Valley of the Temples

We start today off with another small breakfast that could feed six people.

Small Sicilian Breakfast

We talk some more with Frederica and confirm where we catch the bus to the Temples and that the bus runs on Sunday. We leave and head on down to the bus stop at the bottom of town. We get there just as a bus pulls away so our timing is a tad off today. If only Carol would have been ready 2 minutes earlier, we would have made the bus. At least, this is how I choose to remember it. The next bus is supposed to be here in 25 minutes which is 45 minutes in Sicilian Time. We each manage to find slivers of shade while we wait. It is definitely not as warm as yesterday and there is a breeze so we are glad we waited until today to do this.
The bus arrives and it is about a twenty minute ride to the Valley of the Temples. We get off, buy our tickets and head in to explore. It is easy to see why it is the Valley of the Temples as we can see the whole City of Agrigento spread out before us.

Agrigento

We are staying at the top of the whole town. Greek colonists established in this area in the 6th century B.C. And it grew to become one of the most prosperous cities in the Ancient Greek Empire. By 480 B.C., over 200,000 people lived here. The first Temple we see is the Temple of Juno. It has a sacrificial alter in front and sits at a high point of the ancient city. We pass an area where tombs were carved into the wall fortifications. Then we arrive at theTemple of Concord, the real gem of the valley. It is one of the best preserved Greek Temples in the world. It has 13 columns on its sides and 6 in front and back. In the 6th century A.D., it was converted to a Christian Church which most likely helped to preserve it.

CNC Temple of Concord

As we are trying a selfie, a young couple asks if we would like them to take our picture. Joe and Anna live in California and he also has some Sicilian roots. They are more intrepid than we are as they rented a car and have been braving the Sicilian roads and drivers. Or maybe we are more intrepid for braving the bus system. We talk with them for about an hour before parting ways. We enjoyed our conversation with them.
We pass an area where we see an ancient breed of goats called Girgentana which is the only endemic animal in the area.

Girgentana Goat

They were either brought here by the Greeks or Arabs. They have strange horns twisted into a spiral form.We continue our journey and visit the Temple of Hercules, which is the oldest but only has eight pillars remaining. The park crosses over a road and the second area has more temples but most of them have fallen down. By the former Temple of Zeus lies a a giant that was once attached to the columns to help support what was the largest Temple in the world. As we walk, the wind really starts to whip around, and since we feel we have seen all the important sites, we head towards the exit. As we are walking, we see a bus pull up and start a sprint around a building to try and catch it. We are not hopeful, but when we reach the street, it is still there, and we are able to get on right before the driver pulls away. That saves us a good 45 minutes or more of waiting. Back in town we take a slow walk back up the hill to our BNB. We could take another bus up, but then we could not eat as well as we do. At the BNB, we have leftovers from breakfast, with some wine and that leads us to a siesta. Later we decide to eat at a small place we passed that has pizza and pasta. Alfonso is outside waiting for some guests and we talk a bit. He tells us we will not see him tomorrow and that he has enjoyed having us as guests. He wishes us good fortune, safe travels, and good health, and tells us we should come back to Agrigento. Sincerely one of the nicest and generous person you could ever meet and very proud of his home town.
The restaurant, Terra a Mare, surpasses our expectations, with good food and wine at a very reasonable price.

Eggplant Pizza

We get an incredible eggplant and cheese pizza, a swordfish pasta, and wine for about 25 dollars. Good thing we have to climb some steps to help us Digest. Tomorrow, we will leave here for our next destination, but we have enjoyed our stay here and the wonderful BNB Liola.
Expenses
Valley of the Temples 20E
Dinner and Wine at Terra A Mare 23.5E
BNB Liola 76E
Walked 6 Miles