Location: Province of Agrigento Map
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Agrigento or Akragas as it was known to the ancients is located in the southwestern end of island of Sicily. It was a powerful city - state independent of its mother - city. Rich revenues that it made from trade and wheat production were used to build magnificent temples in the valley just two miles from a modern city.
The historic center of Agrigento can be identified on the western
summit of the ancient Girgenti hill. Dating back to the medieval age
of the eleventh and fifteenth centuries, it still retains various
medieval buildings (churches, monasteries, convents and noble
palaces).
Since April 2016 it has officially returned to its
name Girgenti.
In the historic center there are significant
testimonies of Arab-Norman art, including in particular the
cathedral of San Gerlando, the Palazzo Steri seat of the seminary,
the bishop's palace, the Basilica of Santa Maria dei Greci and the
monumental complex of Santo Spirito and the gates of the walls.
The most important archaeological site is the Valley of the Temples, dating back to the Hellenic period, with the remains of ten temples in Doric order, three sanctuaries, a large concentration of necropolis (Montelusa; Mosè; Pezzino; Roman necropolis and tomb of Terone; early Christian; Acrosoli), various hydraulic works (garden of the Kolymbetra and the hypogea), fortifications, part of a Hellenistic-Roman quarter built on a Greek plan and two important meeting places: the lower Agora (not far from the remains of the temple of Olympian Zeus) and the upper Agora (located inside the museum complex); there is also an Olympeion and a Bouleuterion (council chamber) from the Roman period on a Greek plan. The Archaeological Park of the Valley of the Temples is the largest archaeological complex in the world (about 1300 ha). The temple of Olympian Zeus was the largest temple in Magna Graecia.
One of the best preserved temples in Agrigento is a Temple of Concord. Partially it is due to the fact that in the 6th century AD it was converted to Christian Church. Additionally the area around the temple has remains of early Christian tombs and catacombs. In the 18th century the Temple of Concord became the monument of Hellenistic culture.
Another majestic temple in the area of Agrigento is that of Zeus. It was probably commemorated to the victory of joint forces of Akragas (Agrigento) and Syracuse over Carthaginians under Hamilcar in 480 BC. The slave labor used in its construction was that of Carthaginian prisoners of war. According to historian Diodorus Siculus the temple was a magnificent structure, but it was not completed. The dimensions of the temple would have been 112 meters by 56 meters, with a height of 20 meters. The colossal telamons those remains are still visible lying on the ground supported the weight of the roof and symbolizes former enslavement of the Greeks by the Carthage.
Other temples in the area were devoted to Heracles (oldest temple), of Demeter and Persephone, Hephaestus and Asclepius. The temples were ruined by earthquakes that toppled many of them. The destruction was added by later generations who used the stone as a building material for later structures.
Another important archaeological site is the Rupe Atenea, the
highest point of the ancient city of Akragas, where the remains of a
Hellenistic oil mill have been found, and on its southwestern slopes
one of the numerous temples of the Chthonic deities is preserved,
incorporated into the church medieval church of San Biagio.
The site where the city of Akragas then arose, may have been the
place where the city of Kamikos once stood, the first and most
powerful Sican city led by the legendary Kokalos, the king who
hosted Daedalus after his escape from the labyrinth of Knossos in
Crete. The legend states that Minos, having tracked down Daedalus at
the court of Kokalos, left for Sicania to have the brilliant
architect delivered and killed, being killed by the Sican king's
daughters after being lured with a trap.
Episcopal seminary, Annexed is the
Steri Chiaramonte palace dating back to the fourteenth century. The
Palace was progressively enlarged to include three atriums. The
exterior has balconies in Baroque style, while inside is the
suggestive Chiaramonte hall. In the atrium there is a bust dedicated
to Pope John Paul II, and some marble tombstones, among which the
one to the students of the seminary who fell during the First World
War stands out.
Episcopal Palace. Built in the first half of the
17th century, it was extended several times by various bishops.
Outside it has an imposing portal, while inside, in addition to
numerous relics from the diocesan museum, it is possible to admire
the portraits of the seven holy bishops, the work of Francesco Sozzi
of the 18th century.
Curia Arcivescovile, adjacent to the
Bishop's Palace with which it shares an almost identical
architectural style.
Lucchesiana Library, separated from the
Bishop's Palace thanks to the Church of Sant'Alfonso, has a
beautiful portal on the outside. The library is full of over 60,000
volumes of ancient dating, sixteenth century and incunabula arranged
on wooden shelves of considerable artistic value. Inside it is also
possible to admire the statue of Bishop Andrea Lucchesi Palli
(1692-1768), from whom the library takes its name, and donor of
almost half of the book heritage. The eighteenth-century wooden
shelves are of great value.
Palazzo del Boccone del Povero, which
has an elegant door. In the courtyard inside it is possible to
admire a marble half-bust of the founder.
Palaces Istituto
Granata and Istituto daughters of Sant'Anna, connected to each other
and forming a vast architectural complex.
Palazzo Zirafa,
formerly Palazzo Montaperto. The entire building, whose façade
overlooks Piazza Pirandello and partly on the Teatro alley, is
decorated with a continuous ribbon of three mullioned windows and
numerous other decorative and ornamental elements. On the façade
there is a commemorative plaque dedicated to Pope Leo XIII.
College of Oblates
Fonduk, an ancient body making up the first
Episcopal Palace, now home to exhibition spaces.
Cathedral of San Gerlando. The Cathedral was built starting from the
second half of the 11th century, consecrated in 1099 by Bishop
Gerlando, declared a saint and then dedicated to him in 1305.
Sanctuary of San Calogero, 16th century. The church has three naves
and inside the decorations follow the Baroque style. On the façade,
in a niche, the statue of San Calogero with the characteristic doe
stands out.
Sanctuary of the Addolorata. In its basements, which
can be accessed through an opening carved out of the rock, there are
crypts, called the Crypts of the Addolorata.
Basilica of the
Immaculate Conception or San Francesco. 17th century. The basilica
has a single nave. the façade is in the Baroque style with three
orders with two imposing bell towers and the statue of the Patron
Saint of Italy, in white marble. On the bell tower, however, there
is the statue of the Madonna with the child. Inside there are some
marble tombs of nobles and ecclesiastics. In February 1940, Pope
Pius XII elevated it to the dignity of a minor basilica.
Basilica
of Santa Maria dei Greci (built on the foundations of a Doric
temple). XII century the façade is in Arab-Norman style and is
accessed through a courtyard bordered by a Baroque style portal.
Inside, the foundations of the Doric temple of Giove Polieo are
visible thanks to the glass floor, while frescoes are recognizable
on the walls. The church was initially intended for Greek Orthodox
worship. The courtyard leads to further remains of the Doric temple.
In the adjacent building, temporary exhibitions are now housed.
Church of San Francesco di Paola XVII century the façade has two
orders with two massive bell towers. Above the entrance door, there
is a bas-relief depicting the Saint. Inside, numerous canvases of
exquisite workmanship.
Church of San Nicola XIII century the
interior with a single nave shares the Norman-Gothic style with the
facade with a pointed arch portal. On the external façade, moreover,
above the two massive columns and the portal, there are some marble
decorations, including the bas-reliefs of Saints Peter and Paul.
Inside there is a marble sarcophagus that offers the legend of
Phaedra and Hippolytus and the famous wooden crucifix described in
the story of Pirandello the Lord of the ship.
Church of the
monastery of Santo Spirito XI century the church has a single nave
and has valuable stuccos by Serpotta inside. while the facade is in
Gothic style with a portal surmounted by a rose window, the interior
is entirely in splendid Baroque style. The stuccoes by Giacomo
Serpotta (early 18th century) stand out, most of them probably made
by his brother Giuseppe.
Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli XVIII century inside there is
a portrait of the patron saint of the city, San Gerlando
Church
of San Vincenzo
Church of San Alfonso dei liguori; 16th-17th
century it is accessed through the Palazzo della Biblioteca
Lucchesiana and is adjacent to the convent of the Redemptorist
fathers. The interior has a single nave with stuccoes, arches and
numerous paintings. Consecrated in 1854, it was the first church in
the world dedicated to Sant'Alfonso de Liguori.
Church of Itria
16th century. the church has a single nave but closed to worship. in
it the Greek-Albanian rite was celebrated. the façade and the portal
are in the mannerist style.
Church of San Giuseppe XVII-XVIII
century the façade in Baroque style is enriched by a double order of
steps and two bell towers. The interior has a single nave.
Church
of Purgatory or of San Lorenzo (now deconsecrated) XV-XVI century
the façade is in Baroque style, enriched by numerous statues, in
particular those on the sides of the portal, delimited by two spiral
columns, represent the allegories of faith and charity . inside the
building, with a single nave, presents sculptures traditionally
given to Giacomo Serpotta and houses a reliquary. The ceiling has a
false dome. In all likelihood, the very coarse stuccos can be
attributed to a pupil of Giacomo Serpotta who used his drawings.
Church of San Pietro (now deconsecrated) XVIII century the façade
has a Baroque portal, while the interior, with a single nave,
presents numerous paintings.
Church of Santa Lucia or of the
Assumption XVIII century the façade is in late Baroque-Neoclassical
style.
Church of Santa Croce XIV century.
Church of San
Giovanni dei Teutonici; Built inside the former Hospital of San
Giovanni di Dio in Via Atenea. Today only the ruins remain.
Church of Santa Rosalia XVII century the majestic Baroque facade was
replaced due to restoration work never started. today the façade is
in red bricks.
Church of San Domenico XVII century the façade in
Baroque style is enriched by a double order of stairs; above the
entrance door, there is a bas-relief depicting the Madonna with the
child surmounted by two angels. The bell tower is unusually set back
from the main façade and is made of polychrome majolica ceramics;
inside there are valuable paintings, including an imposing Madonna
del Rosario presumably from the early 18th century. The primitive
conventual institution of the Order of Preaching Friars, seventh in
the land of Sicily, was founded in 1313 by the Chiaramonte
marquises.
Church of San Giacomo XVI century.
Church of San
Giorgio degli Oblati XIII century located in the immediate vicinity
of the Steri of Agrigento was built in the Chiaramonte period in
white stone from Comiso in the Gothic style. It has a rich wooden
portal that has several elements similar to the portal of the Steri
in Palermo and with that of the old cathedral of Naro.
Church of
Santa Maria del Soccorso or Badiola XIV century the façade is in
Renaissance style, while inside with a single nave there are
numerous paintings. On the façade there is the statue of the SS.
Maria del Soccorso.
Church of the Carmine or Giaggi portal,
deconsecrated.
Church of Santa Caterina (now deconsecrated).
Church of San Girolamo (now deconsecrated) XVI-XVII century.
Chiesa delle Forche (now deconsecrated) 16th century in late
Renaissance style. below it could be an ancient Doric temple.
Church of the Madonna della Catena (now deconsecrated and located in
the Villaseta district).
Church of San Felice Martire (located in
the hamlet of Montaperto).
Church of the Rosario (located in the
village of Montaperto).
Church of San Leone; located in the
coastal village of San Leone, it has ancient origins dating back to
the Norman period.
Church of Santa Maria Monte dei Pegni (only
remains).
Church of San Libertino (only remains).
Church of
the Santissimo Crocifisso or San Vito in a modern style.
Church
of Santa Maria delle Recommended, is located near the Cathedral and
today only the ruins remain.
Modern and contemporary churches
Church of S.S. Crucifix, or of San Vito, in Piazza Diodoro Siculo
Providence Church, in via Manzoni
Church of the Madonna del
Carmelo, in via Dante
Church of Our Lady of Fatima, in via
Callicratide
Church of the Madonna of all Graces, in via Demetra
Church of Santa Gemma, in via Imera
Church of the Immaculate
Heart of Mary, at the Moses Village
Church of San Gregorio, in
via Cavaleri Magazeni
Church of San Nicola, in Fontanelle
Church of San Pio X, in the Peruzzo Village
Church of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus, at the Quadrivio Spinasanta
Co-cathedral of Santa
Croce, in Villaseta
Church of Santa Rosa, in the Mosè Village
Christian Evangelical Church Assemblies of God in Italy, in via
Mattarella
Waldensian Evangelical Church, in via Damareta
Santo Spirito Monastery, home to some sections of
the Civic Museums.
Monastery of the Recommended
Convents
Convent of the Augustinian Fathers (building used as a Civic Museum)
Convent of San Nicola (seat of some rooms of the Archaeological
Museum)
Chiaramontano Convent of the minor Frenchmen
(headquarters of the Chiaramontane factories)
Collegio dei Padri
Filippini (now home to the Pinacoteca) In the atrium there is a well
and a marble plaque dedicated to the students of the technical
institute who fell for their homeland during the First World War.
Remains of the Chiaramonte portal canonical convent of rahalmari.
Convent of the Redemptorist Liguorini Fathers, seat of the house
museum, furnishings and sacred art.
Convent of San Vito. The
imposing and massive structure, distinguished by its vastness, was
originally a convent but was used as a prison in the city and
expanded. Today it is preparing to be the seat of the Municipal
Historical Archive, and to host cultural associations.
Bonamorone Cemetery
In it are housed monumental
tombs dating back to previous centuries, real sculptural
masterpieces. Among the avenues shaded by tall cypresses there are
statues, chapels and mausoleums of the Agrigento brotherhoods. The
majestic military memorial, dedicated to the fallen of the two world
wars, overlooks the square at the end of the cemetery. On the
southern perimeter there is also the tomb of the English Captain
Hardcastle.
Piano Gatta Cemetery
Palaces
Palazzo della Provincia and Prefecture, dating back to
1858, located in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele. The building is
characterized by a mighty entrance bordered by two columns, and by
two elegant balconies on both sides. Inside there is the ancient
Pala di San Domenico and the Altarpiece of the coronation of the
Virgin among the saints, dating back to the seventeenth century.
Palazzo della Questura, adjacent to the provincial and prefecture
building in Vittorio Emanuele square.
Former Notary Archive
building. The building stands in front of the sanctuary of San
Calogero and is separated from the Carabinieri barracks by the
Vadalà square, on which the statue of Empedocle stands out. Today
the structure is the seat of the municipal library.
Building of
the Civil Engineers, in Viale della Vittoria. It stands, as the crow
flies, in front of the Bank of Italy building.
Palazzo delle
Poste, located in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele. The imposing building,
from the fascist era, was built in 1936 with a circular shape that
makes it unique in its kind. Designed by the architect Angiolo
Mazzoni del Grande, designer of the Termini station among other
things. It features tall and mighty square columns that help make it
look elegant. Inside the colonnade stands a monument depicting some
soldiers of the First World War, as well as numerous mosaics
arranged vertically.
Central Station Building, dating back to
1931 built in neoclassical style. The building stands in Piazza
Marconi and, thanks to the style, the surrounding buildings and the
recent modernization of the square, it provides an extremely elegant
image.
Palazzo Opera Nazionale Balilla, from 1928. Its location a
few meters from the post office building helps to accentuate its
particular characteristics.
Palazzo Grasso located in Piazza
Marconi, a few meters from the Bank of Italy building.
Bank of
Italy building. The building, from the fascist era and dating back
to 1932, is located a few hundred meters from the central station
and has a Doric architectural style.
Palazzo Albergo Bel See.
INCIS palaces, in Piazza Diodoro Siculo, built in the Fascist era.
Each building is characterized by two internal entrances
characterized by columns. There are also ornaments and decorative
details.
Palazzo delle Finanze, an elegant building located in
Viale della Vittoria today the headquarters of the Revenue Agency.
Originally the complex was the most elegant and important hotel in
the city.
Palace of the Civil Engineers, in Piazza Vittorio
Emanuele, from 1951.
Banco di Sicilia Palace.
INAIL building,
from 1954.
Notarial Archive Building.
Former hospital building in via Atenea, rebuilt in 1867. It
stands right at the entrance to via Atenea, a few meters from Porta
di Ponte. The hospital initially presented, annexed, an important
and characteristic church, now left to abandonment and neglect. The
main façade faces Via Atenea, and has two different entrances, both
imposing and built in neoclassical style, a few tens of meters from
each other. They consist of a two-column portico, which opens to a
courtyard with a short staircase, flanked by two pillars.
Palazzo
Borsellino, dating back to the eighteenth century. The Palace
overlooks the Via Atenea and is located exactly opposite the old
hospital. The building, which rises on three floors, has a portal
bordered by two imposing pillars supporting a Doric-style
architrave. One of the major ornamental features is represented by
the noble coat of arms of the family, placed under the architrave
and very well finished. Other artistic and decorative finishes of
considerable value make this noble palace one of the most elegant in
the city.
Palazzo Carbonaro, from the 1700s. The structure, which
overlooks Via Atenea and has very scenic adorned balconies on the
first floor, is enriched by a neoclassical-style portal with two
columns supporting a Doric-style architrave.
Palazzo Noto-Biondi,
formerly Palazzo Sala, dating back to the eighteenth century. The
building, which stands a few meters from the Carbonaro palace, does
not have architectural motifs of particular interest, but has a
round portal.
Palazzo Costa, built around the end of the
seventeenth century. The building represents one of the best
expressions of the Agrigento baroque and is characterized, in fact,
by the imposing facade in Baroque style. Particular are the
balconies, embellished with figurative shelves.
Palazzo Gamez,
located in the street of the same name, has an elegant portal.
Palazzo Montana, from the 18th century.
Casa Granet, dating back
to the nineteenth century. It faces the secondary entrance of the
Church of San Francesco and presents, on the second floor, an
unusual portico with eight columns in neoclassical style.
Palazzo
Celauro, dating back to the eighteenth century. It too is a lively
expression of the city baroque and presents, on the first floor,
imposing balconies with wrought iron railings. The entrance door is
really noteworthy, but it is not located in the main street, but in
the perpendicular via Celauro. In 1787 W. Goethe stayed there and,
at the beginning of the 20th century, also the emperor Franz Joseph
of Austria. A bronze plaque has been affixed to commemorate the two
hundred years that have passed since Goethe's stay.
Palazzo
Pancamo in via Atenea, the first headquarters of the bank, now home
to commercial activities and cultural centers.
Bentivegna Palace,
dating back to the eighteenth century. The building is distinguished
by the existence, on the facade overlooking Via Atenea, a votive
shrine depicting the Immaculate Virgin, preciously decorated.
Palazzo Caruso, built in the nineteenth century, with particular
decorations and floral ornaments.
Palazzo Catalisano, is
characterized by the plaque placed in memory of Michele Foderà as
well as by the elegance of the façade.
Palazzo Contarini, from
the 1700s in Baroque style with elegant shelves adorned to support
the balconies.
Palazzo Lauricella, on whose façade there is a
commemorative plaque of the illustrious scientist.
Villa
Giambertoni, in liberty style.
Alajmo house.
Vella Palace.
Palace of the Chamber of Commerce, built in 1851 in neo-Gothic
style, by the architect. Tommaso Gravanti. It presents the coat of
arms of the city, characterized by the three giants that support as
many towers, and numerous other friezes and ornaments that make the
complex of considerable architectural interest. The building is now
the seat of the Chamber of Commerce, but until 1867 it was the seat
of the town hall, later also hosting the Bank of Italy. The
building, also known as the clock building, insists on Piazza Gallo,
and faces the palaces of the old courts and next to it the building
of the ancient Circolo dei Nobili.
Palazzo Galluzzo, with an
elegant liberty-style entrance, also "Circolo dei Nobili".
Former
palace of the court and the district court.
Building of the
former empedoclea workers' society.
Circolo Empedocleo, built in
1835 in neoclassical style on a project by Raffaello Politi. In
front of the ancient Church of San Giuseppe, the structure has a
nine-column facade surmounted by a golden architrave. At the center
of the façade it is possible to admire a rich figurative ornament
depicting the Akragantine philosopher Empedocle, from whom the club
takes its name. It insists on top of a short staircase overlooking a
large square.
Palazzo dei Giganti, located in Piazza Pirandello. It was built
in 1627 and was initially the Agrigento residence of the Tomasi
family of the Princes of Lampedusa and Dukes of Palma. Blessed
Isabella Tomasi was born there in 1645, daughter of the Duke Santo
Carlo Tomasi, founder of the city of Palma di Montechiaro in 1637.
Later it became a Dominican convent. From 1867 it became the seat of
the municipality. It has a round iron portal and a series of refined
ornamental windows and balconies that make it, at the same time, a
compact and elegant structure. Inside it is possible to admire the
Pirandello theater. In the façade of the building it is possible to
see, covered by vines, several tombstones, dedicated to the fallen
of Dogali in 1887, to the insurgents of 1848 and to Luigi
Pirandello. In the atrium, a natural continuation of Piazza
Pirandello and through which you enter the Pirandello Theater, there
are two plaques dedicated to the fiftieth anniversary of the death
of the Nobel Prize for literature and to the dedication of the
Theater to his memory, and a bas-relief depicting Dante Alighieri.
Minelli Palace.
Portulano Palace.
Gaetani Palace.
Pujades
Palace, built during the fifteenth century. Located in via Orfane,
it has a portal with a lowered arch and two mullioned windows, in
Gothic style, on the first floor.
Palazzo De Marinis, built in
1487 and located in via Barone. It is characterized by a pointed
arched door and a very elegant balcony corbel.
Filippazzo Palace,
dating back to the fifteenth century. Important decorative elements
are the mullioned windows in flowery Gothic style, which make it one
of the most beautiful buildings in the historic center. One of them
is embellished with an ornamental fretwork.
Palazzo Tommasi,
built around 1100. Located on the Sanzo plain, it has a very elegant
portal with a round arch bordered by two columns. the rows of
balconies are also interesting. The Palace is preparing to become
the seat of important permanent art exhibitions.
Girolamo Palace.
Sala Palace.
Palazzo Lojacono-Maraventano, from the 1600s in
Baroque style, has a majestic portal and is located in via Santa
Maria dei Greci. The building collapsed, after years of neglect and
abandonment, at dawn on April 25, 2011.
Palazzo Lo Vetere or Del
Carretto, dating back to 1600. represents one of the most
significant expressions of the Agrigento baroque, with a round
arched portal, and a facade enriched by numerous and interesting
decorative elements.
Quartana House.
Cardella Palace.
Palazzo Barone-Celauro, dating back to the eighteenth century and
located in via San Girolamo.
Former British consulate building,
located in via San Girolamo and characterized by a neoclassical
portal.
Palazzo Del Campo-Lazzarini, dating back to the early
nineteenth century. It is located in via San Girolamo, in front of
the so-called small badiola. The elegant façade of the building has
a large portal, and a series of finely finished windows and
balconies.
Palazzo Rotolo Genuardi, formerly Palazzo Xerri, built
around 1700. Located in via Neve, it has a polycentric arched
portal. It was used as a court and the princes Amedeo and Umberto
stayed there.
Crapanzano Palace.
A.n.a.s. Palace
Justice
palace.
Pavilions of the psychiatric hospital, built in the 30s
of the twentieth century on the drawings of a couple of decades
before the Palermo architect Francesco Paolo Palazzotto.
Liceo
Classico "Empedocle", originally a convent, in whose atrium it is
possible to admire a bronze half-bust of the philosopher Empedocles
with a marble plaque behind it bearing an inscription in archaic
Greek, relating to the philosopher's thought.
Former psychiatric
hospital complex (now home to numerous ASL offices).
Villa
Altieri adjacent to the Palazzo delle Finanze.
Villa Catalisano,
designed in liberty style by Ernesto Basile. The villa was, for a
short time, the residence of Luigi Pirandello.
Villa Crispi, in
Liberty style with characteristic marble lions in the driveway.
Villa Carrano in neoclassical style dating back to the second half
of the nineteenth century.
Villa Genuardi, seat of the former
faculty of literature and philosophy, was for a period a luxurious
hotel in the city, the Hotel des Temples.
Villa Aurea (seat of
the documentary antiquarium). In the courtyard of the villa there is
a bronze bust dedicated to Alexander Hardcastle, of whom the villa
was his personal residence from 1920 until his death in 1933.
Casa Morello (seat of the antiquarium of the fortifications).
Casa Barbadoro (seat of the iconographic antiquarium).
Casa Pace
(seat of the early Christian-Byzantine antiquarium).
Casa Caruso
in liberty style (located in the village of San Leone).
Casa
Caratozzolo in Liberty style (located in the hamlet of San Leone).
Barracks and provincial command of the Carabinieri Biagio
Pistone, built in 1908 and located in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele.
Provincial Command of the Guardia di Finanza, located in Piazza
Gallo in an elegant building that was an important city hotel, the
Hotel Bretagne.
Antonio Mosto Guardia di Finanza barracks,
located in the complex of the former military district in Piazza San
Giacomo. On the façade there is a marble plaque in memory of Tommaso
gallo Afflitto.
Logistics Command of the Financial Police,
located at Rupe Atenea.
Girgenti Castle, was intended to house
the city prison.
Military memorial to the fallen of the first and
second World War, located in the monumental cemetery of Bonamorone.
Sculptural monuments
Empedocles statue, in the
Piazzetta Vadalà between the Library and the Carabinieri barracks.
It consists of a bronze statue, depicting the philosopher surrounded
by the elements that characterize his philosophy, placed on a
massive marble base on which the famous phrase is engraved: 'they
were always and always will be in infinite time'.
Monument to Don
Bosco, in Piazza Plebis Rea. It is a bronze group, which portrays
Don Bosco surrounded by young students, of whom he is the protector.
Monument to the fallen of the Great War. It has a mighty cylindrical
outline in the center of which stands a marble obelisk at the top of
which is a large bronze angel depicting the victory of the homeland.
On the base of the obelisk there are, in each of the four facades,
the names of the soldiers who died during the great war. On the
second level of the base, two scenes are depicted: the first
represents a peasant driving a plow pulled by oxen; the second
instead reports an Italian soldier who stabs an Austrian soldier.
Monument to the Victory in the Great War, in the colonnade of the
Palazzo delle Poste in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele. It is an imposing
sculptural group of sandstone, depicting the homeland goddess in the
center and, on the sides, four foot soldiers depicted in a resting
position.
Monument to the fallen of the Battle of Imera, 480 BC
It is a marble stele, on which is engraved, both in Italian and in
Greek, a commemorative phrase of the fallen of the battle that
marked the fate of Sicily.
Monument to the fallen in the
September 11 attacks, located in the Villetta Romano.
Statues of
the seasons, in white marble. Originally placed inside the Villa
Garibaldi, now disappeared, they are now located inside the Villa
del Sole.
Garden of Empedocles. It is a sculptural group made
entirely of bronze and characterized by four sculptures
representing, respectively, air, water, fire and earth, that is the
elements of the philosophy of the Akragantine philosopher
Empedocles. The works of art are located in the garden of the San
Nicola Archaeological Museum.
"Bust of Venus" inside the garden
of the San Nicola Archaeological Museum.
"Evadne", a work in lava
stone located in the Sciascia Contrino climb. It is a work of art
that represents the myth of Evadne, daughter of Poseidon and seduced
by Apollo narrated by Pindar.
Sleeping Lion, in Piazza
Purgatorio. It represents the monumental entrance to the hypogeum of
Purgatory. It consists of a white marble lion, represented in a
sleeping position, placed on top of two columns in neoclassical
style.
"The thought of Empedocles". These are two sculptural
groups located in the Lena and San Giuseppe squares that narrate the
key points of the Empedoclea philosophy.
Cross placed in memory
of the visit of Pope John Paul II, in the San Gregorio plain.
Fallen Icarus bronze statue, located at the foot of the Temple of
Concord, on the Via Sacra.
The Amazon, in bronze on a marble base
in Piazza Stazione.
Stele by Pertini, located in the villa
dedicated to him.
Statue of the Madonna in the Marina.
Statue
of the Angel of the Valley, in Hardcastle Square.
Monuments of
contemporary art, in the Villa Pertini.
"The origin of life", a
contemporary work of art in Piazza Plebis Rea.
Statue of San
Gerlando, in piazzetta Alajmo, in a niche created on the façade of
one of the buildings facing the square.
"Statue of San Calogero,
in Piazzetta San Calogero, located inside the niche on the façade of
the Sanctuary dedicated to the Saint.
"Statue of the Madonna and
Child", located in the niche located on the north side of the bell
tower of the Basilica of San Francesco.
"Statue of San Francesco", located in the niche of the facade of
the Basilica of San Francesco.
"Statue of the Madonna" placed in
the niche obtained on the façade of the Church of the Badiola.
Bust Garibaldi, in the Gardens of Porta di Ponte, in white marble.
Roman bust, in the Gardens of Porta di Ponte, in bronze.
Bust of
Nicolò Gallo, in the Gardens of Porta di Ponte, in bronze.
Bust
Luigi Pirandello, once placed in the Villa del Sole, then moved, on
the occasion of the celebrations in honor of the 150th anniversary
of the author's birth, in the homonymous square. The sculpture, the
work of the artist Tumminello, is in bronze.
Bust Luigi
Pirandello, in his birthplace, in bronze.
Bust Alexander
Hardcastle, in the garden of Villa Aurea, in bronze.
Bust Don
Guanella, in Piazza Don Guanella, in bronze.
Bust of Mons.
Celona, in Largo Celona, in white marble.
Fontana Gebbia, in the archaeological park.
Bonamorone historical
fountain. It is located in the Bonamorone district. It has a marble
arch on the main side while a large basin extends to the sides.
Fountain for the Fallen dedicated to the fallen of the Great War. It
is located at the main entrance of the Villa Bonfiglio. The fountain
has a circular shape and, in the center, has a large marble obelisk
at the top of which is a large bronze angel depicting the victory of
the country. On the base of the obelisk there are, in each of the
four facades, the names of the soldiers who died during the great
war. On the second level of the base, two scenes are depicted: the
first represents a peasant driving a plow pulled by oxen; the second
instead reports an Italian soldier who stabs an Austrian soldier.
Fountain of the Giants bearing the coat of arms of the city, located
in the Villa Casesa (Giardini di Porta di Ponte). The fountain is in
marble and is circular in shape and has three levels whose width
degrades in height. On the highest level there is a sculptural
representation representing a putto holding a dragon that spits
water.
Fountain of the Dragons, located in Piazza Don Guanella.
It has a large octagonal shaped basin, while in the center there are
representations of dragons from whose apex a jet of water flows.
Fountain of the Station, in rationalist style located in the gardens
of the station of Piazza Marconi. The fountain is circular in shape
and has two levels.
Fountain of the garden of the Convent of San
Vito, in three levels, located in the external garden of the former
convent.
Fontana Grande Villa of the sun. Located in the Villa,
it is a large pool with artificial waterfalls. It is characterized
by the presence of two white marble statues representing the
seasons.
Fountain Little Villa of the sun. Rectangular in shape,
it bears the ceramic coat of arms of the city.
Fonte Villa del
sole, composed of a bas-relief.
Villa Pertini Fountain. It has a
base made of stone.
Fountain of the well, in the ascent Madonna
degli angeli. It has the shapes of an ancient artesian well.
Piazza Cavour, on the Viale della Vittoria. In ancient
times it was possible to admire in the square an imposing statue
dedicated to Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour. Today the square has an
elegant pavement and is an ideal meeting point for citizens of any
age and for children who can play there. On the sides of the square
there are two art nouveau buildings of exquisite workmanship that
give the square as a whole an elegant and refined appearance.
Piazza Marconi, formerly Piazzale Roma and also known as Piazza
Stazione. It is one of the most important squares in Agrigento not
only because it is geographically located in the center of the city,
but also because there are some important buildings. Beyond the
Central Station, inside which there is a rationalist-style fountain
and a bronze monument, it is possible to admire the Palazzo della
Banca d'Italia and, finally, the ancient Palazzo del Genio Civile,
on whose side elevation there is votive shrine bounded by two
columns. Furthermore, at the top it is possible to see the Church of
San Pietro.
Vittorio Emanuele square. The square houses the
Palazzo delle Poste, the Palazzo della Questura, the Palazzo della
Provincia and Prefettura, the Palazzo Balilla, the New Palazzo del
Genio Civile.
Piazzale Aldo Moro on which stand the headquarters
of the Banco di Sicilia, the Biagio Pistone Carabinieri barracks,
the municipal library and the sanctuary of San Calogero. The square
is elegantly adorned by the four Giardini degli Sgherri.
Piazzetta Vadalà, located in piazzale Aldo Moro, where the
imposing statue of the Akragantine philosopher Empedocle stands out.
Piazzetta San Pietro, where the homonymous Baroque style church is
located. At the center of the square, which overlooks the Valley of
the Temples, there is a flowerbed with geometric figures made of
tuff. Today the square is dedicated to the founder of opus dei, J.
M. Escrivá, as mentioned it is a marble plaque. Furthermore, the
youth house of Luigi Pirandello overlooks it, where a marble plaque
has been placed in memory.
Piazza San Francesco, important
because it leads to both the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
(or Church of San Francesco), on whose main façade stands the marble
statue dedicated to the patron saint of Italy, and to the Convent of
the Franciscan Minor Friars, which today it hosts the so-called
Chiaramontane factories. On the side façade of the church it is
possible to see a bronze plaque commemorating the victims of a
bombing that took place during the Second World War and in which
numerous people from Agrigento who sought refuge in the shelters of
the church lost their lives. In the adjoining staircase there is
instead a sculpture dedicated to the way of Evadne, narrated by the
Greek poet Pindar.
Piazza San Lorenzo, also called del
Purgatorio. In it there is the monumental entrance to one of the
most important and longest hypogea of ancient Akragas. In fact,
the hypogeum is accessed through a portal consisting of two columns
surmounted by a sleeping white lion. In the square stands one of the
most beautiful, ancient and sumptuous churches of Agrigento, the
Baroque Church of San Lorenzo, which makes the square extremely
suggestive, thanks also to the adjacent Church of Santa Rosalia,
also in Baroque style. In the façade of the Church of San Lorenzo
you can see two marble plaques that recall the revolutionary
movements of the Italian people and the martyrs who died in the name
of the flag. Furthermore, from the square it is possible to see a
marble election poster, set on the façade of a building, which bears
an invitation to vote for the republic, with the symbol of the
republican party, on the occasion of the referendum for the
abrogation of the monarchy.
Piazza Gallo, where there are the
Palazzo del Circolo dei Nobili, the Palazzo dell'Orologio, the
Palazzo del Comando della Guardia di Finanza, the Palazzo degli ex
Tribunali.
Piazzetta Lena, in which there is a hotel. Once the
seat of the vucciria, the ancient fish market, today the square is a
pedestrian island and inside it some sculptures have been placed
which, in a single common thread with piazza san Giuseppe, take up
the essential lines of Empedocle's philosophy. especially love and
kaos. In it stands the Palazzo where today a hotel and other
buildings of considerable artistic value are located.
Piazzetta
Cacciatore, where there is the Alajmo house, with a brass
commemorative plaque, and there are also some votive shrines on the
facades of the buildings. A statue dedicated to the Patron Saint
Gerlando has been placed inside a niche created on the façade of the
building which once housed a well-known credit institution. From the
square you enter the via neve, known as via degli artists, where
today the poet Linder is remembered with a plaque at the entrance to
the square.
Piazza San Giuseppe, in which stands the homonymous
Baroque style church and overlooks the Circolo Empedocleo, with the
unmistakable neoclassical style and the bas-relief depicting
Empedocle. In 2015 the square was the subject of an impressive
restoration and redevelopment project, thanks to which it was made a
pedestrian area. In it has been placed an artistic work that
symbolizes the four elements of Empedocles' philosophy.
Piazza Pirandello, the most important square in Agrigento. It is
in fact the square dedicated to the most illustrious character of
the city, the Nobel Prize for literature Luigi Pirandello on the
occasion of the centenary of his birth. In it there are the Palazzo
dei Giganti, today the seat of the municipality and once a convent
of the Dominican fathers, the Church of San Domenico, the Palazzo
dei Montaperto, the Collegio dei Padri Filippini and the Palazzo
(former convent of the Augustinians) natural seat of the civic
museum . From it you can access, through the entrance of the Palazzo
dei Giganti, the Luigi Pirandello Theater. On the façade of the
Palazzo dei Giganti you can see, covered by vines, commemorative
marble plaques dedicated to the fallen of Dogali in 1887 and the
revolutionary uprisings of 1848, and one that celebrates the
centenary of the birth of Luigi Pirandello. On the façade of the
Palazzo dei Montaperto there is a marble plaque dedicated to Pope
Leo XIII. The square constitutes the natural and only access to the
cloister of the Palazzo dei Giganti, where the facade of the
Pirandello Theater is located. In the cloister, there are two marble
plaques that retrace the stages of construction and renaming of the
theater and a bronze plaque depicting the famous Porta Dante
Alighieri with the Pirandello pine in the background.
Piazza
Sinatra, where the Gaetani Palace, the Convent of the Augustinian
Fathers, seat of the Civic Museum, the Palace of the National
Financiers Association and the Palace where the Efebo d'Oro cinema
culture and entertainment library is located. on its façade a marble
plaque commemorates the centenary of the birth of Sinatra.
Piazza
Duomo, which overlooks the staircase of the main entrance to the
Duomo and, in front of it, the imposing architectural complex of the
Archbishop's Seminary, formerly Palazzo Steri. On the south side of
the square, it is possible to see a votive shrine dedicated to the
Immaculate Virgin.
Piazza San Giacomo, where the church of San
Giacomo and the complex of the former military district stand.
Piazza Ravanusella, in which stands the baroque church of the
Assunta, improperly known as Santa Lucia and, a few steps from it,
the Porta Panitteri.
Piazza Diodoro Siculo, where the I.N.C.I.S.
and a statue dedicated to Padre Pio.
Plebis Rea Square. The
square takes its name from the ancient Arab door, the door of the
winds. It was the highest access to the Arab-Norman citadel. Even
today it is possible to see the remains of the ancient medieval
walls. The square also houses a bronze monument dedicated to San
Giovanni Bosco and a monument of contemporary art called the origin
of life.
Piazza Don Guanella, in which there is the Fountain of
the Dragons, a half bust dedicated to Don Guanella and a statue
dedicated to Padre Pio.
Piazza Antonio Fosso, grenadier of the
First World War.
Bridge gate. It was built in 1868, on a project by Raffaello
Politi, on the ruins of the previous gate with a drawbridge dating
back to the fourteenth century and of Saracen origin. The monument
is built in neoclassical style and has the current coat of arms of
the city on one side, and the coat of arms of the Greek city on the
other. The Porta di Ponte is the monumental entrance to Via Atenea,
known as the living room of the city, and home to numerous
businesses, shops, boutiques and elegant restaurants, as well as
some monuments of the city.
Porta Panitteri. It was rebuilt in
the 11th century not far from the original, destroyed for the
completion of the works relating to the Central Station. It consists
of a Gothic-style arch and next to it, on a part of the ancient city
walls, there is a sacred shrine dedicated to the Madonna del Lume.
The door is located in Via Empedocle, a few hundred meters from the
Central Station.
Door of the Saccajoli. It was built in the 16th
century with a Gothic arch and a sacred shrine dedicated to the
Madonna del Porto Salvo and later to Santa Lucia was placed inside.
Today it appears partially underground, but still visible and
reachable.
Sea Gate. The gate is now buried but still visible and
was built in the 15th century.
In the valley of
the Temples there is the Akragas viaduct which connects the hamlets
of Villaseta and Monserrato.
Commemorative tombstones
Agrigento is full of tombstones and commemorative plaques dedicated
to illustrious personalities or significant historical events. Most
of them are in marble and can be admired on the facades of noble
palaces, churches or squares. Others are in bronze. Among them the
main ones are:
Michele Foderà, in marble placed on the façade
of the birthplace, in via Atenea
Giuseppe Lauricella, in marble
placed on the façade of the birthplace, in via Atenea
Luigi
Pirandello, in marble placed on the façade of the house of his
childhood, in the homonymous street
Luigi Pirandello, in marble
placed on the façade of the Palazzo dei Giganti in the homonymous
square
Pope Leo XIII, in marble placed on the façade of Palazzo
Montaperto, in Piazza Pirandello
J. Wolfgang Goethe, in bronze
placed on the façade of Palazzo Celauro, where it was housed, in via
Celauro
Dante Alighieri, in bronze placed in the external atrium
of the Pirandello theater, in Piazza Pirandello
Sinatra, in
marble placed on the façade of a building in the homonymous square
Giuseppe Picone, in marble, located in via Picone
Josemaria
Escrivà, in marble, located in Piazza Escrivà
Saragat, located on
the façade of the Circolo dei Nobili in piazza Gallo
Tommaso
Gallo Afflitto, in marble, located on the façade of the Guardia di
Finanza barracks in Piazza San Giacomo
Sciascia and Contino, in
bronze, placed on the façade of the basilica of the Immaculate
Conception
Pope John Paul II, in marble, located in via Imera
Luigi Pirandello Theater, Agrigento's municipal
theater. The majestic theater is accessed through the cloister of
the Palazzo dei Giganti. Already named after Queen Margherita, it
was built in 1870 and inaugurated in 1881. The current dedication to
Luigi Pirandello was decided to celebrate the 10th anniversary of
the Nobel Prize's death. One of the most significant decorations of
the theater was certainly the curtain, representing the valiant
Akragantine athlete Esseneto who returns victorious from Elea and
painted by the Messina painter Luigi Queriau. The work was lost or
destroyed during the long period of closure. In 2007, the producer
Francesco Bellomo from Agrigento donated a new curtain, made with
the same techniques of the time, which reproduces the original
fresco. The ceiling and the front of the boxes are instead the
result of the precious and refined work of the three Milanese
artists Giuseppe Sacco, Giovanni Belloni and Antonio Tavella, who
elegantly decorated the interior of the theater. The design of the
work is due to Dionisio Sciascia from Agrigento with the notable and
prestigious contribution of Giambattista Basile. In the foyer of the
theater are exhibited the bust of Zeus, formerly placed in the Villa
Garibaldi, the bust dedicated to Luigi Filippo, that of Luigi
Pirandello and numerous plaques, including those testifying the
decision of the Agrigento senate to build the theater and to name it
to Queen Margherita. Other plaques recall the dedication of the
foyer to the actor Montalbano from Agrigento, the reopening of the
theater in the presence of Oscar Luigi Scalfaro and the return of
the ancient curtain La Vittoria di Esseneto.
Old Post
Theater. The small theater is located in the buildings that, in the
second half of the nineteenth century. they were leased by the
Marquis Giambertoni to the Royal Post and Telegraphs.
Theater of
the Valley of the Temples located in the heart of the Archaeological
Park of the Valley of the Temples in a suggestive context.
Palacongressi located in the hamlet of Villaggio Mosè.
Villa Bonfiglio, in the heart of Viale della
Vittoria. It is the largest villa in the city, including green
spaces, health and athletic courses and an ice rink. At the main
entrance of the villa stands the imposing monument dedicated to the
fallen of the Great War. The monument has a large circular fountain,
with an obelisk in the center at the top of which there is an angel.
The base of the obelisk is cubic and presents two different
sculptural representations: the first depicts an episode of rural
life, with a farmer driving his oxen and the plow; the other instead
depicts a war episode, in which an Italian soldier kills a Habsburg
soldier with the butt of a rifle. In the cubic base of the obelisk
the names of the soldiers who fell at the front are engraved.
Villa del Sole, the second largest town villa. At the main entrance
of the villa it is possible to admire a fountain with statues
depicting the seasons. Inside there are two other fountains, one
composed of a bas-relief from which water flows, the other from a
rectangular-shaped basin bearing the coat of arms of the city. In
the highest part of the villa, a massive half-bust dedicated to
Luigi Pirandello was placed, which was then moved to the homonymous
square. In the villa there are also cages designed to accommodate
various species of animals and a multipurpose field. Along the path
of the villa there are commemorative ceramics of works by
Pirandello.
Belvedere Antonio and Pietro Arancio, on Viale della
Vittoria.
Villa Lizi, located between the end of Viale della
Vittoria and Via Giovanni XXIII.
Belvedere Natale D'Agostino, in
via Empedocle.
Villa Pertini, located in San Leone. In it you can
admire a fountain, a stele dedicated to the President of the
Republic Sandro Pertini and a contemporary art sculpture.
Four
villas in Porta di Ponte (known as the Sgherri villas). They are
located in piazzale Aldo Moro and constitute a precious ornament of
the city center. The first of the villas is dedicated to Rosetta
Romano, and is characterized by the presence of two half busts: the
first dedicated to the memory of the Roman; the second to Giuseppe
Garibaldi. The latter half-length, however, is the same one that
once stood inside the vast and monumental Villa Garibaldi. Inside
one of the flower beds, next to a pomegranate tree, a marble stone
was placed in memory of the 2001 Twin Towers massacre. Sir A.
Hardcastle in order to make it visible to the citizens. Finally, in
the center there is a monument in memory of the victims of the
September 11 massacres. The second villa is dedicated instead to
Casesa and, inside, it is possible to admire a wonderful fountain in
Baroque style which also has the coat of arms of the city. The name
of Casesa, politician and administrator of the city for some
decades, can be read on a marble plaque placed right at the entrance
to the garden. The third villa offers a welcome sign, made with
sandstone and floral compositions, and the half-length of Nicolò
Gallo. Finally, the fourth villa has low and elegant perimeter walls
decorated with ornamental vases, while in the center there is a
fountain and flower boxes. Each of the villas is also characterized
by the presence of four kiosks (one in each house) in Art Nouveau
style, which give an elegant and refined appearance to the entire
area.
Villetta Ettore Majorana, located a few steps from the
Bonamorone fountain.
Addolorata Park. It is a large green area,
built on the ancient neighborhood of Addolorata which was razed to
the ground by the landslide of 1966. Inside there are several areas
such as, for example, two skating rinks, an amphitheater, and a
pyramid-shaped structure. .
Rupe Atenea Natural Area and
Archeology.
Valley of the Temples Archaeological Park.
Garden
of the kolimbetra.
Falcone-Borsellino seafront.
Coast of San
Leone.
Lido Chaos.
Punta Bianca.
Bosco contrada Maddalusa.
Luigi Pirandello Literary Park.
Botanical garden, which also
houses some botanical finds from the Empedocle natural history
museum.
Goethe's garden.
Location and Coordinates
Agrigento lies on Sicily’s southern coast
in the Province of Agrigento (historically part of the southwestern
Sicilian region). It sits at 37°18′45″N 13°34′30″E (approximately
37.3125°N, 13.575°E), about 2–3 km inland from the sea, with the modern
city center roughly 6–7 km from coastal areas like San Leone.
The
municipality covers approximately 245 km² and includes several frazioni
(hamlets) such as Fontanelle, Giardina Gallotti, Monserrato, Montaperto,
San Leone, Villaggio Mosè, and Villaseta. The province itself spans
about 3,050 km², bordered by Palermo to the north, Trapani to the west,
Caltanissetta to the east, and the Mediterranean Sea (Channel of Sicily)
to the south.
Topography and Terrain
The city proper rises on
a plateau and ridge system at an elevation of about 230 m (750 ft), with
climate data often referenced from a station at 313 m (1,027 ft). Low
cliffs encircle much of the plateau, providing natural defense. To the
north, a ridge with twin peaks—Colle di Girgenti and Rupe Atenea (Rock
of Athena)—dominates the landscape, while the ancient city and sacred
areas extend southward on a sloping ridge toward the coastal plain.
The broader terrain consists of rugged limestone hills interspersed with
deep valleys, typical of Sicily’s karst landscape formed from
Meso-Cenozoic carbonate rocks. Within a short distance, elevation varies
significantly (hundreds of feet), creating a hilly relief with slopes
descending to the sea.
The modern city spreads across hills in an
amphitheater-like layout of honey-hued buildings, while the ancient site
occupies a parallel rocky ridge to the south.
Geology
Agrigento’s geology is defined by the Agrigento Formation—alternating
layers of clays, sands, and calcarenites (porous limestone). These
create distinctive cuesta ridges, including the one hosting the Valley
of the Temples. Underlying clays and partially saturated carbonate sands
contribute to slope instability, erosion, and occasional landslides,
especially where rainfall runoff and subsurface water movement affect
the calcarenite layers.
The area lies within the tectonically active
Caltanissetta basin, with historical seismic risks (though less intense
than eastern Sicily). Nearby Messinian evaporites (including gypsum)
further shape the regional karst features. Historically, the province
exploited sulfur and potash deposits from these formations until the
mid-20th century.
Hydrology and Water Resources
Ancient
founders sited the city near the confluence of two rivers: the Hypsas
(modern Drago) and the Acragas (modern San Biagio), which flow into the
sea and historically supported trade and defense.
Modern hydrology
faces challenges from Sicily’s semi-arid conditions and infrastructure
issues, including leaky aqueducts and inefficient water management.
Water scarcity is chronic, exacerbated by drought periods, though the
surrounding plains remain agriculturally productive.
Climate
Agrigento experiences a classic hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen
Csa): mild, relatively wet winters and hot, dry summers. Annual average
temperature is around 17.7°C (63.8°F), with daily means ranging from
~11°C (51.8°F) in January to ~25.7°C (78.3°F) in August. Summers see
highs frequently reaching 30°C (86°F), with records up to 41.5°C
(106.7°F); winters are mild, with lows rarely below 7–8°C (rare snow).
Precipitation totals about 497–600 mm (19.5–23.6 in) annually,
concentrated in autumn and winter (wettest months: October–December,
~80–86 mm each), while summers are nearly rainless (July averages just
2–5 mm). The climate supports clear, sunny skies much of the year, ideal
for tourism but contributing to summer drought stress.
Natural
Environment, Land Use, and Coastline
The surrounding landscape mixes
agricultural plains (olives, almonds, vines) with hilly interiors and a
varied coastline of long sandy beaches, rocky coves, and dramatic white
cliffs. Protected areas include Torre Salsa natural reserve. The coast
features the iconic Scala dei Turchi—a brilliant white marl
(sedimentary) cliff sculpted into natural “stairs” by erosion, located
about 10–15 km west in Realmonte.
Key Geographic Landmark: Valley
of the Temples
South of the modern city lies the Valle dei Templi
(Valley of the Temples), a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.
Despite the name, it is a long ridge (not a valley) of calcarenite hills
sloping from ~70–180 m elevation toward the sea. It once formed the
sacred southern edge of ancient Akragas and contains some of the
best-preserved Doric Greek temples outside Greece (e.g., Temple of
Concordia, Temple of Olympian Zeus). The 321-hectare archaeological park
sits within a larger 1,866-hectare buffer zone.
Pre-Greek Roots and Founding (c. 6th century BC)
Archaeological
evidence points to earlier indigenous Sicani settlements in the region
(e.g., at sites like Monte Sabbucina). Greek colonists from Gela—itself
founded about a century earlier by settlers from Rhodes and
Crete—established Akragas around 582–580 BC. The oikistai (founders)
were Aristonous and Pystilus. It was the last major Greek colony founded
in Sicily.
The new city rapidly expanded its territory inland between
the Platani and Salso rivers, incorporating Sican lands through a mix of
military campaigns, trade, and cultural acculturation. This control
secured fertile farmland worked partly by enslaved indigenous people and
dominance over the key overland route from the Strait of Sicily to the
Tyrrhenian Sea. Prosperity followed quickly: Akragas minted its own
coins by about 520 BC, and its wealth became legendary. Plato reportedly
quipped that its citizens “build as if they would live forever, yet eat
as if they would die tomorrow.”
Archaic Period and the Tyrants
(late 6th–early 5th centuries BC)
Around 570–550 BC, the
semi-legendary tyrant Phalaris ruled. Ancient sources portray him as the
archetype of cruelty (famously roasting enemies in a bronze bull),
though some expansion and public works (fortifications, aqueducts) are
attributed to him. Rivalry with the western Greek city of Selinus led
Akragas to conquer the colony of Heraclea Minoa around 500 BC.
The
city’s golden age peaked under Theron of the Emmenid family (tyrant c.
488–472 BC). He allied with Gelon of Gela and Syracuse, conquered Himera
in 483 BC, and decisively defeated a Carthaginian invasion at the Battle
of Himera in 480 BC alongside Gelon. This victory secured Akragas’s
control over a vast swath of central Sicily (roughly 3,500 km²) and
triggered an explosion of monumental construction.
Huge public
works included:
The Temple of Olympian Zeus (one of the largest Doric
temples ever built, with giant atlantes—male figures supporting the
structure).
Other temples along the sacred ridge.
Massive city
walls.
The Kolymbethra reservoir.
Many were built or completed
with labor from Carthaginian prisoners. Theron and other elites competed
in Panhellenic games; victories were immortalized by poets like Pindar.
Theron’s son Thrasydaeus briefly succeeded him but was overthrown
around 472 BC, after which a democracy (or aristocratic oligarchy known
as “the Thousand”) emerged. The philosopher-politician Empedocles (c.
492–432 BC), a native of Akragas, is credited in tradition with helping
overthrow the oligarchs.
Classical Peak, Decline, and
Carthaginian Sack (mid-5th–4th centuries BC)
In the mid-5th century
BC, Akragas remained neutral during the Athenian Sicilian Expedition
(415–413 BC) but clashed with Syracuse and local Sicel leader Ducetius.
Ancient sources claim a population of 200,000 (with 20,000 citizens) or
even 800,000—modern estimates are far lower, around 30,000–40,000 total.
The golden age ended brutally in 406 BC when Carthaginian forces under
Hannibal (son of Gisco) sacked and largely destroyed the city during the
Greco-Punic Wars. Many temples were burned or damaged; the city never
fully recovered its former supremacy.
Timoleon refounded and
repopulated Akragas around 338 BC with new settlers (possibly including
some from Epirus). In the early 3rd century BC, a short-lived
tyrant-king named Phintias briefly restored some power before the city
was drawn into the conflicts between Syracuse and Carthage.
Roman
Period (3rd century BC onward)
During the Punic Wars, Akragas changed
hands repeatedly. Rome besieged and captured it in 262/261 BC (selling
many inhabitants into slavery), lost it temporarily to Carthage in 255
BC, and finally secured it in 210 BC, renaming it Agrigentum. It
remained culturally Greek-speaking for centuries.
Under Roman rule,
it enjoyed modest prosperity from agriculture, sulfur and potash mining
(exported via the nearby port of Porto Empedocle), and trade. Cicero
praised it as one of Sicily’s largest and most loyal cities (civitas
decumana). It was elevated to colonia status under Septimius Severus
(Colonia Septimia Augusta Agrigentorum). A Christian community existed
by late antiquity.
Late Antiquity, Byzantine Rule, and Arab
Conquest (5th–9th centuries AD)
After the Western Roman Empire’s
fall, the city passed through Vandal, Ostrogothic, and Byzantine
control. Coastal raids prompted the population to abandon the lower city
and retreat to the more defensible acropolis (modern Colle di Girgenti).
The Temple of Concordia was converted into a Christian church around the
6th century AD, aiding its preservation.
In 828 AD, the Arabs
(Saracens) captured the diminished city, renaming it Kirkant or Jirjant.
The modern urban center largely dates to this period. Arab rule brought
agricultural innovations and cultural blending.
Norman, Medieval,
and Early Modern Periods (11th–19th centuries)
The Normans under
Count Roger I conquered the city in 1087, establishing a Latin bishopric
and building the Castello di Agrigento. The name became the
Norman-influenced Girgenti. Norman-Romanesque structures like parts of
the Cathedral of San Gerlando and Santa Maria dei Greci reflect this
era.
Medieval Girgenti was a center of baronial and ecclesiastical
power within the Kingdom of Sicily. The Jewish community, documented
from the early Middle Ages, ended with the 1492 Spanish expulsion. The
city passed under Spanish Habsburgs, then the Bourbons (Kingdom of the
Two Sicilies). In 1817, it became one of Sicily’s seven chief towns.
Modern Era (19th–21st centuries)
In 1860, Agrigento supported
Giuseppe Garibaldi’s Expedition of the Thousand, joining unified Italy.
Under Mussolini in 1927, the city officially reverted to the Italianized
Latin name Agrigento (a controversial Fascist-era decision that some
locals still resent). The historic center was later redesignated
“Girgenti” in 2016.
The city suffered heavy Allied bombing in World
War II. Post-war, tourism surged thanks to the archaeological park—the
largest in Europe at over 1,300 hectares. Sulfur mining declined by the
1970s. Today, Agrigento’s economy centers on tourism, agriculture, and
services; it was named Italy’s Capital of Culture for 2025, celebrating
its layered heritage.