2-Hour Agrigento Valley of the Temples Walking Tour with Doric Temples
About This Tour
Join a guided tour of ancient Akragas, the oldest part of Agrigento, where the beautiful Valley of the Temples rises. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of...
Duration: 2 Hours · Tour type: Private · Activity level: Easy · Accommodation: Not included · Transport: Not included · Wheelchair access: No · City: Agrigento · Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
About Agrigento
Agrigento
With the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Valley of the Temples right on the doorstep, complete with crumbling Greek peristyles and one fantastic museum, Agrigento tour guides from Everest Global Hub have plenty to show off.
What's Included
- Walking tour with a licensed tour guide
- Visit to the archaeological park
Not Included
- Entry tickets
- Food and drinks
- Visit to the museum
- Transfer service
Itinerary
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1Day 01
Walking Tour of the Valley of the Temples
The guided tour of the oldest and most characteristic area of Agrigento, known as the Valley of the Temples, will take you back in time among the Doric temples of the Hellenic period, as you visit one of the largest and most spectacular archaeological areas in the world. We begin with the Temple of Hera Lacinia, or Juno, built in 450 BC at an elevation of 120 metres on the hill of Rupe Atenea, with its striking Doric columns. The temple is dedicated to Juno because it once housed a painting that probably depicted the goddess, protector of women and fertility, and it was here that weddings were celebrated. A few steps away stands one of the symbols of Agrigento, the majestic Temple of Concordia, the second best-preserved temple in the world after the Parthenon in Athens. Dating back to 430 BC, it remains in an excellent state of conservation thanks to its later transformation into a Christian church. In front of the temple, you can admire the evocative bronze statue of Icarus, donated by the famous Polish sculptor Igor Mitoraj. It represents the fall of Icarus, who disobeyed his father and flew too close to the sun, burning his wax wings before falling into the Mediterranean. The guided tour continues with the oldest of Agrigento's Doric temples, the Temple of Hercules, or Heracles for the Greeks, which owes its name to a bronze statue of Hercules, the strongest and most valiant of the gods, once kept inside the temple. During the visit, you will also see prickly pear trees and breathtaking panoramic views over the valley. We then arrive at the Temple of Jupiter, or Zeus, originally one of the largest temples of classical antiquity. Over time, it was damaged by earthquakes and later used as a quarry for the construction of the Porto Empedocle pier. Among the temple's ruins, we will see the reconstruction of one of the Telamons, over 7 metres high - a giant stone sculpture placed outside the temple to protect the divinity - whose majesty still gives an idea of the original beauty of the monument. After a short walk, the guided tour continues to the Temple of the Dioscuri, of which only one corner with four columns remains. Despite the few remains that have survived to the present day, it has become one of the most representative monuments of Agrigento. The guided tour ends with an outside view of the Kolymbetra Garden, an extensive citrus grove of orange and lemon trees, where nature and silence create a heavenly place in total harmony with the temples that surround it.
Meeting Point
Meeting point: Giunone Temple parking area / ticket office, Agrigento · Tour start: 92100 Agrigento, AG, Italy — Tour ends at the same location as the start point.
