 4.50, stu-
dents and seniors € 2; Mon 9am-1:30pm, Tues-Sat 9am-6pm) is a comprehensive
museum with very detailed explanations in both Italian and English of the many
artifacts unearthed in this area. Of note are the prehistoric findings from the area
and a plan of the ancient city of Akragas (the old Greek name for Agrigento). The
prize piece is the red ceramic krater from 490 B . C . that was used to mix wine and
water. Many similar kraters were illegally excavated from ruins in this area and
sold illegally to American museums. This museum also has a full telamon and sev-
eral telamon heads similar to the one found above in the Temple of Zeus.
RAGUSA
The province of Ragusa is rich in history and largely untouched by the outside
world. Most Sicilians believe it is the most authentic of Italy's provinces, thanks
to the absence of foreign invasions in modern times. Sicilian poet Gesualdo
Bufalino appropriately calls it un isola nell'isola (an island within the island).
Virtually no tourists come here and for me to urge you to start the trend seems
almost sacrilegious. But it's such a wonderfully intriguing place, where unmarked
roads wind through Sicily's own private backyard. Villas stand perched on hills
overlooking cascading vineyards and orchards, and small towns like Modica mag-
ically appear in the valleys. There is very much a cultura contadina, or peasant cul-
ture, here, which I hope will not soon succumb to the pressures of modernity.
This is primarily a wine-and-beef-producing area with pockets of oil production.
Its asphalt is so durable that it's exported to weather-challenged countries like
England.
Start in the provincial capital of Ragusa

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. Originally a Norman fortress, it
grew to become one of the most important Hellenistic cities of the 5th through
the 1st centuries B . C . Then an earthquake in 1693 destroyed much of this island
and reduced the thriving city of Ragusa to rubble. Surviving businessmen built a
new city, Ragusa Alta, on the top of the hill rather than along its flanks, but die-
hard Ragusans refused to accept this new location and rebuilt a baroque version
of ancient Ragusa exactly where it had been: clinging to the hillside. Today the
ornately baroque town at the base of the hill is known as Ragusa Bassa, or simply
as Ibla, and is unique on the island for its dazzling display of hillside architecture.
It's hard to imagine churches built in a more precarious setting.
The two Ragusas coexisted separately until 1926, when they were officially
joined as one municipality. Ragusa Alta has some baroque churches that are worth