Move Over Athens! This Ancient City In Italy Has A Better Preserved Parthenon

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From the timeless streets of Plaka, peppered with family-owned taverns and Orthodox church buildings, to the temple-dominated Acropolis Hill, Athens is one of the most popular destinations for Americans going to Europe this summer time.

As the capital of Greece, the birthplace of the Western World as we all know it, Athens is a cultural getaway like no different.

However, it isn’t with out its faults: it may be impossibly crowded, particularly across the historic heart. If you suppose Rome is unhealthy, wait till you see Athens in July.

But hey, who mentioned that is the one gateway to Ancient Greece nonetheless in existence?

Hundreds of miles away from the Saronic Gulf, over in Sicily—sure, as in Italy’s Sicily—there’s a mini Athens that includes charming cobbled streets, far fewer crowds, and even a hilltop temple that places the Parthenon to disgrace:

Discover Italy’s Mini Athens

You most likely know Sicily for Palermo, Cefalù, Taormina and the like, however you have not actually skilled all that Italy’s trendiest island has to supply till you’ve got set foot in an off-path Agrigento.

Located within the southwestern a part of Sicily, it is a much-overlooked city that has developed a little bit of a repute for being amongst Italy’s less-affluent comuni: certainly, this isn’t the Italy of pastel hues, idyllic vespa rides, and la dolce vita, however it’s received its personal explicit allure.

Picture a compact Old Town, with out the standard Instagrammable attraction you’ll anticipate, with slender pathways lined by rows of humble dwellings, garments hanging from just about each window opening, and the comforting odor of freshly-made foccacia coming from a panetteria close by.

This is the un-touristy Sicily, the one you will not see in a present like The White Lotus, and unpolished as it could be, you may’t say it would not really feel authentically Italian.

Behind the run-down facade of its centuries-old edifices, there are cozy family-owned trattorie serving Sicilian classics at reasonably priced costs, a set of Baroque church buildings with lovely frescoes, and naturally, the Valley of the Temples:

A Nearly-Intact Parthenon Look-Alike

The fundamental vacationer attraction in Agrigento, this huge archaeological zone is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a formidable ensemble of Hellenic temples which have survived the passing of time by way of not less than 24 centuries.

And sure, you learn that proper: Hellenic as in ‘from Greece’.

In case you did not know, earlier than the Romans (and different subsequent civilizations) took over, and naturally, lengthy earlier than Italy was even a unified polity, Sicily was in actual fact settled by the Greeks, who based the town of Akragas, the place the Valley of the Temples now lies.

If you are searching for that Parthenon look-alike from the characteristic photograph, with the buildings largely-intact, and tinged gold by the sundown, look no additional than the Temple of Concordia:

Only round 40 years youthful than the temple in Athens, this Doric masterpiece is likely one of the best examples of Ancient Greek structure nonetheless on show, and with most of its columns nonetheless standing, it’s in a a lot better form than the bombed-out, pillaged, broken Parthenon.

Other must-sees within the Valley embrace the Temple of Hera, overlooking the green-clad Sicilian hills and the ocean, the Temple of Heracles, whose surviving 8 columns provide us a glimpse into mystical, immemorial instances, and the ruins of the Olympeion, merely the largest-ever Doric constructing ever constructed.

Not solely is the Valley of the Temples packed-full of historic sights, just like the Acropolis Hill, it’s significantly much less crowded, with far fewer vacationers taking day journeys out right here because of Agrigento’s relative remoteness in comparison with Sicily’s hotspots, and it is even barely cheaper:

While an all-encompassing Acropolis ticket will set you again about $21, accessing the Valley of the Temples prices $19.

How Affordable Is Agrigento?

That’s not the one ‘cheaper’ factor about Agrigento: in comparison with the resort-filled Sicilian shoreline, each meals and lodging listed here are far more reasonably priced.

Expect to pay round $15–⁠$17 eating out in an Old Town eatery—on that word, do not miss out on Trattoria Concordia’s freshly-caught pesce spada and native wine—or roughly $3–⁠$5 for takeout slices of pizza and different fast snacks, and roughly $40–⁠$50 per evening on a B&B keep.

Take a take a look at this one, as an illustration: it is a Historic Center Apartment with a beautifully-renovated, modernized inside, Old Town views, and it ought to run you up $37-a-night as a touring couple.

In the 4-star resort class, there’s Hotel Della Valle, the place a few of the rooms characteristic views of the Valley of the Temples, from $83.50 per grownup.

Finally, for a 5-star itemizing, geared up with a pool, a luxurious continental buffet, and inside quick strolling distance of a secluded Le Dune Beach, Aria Oasi Relax is our high decide, from $167 per evening every for two friends.

How To Get To Agrigento

If you are flying to Sicily this summer time, from JFK with Delta, Agrigento is extra accessible than you would possibly suppose:

Landing in Catania (CTA), there are a number of transportation choices attending to Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples, whether or not you are touring independently, otherwise you’re reserving a day tour by way of Get Your Guide (normally from $129 per particular person).

While excursions are dearer, buses and trains are positively within-budget: the direct, 3h15 Flixbus service from Catania to Agrigento prices roughly $22, and in case you’re choosing the rail, which normally includes altering trains a few times, it takes between 6h03 and 6h44.

It’s the (a lot) slower different, however very scenic.

Naturally, you may also lease a automotive to discover Sicily with out public transport constraints, and driving from Catania to the Valley of the Temples, it takes solely 1h51.