Current Time in Agrigento, Italy

Agrigento is a city in southern Sicily, Italy, perched on a ridge above the southern coast of the island overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. With a population of approximately 60,000, it is the capital of the Province of Agrigento and one of the most historically significant cities in the Mediterranean world. Its fame rests primarily on the Valley of the Temples — Valle dei Templi — a UNESCO World Heritage Site containing some of the finest and best-preserved ancient Greek temples outside of Greece itself, standing as a testament to the extraordinary civilization that flourished here more than two and a half millennia ago.

The ancient city of Akragas was founded around 582 BC by Greek colonists from Gela, who in turn were descended from settlers from Rhodes and Crete. Under a succession of powerful rulers, most notably the tyrant Theron who reigned from 488 to 472 BC, Akragas became one of the wealthiest and most powerful cities in the ancient Greek world, with a population estimated at 200,000 or more at its height — enormous by ancient standards. The philosopher Empedocles, who proposed that the world was composed of four fundamental elements — earth, water, fire, and air — was born in Akragas, and the statesman and orator Timaeus spent much of his life here. The city's affluence was displayed through its magnificent building program, which lined the southern ridge with a procession of Doric temples.

The Valley of the Temples, extending along a ridge south of the modern city, preserves seven temple complexes from the fifth and sixth centuries BC in varying states of preservation. The Temple of Concordia, built around 440 BC, is one of the best-preserved Greek temples anywhere in the world: its 34 Doric columns still stand almost to their full original height, glowing golden-amber in the Mediterranean light against a backdrop of almond trees and ancient olives. The Temple of Juno, the Temple of Heracles (the oldest in the complex), and the ruins of the enormous Temple of Olympian Zeus — which would have been the largest Greek temple ever built had it been completed — are among the other monuments. Walking through the Valley at sunset or during the annual almond blossom festival in February, when the trees between the temples burst into white flower, is an experience of extraordinary beauty.

The Museo Regionale Archeologico Pietro Griffo, situated in a former monastery beside the temples, contains an outstanding collection of artifacts from the ancient city, including the only surviving Telamon — a giant stone figure — from the Temple of Zeus, ancient pottery, coins, votive objects, and terracotta figurines that bring the ancient city's daily life to vivid detail.

The medieval and Baroque upper city of Agrigento, built on the ruins of the ancient settlement, has its own considerable architectural interest. The Cathedral of Agrigento, founded in the eleventh century but substantially rebuilt over subsequent centuries, and the Church of Santa Maria dei Greci, built on the foundations of a Greek temple, are the principal monuments of the historic center. The narrow streets of the old town climb steeply between traditional Sicilian apartment buildings and small piazzas.

Agrigento is accessible by rail and road from Palermo (approximately two hours) and from Catania. The nearest airport is Palermo's Falcone Borsellino Airport. The surrounding province offers additional attractions including the Scala dei Turchi, a spectacular white marl staircase cliff on the coast, and the mosaics of the Villa Romana del Casale near Piazza Armerina.

Agrigento is a city where the weight of history is almost physical. Standing before the Temple of Concordia as the sun sets over the sea, or walking through the almond orchards below the ancient walls, visitors encounter an encounter with antiquity that is unmediated, immediate, and deeply moving.