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 Individuals going to Europe this summer season.

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

Nevertheless, 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.

However hey, who stated that is the one gateway to Historic Greece nonetheless in existence?

A whole lot 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:

Uncover Italy’s Mini Athens

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

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

Image a compact Outdated City, with out the standard Instagrammable enchantment you’ll anticipate, with slim pathways lined by rows of humble dwellings, garments hanging from just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 possibly can’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 inexpensive costs, a set of Baroque church buildings with lovely frescoes, and naturally, the Valley of the Temples:

A Almost-Intact Parthenon Look-Alike

The primary vacationer attraction in Agrigento, this huge archaeological zone is a UNESCO World Heritage Web site, and a powerful ensemble of Hellenic temples which have survived the passing of time via no 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.

For those who’re on the lookout for that Parthenon look-alike from the characteristic picture, with the buildings largely-intact, and tinged gold by the sundown, look no additional than the Temple of Concordia:

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

Different must-sees within the Valley embody the Temple of Hera, overlooking the green-clad Sicilian hills and the ocean, the Temple of Heracles, whose surviving 8 columns supply us a glimpse into mystical, immemorial occasions, 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 as a result of Agrigento’s relative remoteness in comparison with Sicily’s hotspots, and it is even barely cheaper:

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

How Reasonably priced Is Agrigento?

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

Count on to pay round $15–⁠$17 eating out in an Outdated City 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.

Check out this one, for example: it is a Historic Heart House with a beautifully-renovated, modernized inside, Outdated City views, and it ought to run you up $37-a-night as a touring couple.

Within the 4-star lodge class, there’s Hotel Della Valle, the place among the rooms characteristic views of the Valley of the Temples, from $83.50 per grownup.

Lastly, for a 5-star itemizing, geared up with a pool, a luxurious continental buffet, and inside brief strolling distance of a secluded Le Dune Seaside, Aria Oasi Relax is our prime choose, from $167 per evening every for two friends.

How To Get To Agrigento

For those who’re flying to Sicily this summer season, from JFK with Delta, Agrigento is extra accessible than you may suppose:

Touchdown 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 via Get Your Guide (often from $129 per particular person).

Whereas excursions are costlier, 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 often includes altering trains a few times, it takes between 6h03 and 6h44.

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

Naturally, you too can hire a automobile to discover Sicily with out public transport constraints, and driving from Catania to the Valley of the Temples, it takes solely 1h51.