Valle dei Templi (Valley of the Temples)

The Valley of the Temples is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the finest collections of ancient Greek architecture outside Greece itself. The name is slightly misleading — it is not a valley but a long ridge south of modern Agrigento, where the ancient city of Akragas spread across the limestone plateau overlooking the sea. Seven major temples survive in various states of preservation, along with an extensive network of ancient streets, sanctuaries, a necropolis, and a garden of ancient olive trees.

The eastern zone contains the best-preserved temples: the Temple of Concordia (5th century BC) stands nearly complete, its warm golden limestone still carrying the outline of a later Christian conversion into a church, which is why so much of it survives. The Temple of Heracles nearby is older and more fragmentary — eight columns still stand — while the Temple of Hera sits on the far eastern end of the ridge with views over the coast. The western zone is more ruinous, dominated by the vast tumbled mass of the Temple of Olympian Zeus, once the largest Doric temple ever attempted. A reconstructed telamon — one of the Atlas-figure supports — lies dramatically on its back amid the rubble. The archaeological park also contains the Regional Museum of Archaeology, which houses the finds from the site. Buy your ticket online to avoid queues in peak season.

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A story
The ancient city of Akragas was, in the 5th century BC, one of the largest Greek cities in the world, with a population estimated at around 200,000. The Carthaginians sacked it in 406 BC and carried off much of its wealth, including the bronze bull in which Phalaris — the city's 6th-century tyrant — reportedly roasted his enemies alive. The bull itself may be a legend, but the ruins are undeniably real.