Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights & Activities
Selinunte's
ruins
( 092 44 62 51;
www.selinunte.net
;
adult €6, EU citizen 18-25yr €3, under 18 or 65+ free;
9am-6pm summer, 9am-4pm winter)
are divided into the acropolis, the ancient city, the eastern
temples and the Sanctuary of Malophoros. The archaeological site is spread out over a
vast area dominated by the hill of Manuzza - the location of the ancient city proper - and
deserves a visit of at least three hours to do it justice.
The ticket office and main parking lot are near the eastern temples, on the western edge
of Marinella di Selinunte. There are
electric carts
(€3-12 depending on number of sites visited)
that can
help mobility-impaired visitors get around the site.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
Acropolis
(Strada dei Templi)
The Acropolis, the heart of Selinunte's political and social life, occupies a
slanted plateau overlooking the now-silted-up Gorgo di Cottone. Huddled in the south-
eastern part are five temples (A, B, C, D and O). Virtually the symbol of Selinunte,
Temple
century BC.
The stunning metopes found by Harris and Angell were once a part of this formidable
structure, as was the enormous Gorgon's mask that once adorned the pediment; both of
these can be viewed in the Museo Archeologico Regionale in Palermo. Experts believe
that the temple was dedicated to Apollo.
wards the end of the 6th century BC and dedicated to either Neptune or Venus.
could have been dedicated to the Agrigentan physiologist and philosopher Empedocles,
whose water-drainage scheme saved the city from the scourge of malaria (a bitter irony
for William Harris, who contracted the disease during the initial excavations and died
soon after).
GOOGLE MAP
, closest to the sea, are the most recent, built between 490 and 480 BC. They
are virtually identical in both style and size, and it's been suggested that they might have
been dedicated to the twins Castor and Pollux.
Eastern Temples
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
