Valley of the Temples, Sicily

We sadly departed Ortigia to drive to our next location. We have heard lots of bad stories about driving in Sicily and we were pleasantly surprised with our drive today. The roads are so much better than we expected however the Sicilians do not obey the speed signs - EVER. They are just there for decoration. We are just hoping there won’t be a speeding ticket for us when we get home as it was keep up or get off the roads.

On our way to Selinunte we stopped at the Valle dei Templi, Valley of the Temples, an archaeological site in Agrigento. It is one of the most outstanding examples of ancient Greek art and architecture, and is one of the main attractions of Sicily.

The Valley includes remains of seven temples, all in Doric style and were all established in 5th century BC. Once again we have been blown away by the history of this country, the fact these temples are still standing and that we can have access to them. With the brilliant blue sky, the temple remains stand proud and the site has been well laid out, and is very informative.

In front of the Temple of Concordia is the Statue of Icarus, donated by the Polish sculptor Igor Mitoraj. The statue represents the fall of Icarus, who disobeyed his father Daedalus, flew too close to the sun, burnt his wax wings and fell into the Mediterranean. It is similar to the one in front of the Tower of Pisa, but this one of the full body of Icarus, in all his glory. A group of older female tourists lined up to have their photos taken next to his appendage. It is quite an odd site considering the location. The statue seems fitting but not the photo opportunity it presents.

We didn’t have time to do the full site but managed to see a few temples and other historic sites before hitting the road for our next destination. This is such an impressive site and one of the reasons we chose to hire a car and drive. We are so happy with our decision to do so.Read more