Valle Dei Templi...

We are trying to pack a lot of firsts in this first week of being in Italy :), why not take our first trip to see some amazing sites?  Not far from where we are is an amazing valley of Roman temple ruins.  So, in the car we went.  Just driving in the Sicilian countryside was worth it.  It is amazingly beautiful.  Orange trees, lemon trees, olive trees, green everywhere and then all the vineyards.  They would be beautiful when they are in season, but it is winter here.  The rolling hills are filled with their rows and rows of branches though.  Such a beautiful site.  Italy is way more rolling hills than I had anticipated.  In my mind it was much more flat.  But so far, it has been very hilly.

These temples are amazing.  I cannot even imagine their size and majesty when they were brand newly built back in their time.  It was amazing coming around the corner of the road and seeing the temple of Hera on the top of the mountain.

 

The Valley includes remains of seven temples, all in Doric style. The ascription of the names, apart from that of the Olympeion, are a mere tradition established in Renaissance times. The temples are:

Temple of Juno, built in the 5th century BC and burnt in 406 BC by the Carthaginians. It was usually used for the celebration of weddings.
 

Temple of Concordia, whose name comes from a Latin inscription found nearby, and which was also built in the 5th century BC. Turned into a church in the 6th century AD, it is now one of the best preserved in the Valley.

Temple of Heracles, who was one of the most venerated deities in the ancient Akragas. It is the most ancient in the Valley: destroyed by an earthquake, it consists today of only eight columns.


Temple of Olympian Zeus, built in 480 BC to celebrate the city-state's victory over Carthage. It is characterized by the use of large scale atlases.

We went to the museum that has all of the artifacts that they have found throughout the 'valley'.  It is amazing what they have found.  Lots of vases that are still completely intact, sarcophagus, helmets, countless pottery and so much more.  The statue that the kids are standing in front of was part of the 'temple of Zeus'.  It was quite huge!  They had the best preserved one in the museum and about 3-4 others out on the grounds that you could go look at.  When we were outside and saw just how big they were, it really put into perspective of the size of these temples.  They put a lot of work into them!