When it comes to Sicily, the brilliant sunshine and the blue sea seem to be synonymous with her. Here, the fascinating natural scenery and the cultural landscape are perfectly and harmoniously integrated. As the largest island in the Mediterranean, it is the bridge between African civilization and European civilization, and once became the center of the known world.
Founded in 581 BC, Agrigento was called "the most beautiful city in the world" by the ancient Greek poet Pindal, and was ruled by the greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Arabs. The Valley of the Ancient Greek Temples, 2 km from the town of Agrigento, is a true testimony to Agrigento's ancient and splendid civilization.
The seven surviving temples here are one of the three pillar structures of classical architecture, the earliest appearance (7th century BC) Doric column. The Doric column type is characterized by its relatively large size, with 20 grooves in the column body, no column base and no column head decoration. The more familiar Acropolis and the Parthenon are all used in this column style.
As we all know, in the ancient Greek mythology, there are many, many gods, headed by Zeus. At that time, in the early Greek and Roman eras, there was no concept of religion, and there were many gods worshiped by human beings. Since we want to worship, we need to build shrines for worship, so the shrines with the names of each god appear, which is very similar to our temple of wealth, the temple of Guanyin, and so on.
All seven temples were built in the 5th century BC and have all been transformed or damaged over the course of time. You must know that as a transportation fortress in the Mediterranean, the Sicilian cities have always been the focus of various political struggles, and the wars that have occurred are really not small. Special thanks are to the Duke of Serra di Falco, who devoted himself to the restoration of the temple complex in the first half of the 19th century, which gave the Valley of the Temples belated protection.
The valley should refer to the low and narrow place between the two mountains, and the valley of the temple is actually a hill, somehow taking the name of the valley. Another destination in Sicily is to find the heroine of Marlena, the heroine of the once-sensational Italian film < the beautiful legend of Sicily> with long black hair. In the film, the thirteen-year-old Reinaldo involuntarily falls into the whirlpool set off by Marlena, not only riding a bicycle with other older teenagers, traveling through all corners of the town, searching for Marlena's seductive abundance and thousands of styles, but also quietly becoming her unknowing little follower, following and spying on her life.
The Valley of the Temples of Agrigento contains the remains of seven temples: the Temple of Concordia, the Temple of Juno, the Temple of Hercules, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Temple of Castor and the Temple of Pollux, the Temple of Asclepius and the Temple of Vulcan. Six of them sit on top of a hill, except for the Temple of Asclepis, which is located on the banks of the Akragas River.
The most spectacular is the most complete preserved temple of the Concordia (Tempio della Concordia) located above the valley: built around the fifth century BC, surrounded by 34 columns, it is the most complete and magnificent temple in the ruins.
As you walk along the path, you can see the remains of the ancient Greek city walls that once surrounded the temple and the town of Acragas (today's Agrigento). The original temples were built of marble and painted with bright colors, but today you don't see the bright colors, some are just traces of time. Only three of the seven temples are relatively well preserved, and it is not an exaggeration to say that the other temples are in ruins.
Agrigento, the seat of the Valley of The Temples, has been a military town on the Mediterranean coast since ancient Greek times, dating back to 582 BC, which is why so many temples were built here.
Located on top of the verdant mountains, overlooking the crystal clear blue sea, overlooking the boundless blue sky, and sitting behind the bustling town of Agrigento, this geographical location is really impossible to replicate. The ancient Greeks' deep wisdom, broad-mindedness and boldness are evident. The Valley of the Temple covers a vast area, and the city of Agrigento, which rises from the top of the mountain, is clearly visible, and the ancient Greek temples of the Valley of the Temple glow slightly at night, solemn and in awe.
The island was once inhabited by Greeks, Romans, Carthaginians, Vandals, Spaniards, Byzantines, Normans, Frenchmen, and Englishmen. These invaders brought Sicily an incomparably rich historical and cultural heritage, using architecture, art, language, cooking, and shaping everything on the island: the Greeks left magnificent theaters in Syracuse and Taormina, and spectacular temples in Agrigento, Selinonte and Segesta.
The Romans left stunning mosaics in Piazza Almerina; the Arabs left behind a variety of bizarre Moorish architecture and exquisite cooking methods; the Normans left majestic churches in Monreale...
Sicily is much more than that, and its long history can remind people of the glorious civilization of ancient Greece. Travel through the Valley of the Temples and feel the desolation of two thousand years.