On arrival at Agrigento I thought I had dropped a bad
clanger. I had not booked thinking February should not
present too much by way of problems. However the very first
thing I noticed in Agrigento were signs of an international
carnival. It was indeed the end of a two-week international
festival, ‘Mandolo in fiore’ [almond blossom]
but I obtained a ground floor en-suite room at the very
first place I tried – at a very reasonable price!
This was Concordia in the Piazza San Francesco. Another
plus mark for the Concordia is that its guests get a
reduction at the good restaurant next door, La
Forchetta.
I headed straight for the Valley of the Temples. This is
about two and a half kilometres below the town and about
half way is the purpose built archaeological museum. I
headed for the eastern temples. I don’t know why the
Greek settlers found it necessary or desirable to build so
many Doric temples so close together – perhaps to
avoid spite from jealous Gods? – but I am heartily
glad they did.. On the eastern side there are three
wonderful buildings, the Tempio de Ércole, the Tempio de
Concordia and, furthest away, the Tempio de Giunone. The
one in by far the best state of repair – or
reconstruction in parts – is the middle one which
apparently enjoyed a spell as a Christian church from about
the sixth century. However I found the slightly wooded site
of the nearest to the road, the Tempio di Ércole
contributed to making this a pretty alluring place. All the
way along the main path, there are empty tombs and other
minor remains on the left side [opposite the temples] and
there is much to make it apparent that the festival of
almond blossom is perfectly timed.
The following morning the final procession of the
festival took place. I took the chance of a quick wander
around the town itself. A set of steps led from almost
opposite my hotel up to the Via Atenea but the roads up on
the other side were mainly unstepped, though very steep.
Although Agrigento is statistically one of the poorest
cities in Italy, Via Atenea itself gives no sign of this
and some of the shops are quite elegant. Eventually the
procession set out and very spectacular it was. Some of the
costumes were glorious and many of the little children
watching were most attractively arrayed. I followed behind
to get a bus back down to the temples; no such luck –
that’s where the procession was heading and the buses
had accordingly stopped. I walked down, stopping at the
museum en route.
This is a really excellent place. The British Museum in
London is the only place where I have seen a collection of
Greek vase to equal the ones there. There is a sort of
indoor courtyard and towering up above the height of the
first floor is a ‘telemone’ reassembled from
pieces, a sort of column with a sculpture of a man holding
something up. It is HUGE! Anyway I headed on down for the
temple area and there, where the bus had stopped,
immediately under the Tempio di Ércole, they were setting
up a structure for each national delegation to perform in
an outdoor concert. I went to see the western temples
first. These are not anywhere near the same as the others,
more ruined like a vast ancient historic demolition site
but it was interesting after seeing the models in the
museum, to imagine just how vast the Tempio di Giove would
have been, had it ever been completed. There is another
telamone here, lying unattended and possibly seeming even
more majestic for this reason.
Later, tired and hungry I started the walk back up the
hill. I was far from beating any speed records but I made
it and settled down for a rest in my hotel before eating. I
woke to the most fearsome bangs and realised that they were
from the festival’s final firework display. I simply
had to watch and there was a space just along from the
hotel which gave the best view I have ever experienced of
such a display which was lighting up the sky from far below
near the temples. Wow.
I had noticed an interesting place to eat up a small
alley on the other side of the Via Atenea. This was La
Corte degli Sfizi in Cortile Contorni and I would recommend
it to anybody; I must admit to a definite weakness for
antipasti and the plate given here to help yourself to the
buffet type spread meant that the first course was like a
full meal. However the other courses were equally good. I
was sorry to be leaving Agrigento but I knew I had seen its
best and I never like to stay for an anti-climax. In the
morning I took the bus west for Sciacca.
David was a keen walker, particularly on mountains
before he developed serious heart problems in 1995. He has
now adapted his holidays to what he is able to do and we
are presenting his account of 12 days in Sicily over this
and the coming months. Next episode – Sciacca,
Caltabellotta and Selinunte
