Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CENTRAL SICILY & THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST
Central Sicily is a land of vast panoramas, undulating fields, severe mountain ridges and
hilltop towns not yet sanitised for tourists. Moving towards the Mediterranean, the per-
spective changes, as ancient temples jostle for position with modern high-rise apartments
outside Agrigento, Sicily's most lauded classical site and also one of its busier modern cit-
ies.
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Agrigento
POP 59,100 / ELEV 230M
Agrigento does not make a good first impression. Seen from a distance, the modern city's
rows of unsightly apartment blocks loom incongruously on the hillside, distracting atten-
tion from the splendid Valley of the Temples below, where the ancient Greeks once built
their great city of Akragas. Never fear: once you get down among the ruins, their monu-
mental grace becomes apparent, and it's easy to understand how this remarkable complex
of temples became Sicily's pre-eminent travel destination, first put on the tourist map by
Goethe in the 18th century.
Three kilometres uphill from the temples, Agrigento's medieval core is a pleasant place
to pass the evening after a day exploring the ruins. The intercity bus and train stations are
both in the upper town, within a few blocks of Via Atenea, the main street of the medieval
city.
