Overview
Archaeological sites, natural beauty and thermal baths – all for you to discover on this one strip of land
An ancient city founded around 581 BC, over the centuries Agrigento has passed under the rule of various different cultures, from the Greeks to the Romans, from the Arabs to the Normans. This allowed for a cultural stratification, traces of which still remain in the fabulous Valley of the Temples. This archaeological park located in ancient Akragas, the original heart of the city, features a series of outstanding Doric temples from the Hellenic period in an excellent state of preservation.
In the hamlet of Caos, you can visit the birthplace of Luigi Pirandello, which houses possessions and memorabilia of this Nobel Prize winner.
The area of Agrigento is also renowned for its natural beauty, most notably the Scala dei Turchi, a white marl cliff that juts out into the sea along the coast of Realmonte. Over time this tourist destination has become famous for its uniquely terraced cliffs and its location in the Porto Empedocle area, which serves as the setting for the Inspector Montalbano novels by Andrea Camilleri. Also worth visiting are the Punta Bianca Nature Reserve and San Leone beach, known for its smooth, sandy shore and summer nightlife.
An hour’s drive away up the west coast is Sciacca, famous for its reefs and thermal complex. Its discovery is attributed to the mythological Daedalus, who is said to have first found these caves with their curative powers while fleeing from Crete after building the famous labyrinth.
92100 Agrigento AG, Italia
