in the valley of the gods

Today I hopped a train from Palermo to Agrigento, on the south shore of Sicily. The Greek ruins at Agrigento (formerly Akragas) date to the 5th century BC. As you'll see, many of them are are in splendid condition. Walking around the park gives you a lot of access (and 6 miles later, aching feet). A whole new amphitheater has recently been rediscovered. 

Only in Italy would a visit to an archaeological site be an excuse for a slow foods display. The orange marmalade was fantastic, but I bought the foglia allegra and a local chocolate bar. Note that Sicilia has made chocolate for centuries; it was brought here from Mexico by the Spanish.

To quote my guide from that first Colosseum tour 9 days ago, use your imagination.

Do you see the figure lying down?

This tumble of rocks was the statue of Apollo.

These pillars are all that remains from the Temple of Hercules.

They made me think of the moai on Easter Island.

The centerpiece of Agrigento is the so called Temple of Concordia. And it is magnificent.

One reason the Temple of Concordia was so well preserved is that it was consecrated in the 5th or 6th century AD as a Christian church. That included creating these cathedral-like arches along the sides.

Continuing east, the remains of the city wall can be seen as arcosolari. It was so bright facing south toward the Mediterranean, it was hard to take a photo.

The stone is all local. Amazing what a little irrigation can do.

Later, in the Christian era, niches were carved out and some were used for burial. I like the plants growing out of the top. Everything grows in Sicily.

The last of the ruins in the main park is the Temple of Hera. First here's the view looking backward. It's a bit of a climb.

No one really knows if the temple was to Hera. Ritual sacrifices were performed here, with supplicants eating the killed creatures.

The Greeks believed a man's foot was a footlong, and liked the ratio of 6 to 1, for his height relative to its foot. So the columns are 1 meter in diameter and 6 meters high.

Look what we have here.

An enormous fallen angel.

The porta aurea or Golden Gate. It does remind me of home.

I'm staying at a charming small hotel up the hill in the central historic district. Francesco's family has owned this building for generations; one sister sold the ground floor, so that's another apartment.

Up above the rooftops, the suites are filled with historic family photos and many stories, which I heard over panettone and Twining's premium black tea.

Sweet dreams.