Sicily Valley of the Temples

In the area to the extreme South of Agrigento, stretched out on a ridge, known as Valle, one finds the Valle dei Templi, the origins of which date back to the 5th century BC. The Valle consists of a series of temples which were built to symbolize the prosperity of the city. The only temple to remain intact is the Tempio della Concordia.

All of the temples face East, according to Classical criteria, in both Greek and Roman times, and are all built in the Doric and Estastil style, with the exception of the temple dedicated to Zeus. The buildings which make up Valle dei Templi are: the sacrificial alter, the Temple of Zeus Olimpio, the Temple of Castore and Polluce or of the Dioscuri (symbol of Agrigento), the Temple of Efesto, the Temple of Eracle (Ercole), the Paleochristian Necropoli, the Temple of the Concordia (the best conserved), the Antiquarium of paleochristian Agrigento, the Iconographic Antiquarium of the Collina dei Templi, the Temple of Hera Lacinia (Giunone), the Tomb of Terone and the Temple of Asciepio (Esculapio).