YESTERDAY WAS A PERFECT DAY for sightseeing around Agrigento. The sun was shining, the almond trees were starting to bloom and our puffy coats remained in the car. But first we had to survive the drive from our AirBnB at the tippy-top of town down the narrow, winding streets of Agrigento’s old city. Italians are either the best drivers in the world . . or the worst! Based on their Formula One driving style, they should all be dead but somehow they hardly even scrape mirrors or dent fenders.
It's Almond Blossom Time in Agrigento
Bikini Girls—Mosaic from Roman Villa Casales
The guy in the middle may have been the owner of Villa Casales
Long Hall (60 meters) Villa Casales
The UNESCO World Heritage Roman Villa of Casale was 90-minutes away. When we visited in 2012 it was still a work in progress and we wanted to see how much more had been done. Most of the construction was to provide shelter for the priceless mosaics that decorated the fabulous villa but several more areas had been open for viewing. The most famous room still featured the Bikini Women which John referred to as the “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue of 326 BC.” Sadly, Connie’s MacBook died this morning. All photos except yesterday’s had been backed up so these are from a decade ago.
Concordia Temple, Valley of the Temples in Agrigento
Temple of Juno, Valley of the Temples
Back in Agrigento we reprised our visit to the Valley of the Temples, also a World Heritage Site but this one Greek. As the story goes, there were originally twelve temples and seamen returning from long voyages could pick and choose among the gods and goddesses most likely to help them.
Temple of Hercules, Valley of the Temples
Ancient Olive Tree and Temple of Concordia
We couldn’t see that any more excavation had been done since our last visit but it seems that newly discovered information has resulted in name changes for some of the temples. And based on the old photos, we didn’t cover as much of the site last time as we did today—another 6+ mile walking day. With a little bit of luck—and help from our friends at the Mac Store—we will recover today’s pics and update this entry. Caio!
