Before we traveled to Sicily, I read that if one wanted to see a lot of Greek temples, this was the place to go. I didn’t really believe it until I actually saw it with my own eyes. Sicily has a plethora of temples and they are beautiful. Some are in ruins, some have been restored. But it’s easy to imagine the grandeur of days gone by.
Segesta:
The well-preserved Doric temple is thought to have been built around 420 BC, and for some unknown reason was probably never finished. The remains of the city, are on a mountain not far from the temple and have beautiful views towards the sea.
Selinunte:
This was one of the most important Greek colonies in Sicily. It was founded in 628 BC and abandoned around 250 BC. The area is huge and we spent a considerable amount of time exploring the area and ruins. In order to shorten the walking time between the various areas of the city, little golf-cart shuttles run throughout the day. It was a windy and rainy day, and there weren’t too many other people at the site. That was nice because it gave us a sense of what it might have felt like to discover these temples thousands of years later.
Agrigento:
The Valley of the Temples is probably the most well-known site in Sicily and has been a UNESCO site since 1997. It is also the largest archeological park in Europe. The temples are breathtaking an we decided to visit in the evening in hopes of seeing the sun set and then the temples light up. We were not disappointed.
How exciting to see those ruins and think how long they’ve been there in contrast to today. The columns with the glowing light make for gorgeous photos. Wonderful!