Out of the many day trips we have made in Sicily, our visit to Agrigento was probably my favorite. While Taormina has classic Sicilian charm, and San Vito Lo Capo is a beach town of dreams, Agrigento just utterly fascinated me. Agrigento is a hilltop city on the southwestern coast of Sicily. There lies the ancient city of Akragas (582 BC), which you can visit in what is known as the Valley of the Temples. Sounds like there would be many temples located in this valley, right? Well, there are many temples – eight to be exact. But, the location is not in a valley, but instead on the top of a hill overlooking Agrigento. What strategic placement!

The temples available to visit include the Temples of:

• Hera
• Concordia
• Heracles
• Olympian Zeus
• Castor and Pollux
• Hephaestos
• Demeter
• Asclepius (the God of Medicine).

All of the temples were built between 510 BC and 430 BC and are in varying conditions. As you can see in the photos below, some of the temples are incredibly well preserved.

Ticket prices range from 10€ to 15€, depending on which ticket you purchase (park only, or combined with garden or combined with archeological museum). You can purchase your tickets ahead of time here or at the park. You must also have euro cash to pay for parking (varies on time you spend there). Upon entering the park, you must go through a security screening. No drones are permitted.

Just west of Agrigento, you can find another of my favorite attractions, Scala dei Turchi (also known as the Turkish Steps; pin here). The Turkish Steps are natural cliffs of white marl that have been carved into “steps” with centuries of wind and rain. The bright white color of the steps in contrast to the turquoise waters of the sea are simply stunning. You can drive by and view the steps from the top (there is a pull off with an overlook) and travel down to the beach where you can start at the bottom and climb up! You get to the bottom, you simply need to park and enter though the nearest lido – Lido Scala dei Turchi (entrance was free, but we did not go in season.

Valley of the Temples

Turkish Steps