General Info

Agrigento during the Greek era, which dates back to its foundation, was known under the name of Akragas and its birth is due to the expansion of the nearby Gela, where they had settled the Greeks from Rhodes and Crete. The pulsating core of the city of Akragas was precisely the Valley of the Temples, of which today we preserve an extraordinary testimony, the world's largest archaeological site and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Destroyed by the Carthaginians, it was rebuilt by the Corinthians who contended in Carthage for predominance on the island. Like all of Sicily, it fell under the Roman Empire and its name was turned into Agrigentum. Two other names were given to the city: Gergent during the Arab domination and Girgenti during the Norman one.The latter was the official name until 1927, when the fascist regime opted for an Italianization of the name, referring to the one it had during the Roman domination. Today, Agrigento is virtually divided into two cities: the old one which is identified with the upper part and where the Valle dei Tempi is also located, the new valley whose conformation was defined around the 19th century. Agrigento is the city symbol of the Greek presence in Sicily and like all the cities of the island, a crossroads of art, history, culture and also of different historical periods, of which it remains wide and no traces throughout the territory.

Top Things To See

Valley of the Temples A must see in the city of Agrigento, the Valley of the Temples, which is the founding heart of the city, consists of 12 temples of Doric style, three sanctuaries, a large number of necropolises, a garden that is also a hydraulic work, fortifications, the lower and upper Agora, the temple of Olympian Zeus and a council chamber. Inside it is impossible to miss the Garden of the Kolymbetra, a site of naturalistic and landscape importance, which since 1999 has been managed by the Fondo Ambiente Italiano, a National Trust, thanks to which it was possible to recover it after a long period spent in a state of neglect and degradation. The scale of the Turks It appears as a rocky wall that unfolds in stairways in the shape of waves overlooking the sea with a such shining white. It is located in the municipality of Realmonte and has become one of the most visited places after it was made famous by the pen of Andrea Camilleri, whose description is given in the novel "The first Montalbano survey" “Pirandello's house” In the "most beautiful city of mortals", as he called it, lived Luigi Pirandello, writer awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1934. The house is located in a district called Caos, on the border between Agrigento and Porto Empedocle and overlooking the sea. It belonged to the family of the writer's mother, who took refuge there as a young to escape a cholera epidemic that struck Sicily in the second half of the 1800s. In addition to his ashes, there are testimonies of life and works. Periodically the ground floor hosts events dedicated to the writer. The old Girgenti Historical center of the city, rises on the top of the hill of the ancient Girgenti, in front of the Valley of the Temples, and dates back to the medieval period, of which some buildings are still preserved today. In this place it is possible to find numerous testimonies of Arab-Norman art, to which the city paid tribute in 2016 by renaming the Girgenti territory, a name that the city of Agrigento had before 1927. Siculiana Nature Reserve - Torre Salsa Managed by the WWF, this reserve it has a pristine coastline that stretches for 6 kilometers between dunes and beaches with fine sand. Inside the reserve is Torre Salsa, a lookout tower that sits on top of a clay promontory.

How To Move

Agrigento can be reached by train, bus, taxi and car. In the city you can move with the TUA buses that connect Agrigento to the Valley of the Temples and other historical sites in the city. In all cases, to move easily between the different areas of interest, several kilometers away, we recommend renting a car.

What To Eat

Cous cous pistachio Contrary to what you may think, is a sweet dish that dates back to 1300 made with pistachios, almonds, cinnamon, chocolate, nuts, candied fruits, dates and spices. The broad bean soup A soup of dried beans from peasant origins that over time has known numerous variations that include the addition of pasta, onion, fennel, etc. Taganu Typical of the town of Aragona, in the province of Agrigento, the taganu is the pan where the dish is prepared with meat ragu, pasta, butter, parmesan and beaten eggs, composed in the shape of a cake with several layers and baked in the oven.