Chapter 5 - Agrigento
DAY
5
Ancient Agrigento
Day 5 - November 16, 2024
We left Trapani after breakfast and spent most of the morning on the bus. We made a stop at a roadside store with toilets and snacks, including gorgeously decorated desserts. Along our drive we saw lush green fields and grazing sheep. (Remember, they have to make that sheep's milk ricotta for the cannoli's!)
Buona giornata!
(Have a nice day!)
We could have easily been in Greece instead of Sicily when we arrived at the Valley of the Temples (Valle dei Templi). Greek antiquities reign in Agrigento! Like many of the tourist sites in Sicily and throughout Italy, the Valley of the Temples is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In reality, the temples sit on a ridge, not in a valley. Our local guide, Michele, took us to the Archeaological Museum first. We saw Greek craters which are vessels with wide openings that were excavated from the Greek necropolis of Agrigento. There is one very rare crater still intact with white clay like what is used in porcelain. It dates back to about 430 BC. and features Perseus and Andromeda. The geometric designs and calligraphy-type curlyQ drawings on these ancient vessels have a very modern feel. Such design patterns are used commonly by today's artists. I guess through the cyclical nature of culture, what's old is new again throughout the generations!
Sadly, I did not get a picture of the Dinos vase with the 7th century BC. triskeles (trinicria) that we now see on the flag of Sicily. However, I did take photos of several other beautiful and intriguing museum treasures. The most impressive display is the original Telamon statue from the Temple of Zeus that I believe the museum was designed around. Seeing all of these magnificent artifacts in the museum was only a prelude to the sites we were about to view outside! Again, I counted my blessings to have another day of bright blue skies for the backdrop in my photos!
Let's Stroll through the Valley of the Temples
The massive Temple of Concordia was constructed in the 5th century BC. The local bishop converted it into a Christian basilica in the 6th century. The interior walls that were added in this refurbishment gave it more stability, which is why it still stands as the largest, most well-preserved Doric temple in Sicily.
WOW!
Other things to see while strolling through the Valley of the Temples...
OLIVES! Have I mentioned the olives yet? Olives are served at breakfast, lunch and dinner. They are robust and delicious. Like other countries in Europe, they are served unpitted so you just need to remember to spit the pit!
We've sampled olives and extra virgin olive oil on each Rick Steves' tour we've taken except France. Every country claims their olives are the best, producing the best oil and we've bought into that boasting. So we promise, the Sicilian olives are the BEST!
Our Accommodations for the Night
Baglio della Luna Hotel
Alessandro drove us to our countryside hotel. The Hotel Foresteria Baglio della Luna is a 4-Star boutique hotel that sits in an area of lush olive groves overlooking the Valley of the Temples we just visited. The staff at this resort-like hotel were very hospitable and we were lucky enough to have a room with a sprawling view.
Once we all delivered our belongings to our rooms, we had free time before leaving for dinner. I think nearly everyone in our group made use of the last hours of daylight to enjoy the lovely gardens on the property. The grounds were bursting with vibrant blooms of bougainvillea, lantana, prickly pear, and walls of aloe plants. I've never seen it grow like that back home!
Our room with a View!
A Delicious Group Dinner Experience
That's our bus driver, Alessandro.
10,482 Steps
Our group dinner this evening was at Caico Trattoria & Cantina in Agrigento. Alessandro took a route that gave us a nighttime view of the glowing temples and we all thanked him for being so accommodating!
Our multi-course dinner menu included antipasta, risotto with mussels, spagetti wrapped in eggplant, fish with potatoes, all topped off with an almond gelato dessert. Each plate was better yet! We surprised Steve with a birthday serenade and he got to blow out a candle. Our meal was enticing enough, but we had a tableside view of the meal being served near us and it earned some photo clicks, too. We felt delightfully spoiled by this meal! Stephanie knows how to pick them!
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