Palermo and
Beyond!
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| Temple of Concordia, Agrigento |
After three
days in Palermo it was time for our tour to move on. We all boarded
the bus for the 2-3 hour drive to the next stop, (94 km or 130 miles
away) the Agrigento area and the Valley of Temples, on the
south-eastern part of the island. The Sicilian countryside is
peaceful, with much agriculture, and, of course, all the roads are
being worked on. Sicily is quite self-sufficient and has its own
natural resources, they like having some measure of independence,
they are part of Italy but are considered an autonomous region. After
learning about the history of the island, no one can blame them for
wanting some kind of say in their own destiny.
Dopo tre giorni a Palermo era tempo che l nostro tour proseguisse. Salomnotutti sull'autobus per 2-3 ore di macchina fino alla fermata successiva (94 km) l'area di Agrigento e la Valle dei Templi, nella parte sud-orientale dell'isola. La campagna siciliana e tranquilla, con molta agricoltura e, naturalmente, tutte le strade sono in fase di lavorazione. La Sicilla e abbastanza autosufficiente e ha le sue rosorse naturali, a loro piace avere una certa indipendenza, fanno parte dell'Italia ma sono considerate una regione autonoma. Dopo aver appreso della storia dell'isola, nessuno puo biasimarli per aver voluto dire qualcosa mel proprio destino.
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| View out the bus window as we approached the site. |
Valle dei
Templi
This area was
declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. It is the largest
archaeological site n the world (3200 acres).
Agrigento, the
modern name, was known as Akragas and was an ancient Greek settlement
in Sicily. It was founded around 580 BC. It became a large settlement
and it is believed as many as 300,000 people could have lived there
at its supreme times. Excavations have found 12 km (7.5 miles) of
walls and nine city gates that once enclosed the city, along with
some of the largest and best preserved Greek architecture of any
where in the world, even Greece. It has been named a World Heritage
site and though much of it has not been excavated yet, many wonders
have already been found at the site.
Quest'area e stata dichiarata Patriomonio dell'Umanita
dall'UNESCO nel 1997. E il piu grande sito archeologico
del mondo 3200 acres.
Agrigento, il nome moderno, era noto come Akragas ed era
un antico insediamento greco in Sicilia. Fu fondata intorno
al 580 a.C. Divenne un grande insediamento e si ritiene che
300,000 persone avrebbero potuto vivere li ai suoi tempi
supremi. Gli scavi hanno trovato 12 km di mura e nove
porte cittadine che un tempo racchiudevano la citta,insieme
ad alcune delle piu grandi e meglio conservate architetture
greche di qualsiasi parte del mondo,persino la Grecia.
E stato nominato un sito del patrimonio mondiale e sebbene
gran parte dii esso non sia stato ancora scavato, molte
meraviglie sono gia state trovate nel sito.
Residents of
Akragas tried to stay neutral in the wars between the Greek cities of
Athens and Sparta but it is known that they sided with the city of
Syracuse (Siracusa in Sicily) when that city fought Carthage. The
city was attacked by Carthage and by Rome in the First and Second
Punic Wars, and it was attacked afterward as well. After the Second
Punic War the peace proceedings awarded the city to Rome and the name
was changed to Agrigentum. Even though the city now became part of
the empire, it remained mostly a Greek settlement for hundreds of
years afterward.
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| Remans of the Temple of Olympian Zeus |
The city was passed to other conquerors when Rome fell, the Saracens,
the Normans and the Bourbons all became rulers of Sicily in the
forthcoming years. Eventually the lower, coastal parts of the
settlement were abandoned in favor of settlement in the hilly region,
where the old Greek temples were. This abandonment is believed to be
because of the threat of invasion from raiders on the coast bordering
the Mediterranean Sea. Taking refuge in the hills, in places where
settlements were vulnerable to attack by sea was a common occurrence
in other areas of southern Italy along the coasts. The city did not
thrive under Norman or Bourbon rule and in 1860, along with the rest
of Sicily it supported Garibaldi and the unification of Italy, north
and south, to finally oust the Spanish. The city suffered many
bombing raids during WW II under Mussolini's rule.
Today Agrigento
is a popular destination for tourists in Sicily because of its vast
archaeological history and it is also an agricultural center. Some of
the best examples of Greek architecture can be seen in Sicily. Doric
style Greek temples and the largest Greek temple believed to be
erected anywhere in the world (Temple of Olympian Zeus) can be found
at Agrigento. During the Byzantine era, Christians used the Temple of
Concordia at Agrigento as a church and also built catacombs in the
area. Rocks from the structures were re-purposed for the building of
a port on the Mediterranean and other local building projects over
the eons. Sieges of war and earthquakes have also left their marks on
the structures there. The site has also been found to be rich in
Neolithic artifacts which can be seen in the archaeological museum.
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| Temple of Olympian Zeus |
La citta fu passata ad altri conquistator quando Roma cadde, i Saraceni, i Normanni e i Borboni divennero tutti sovrani della Sicilia nei prossimi anni. Alla fini le parte costiere inferiori dell'insediamento furono abbandonate a favore dell'insediamento nella regione collinare, doce si trovavano i vecchi templi greci. Si ritiene che questo abbandono sia dovuto alla minaccia di invasione da parte di predoni sulla costa al confine con il Mar Mediterraneo. Rifugiarsi sulle colline, in luoghi in cui gli insediamenti erano vulnerabili agli ataachi via mare era un evento comue in altro aree dell'Italia meridionale lungo le coste. La citta non prosperosotto il dominio normano o borbono e nel 1860, insieme al resto della Sicilia, sostenne Garibaldi e l"Unita d'Italia, nord e sud, per cacciare definitivamente gli spagnoli. La citta subi molti bombardamenti durante la seconda guerra mondiale sotto il dominio di Mussolini.
Sights to
see: remnants of the catacombs and the city wall
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| Catacombs dug by Christians in the walls that surrounded the city. |
The
Concordia Temple, built around 450 to 430 BC, one of the best
preserved Greek temples anywhere in the world. 6X12 columns.
The Temple
of Hercules (Ercole), the oldest temple at the site build around
510 BC to honor the hero Hercules. It was re-erected in the 1920's.
6X15 Doric columns.
The Temple
Dioscuri (of Castor and Pollux), 480-460 BC which was destroyed
by a siege from Carthage in 406 BC.
The Temple
of Hera (Juno), built around 450- 430 BC. Black stains of fire
damage from the attack by Carthage in 406 BC can still be seen on the
large temple stones. It overlooks the scenic valley. 6X13 columns.
The Temple
of Olympian Zeus, Believed to be the largest Greek temple ever
built in the world (480's BC) to commemorate a victory over Carthage
in one of the city's many sieges. The size of this structure can be
compared to the size of a modern football field. It was massive.
Scholars say the temple was unique because the columns incorporated
into the temple structure were set into a half-wall and the spaces in
between the columns held huge statues that appeared to hold up the
roof of the temple with their outstretched arms. Each of the 38 male
statues were 7.6 meters (25 feet) tall. One of them lies upon the
ground in large pieces near the temple. Iron was used as a structural
support in the stones of the temple during construction. It is
believed the temple was never completely finished because the city
was again attacked and ruined by Carthage in the siege of 406 BC.
Some other
structures at the site are, the Tomb of Theron, a burial monument
once believed to contain a small pyramid, the Temple of Hephaestus,
with only the base and a few columns left, and the Temple of
Asclepius, a God of Healing, with only a partial sanctuary left.
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| Concordia front detail |
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| Temple of Hera/Juno |
Luoghi da vedere: resti delle catacombe e delle mura della citta.
Il tempio della Concordia, costruito tra il 450 e il 430 a.C. uno dei templi greci meglio conservati in tutto il mondo. Colonne 6x12.
Il tempio di Ercole, il piu antico tempio del sito construito interno al 510 a.C. in onore dell'eroe Ercole. Fu eretto negli anni '20. Colonne doriche 6x15.
Il tempio Dioscuri (di Castore e Polluce), 480-460 a.C. che fu distrutto da un assedio di Cartagine nel 406 a.C.
Il tempio di Hera (Giunone), construito intorno al 450-430 a.C. Mecchie nere di danni da fuoco dell'atacco di Cartagine nel 406 a.C. sono ancora visibili sulle grandi pietre del tempio. Si affaccia sulla valle scenica. Colonne 6x13.
Il tempio di Zeus Olimpio, ritenuto il più grande tempio greco mai costruito al mondo
(480 a.C.) per commemorare una vittoria su Cartagine in uno dei tanti
assedi della città. La dimensione di questa struttura può essere
paragonata alla dimensione di un moderno campo di calcio. È stato
enorme. Gli studiosi affermano che il tempio era unico perché le
colonne incorporate nella struttura del tempio erano incastonate in
una mezza parete e gli spazi tra le colonne contenevano enormi statue
che sembravano sostenere il tetto del tempio con le braccia distese.
Ognuna delle 38 statue maschili era alta 7,6 metri (25 piedi). Uno di
questi giace a terra in grandi pezzi vicino al tempio. Il ferro è
stato usato come supporto strutturale nelle pietre del tempio durante
la costruzione. Si ritiene che il tempio non sia mai stato
completamente completato perché la città fu nuovamente attaccata e
rovinata da Cartagine nell'assedio del 406 a.C.
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| Artist rendering of the Temple of Olympian Zeus. |
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| Telamon or one of the giant statues (7.5 m tall or 24.5 feet) were holding up the roof of the Olympian Zeus Temple (see artists rendering above) |
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| Prickly Pear cactus are seen all around the island of Sicily, these were growing in the Archaeological prk. |
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| Sunset on the Mediterranean Sea as seen from our hotel near Agrigento. |
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| Concordia Temple |
Agrigento is 94
k (130 miles) from Palermo.
justfunfacts.com
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