Valle dei Templi in Agrigento - ancient temples in Sicily

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated: September 2026 | The Valley of the Temples in Agrigento is one of Sicily's most impressive sights. Here, the remains of several ancient Greek temples stand on a long ridge overlooking the countryside and the Mediterranean Sea. We visited the Valley of the Temples on a scorching summer day and were impressed by the 2,500-year-old temples. However, we made just about every mistake you can make when planning a visit.

Valley of the Temples in Agrigento

Valle dei Templi, the Valley of the Temples, is located just south of modern-day Agrigento on the southern coast of Sicily. Despite its name, the most famous temples are not located in a valley, but along a ridge in the area that once belonged to the ancient city of Akragas.

The Greek colony was founded in the 6th century BC and developed into one of the most important cities in the Mediterranean, with monumental temples and other public buildings that demonstrated the city's wealth and power.

Today, the archaeological site is much larger than just the well-known row of temples. It also contains remains of dwellings, roads, cemeteries and the later Hellenistic and Roman city. Since 1997, the archaeological site of Agrigento has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

An ancient Greek city in Sicily

Founded by Greek colonists, Akragas grew rapidly in the centuries BC. During its heyday, the city was both wealthy and politically important.

The great Doric temples were built mainly in the 6th and 5th centuries BC. Several of them were located along the southern edge of the city, where they could be seen from afar.

The city later came under Carthaginian and Roman rule and changed over the centuries. Much of the ancient city still lies beneath today's fields and crops, which is also one reason why the area has been preserved in an unusually clear way.

When you walk between the temples, you are not walking through some collection of buildings that happened to be next to each other. You are in the middle of the remains of an entire ancient city.

Temple of Concordia – best preserved in Agrigento

The most impressive temple is Temple of Concordia, the Temple of Concordia, which was built around the middle of the 4th century BC.

It is considered one of the best preserved Doric temples from antiquity and when you stand in front of the building it is difficult to understand that it is around 2,500 years old. The six columns on the short sides and thirteen along the long sides still remain, along with large parts of the temple building itself.

An important explanation for the temple's survival is that it was converted into a Christian church in the 6th century AD, giving the building a new function instead of being abandoned and used as a quarry.

The name Concordia is not the original name of the temple. It is not known for certain which deity the building was actually dedicated to.

The Temple of Heracles is one of the oldest

Temple of Hercules, the Temple of Heracles or Temple of Hercules, is older than the Temple of Concordia and is usually considered one of the oldest Doric temples in Agrigento. Not nearly as much of the original building remains here.

Eight tall columns stand in a row, yet they give a clear picture of how monumental the temple must once have been. The columns have not stood upright unbroken since antiquity. They were re-erected during restoration work in 1923.

It's a useful reminder when visiting ancient sites. What we see today is often a combination of what actually survived and more recent archaeological and restoration work.

The Temple of Hera overlooks the landscape

Further east on the ridge lies Temple of Juno, often called the Temple of Hera or the Temple of Juno. This was also built in the 4th century BC and is similar in architecture to the Temple of Concordia.

The temple is located high up and has a fantastic view of the surroundings. A large number of columns and parts of the original construction still remain. In 405 BC, Akragas was attacked by the Carthaginians and the temple was badly damaged, and traces of the fire have been found.

The Temple of Zeus was enormous

One of the most fascinating temples is also one of the most difficult to imagine today. Temple of Olympian Zeus, the temple of Olympian Zeus, lies largely in ruins.

When it was built, however, it was gigantic. Measuring about 112 by 56 meters, the temple was one of the largest Greek temples ever built. The architecture was also unusual and the building was decorated with enormous stone figures, known as telamons, which seem to have supported parts of the structure.

When you see the boulders on the ground, a little imagination is therefore required. Here you don't get the same immediate wow feeling as in front of the Temple of Concordia, but knowing the original size of the building makes the place all the more fascinating.

More than just temples

It's easy to think that the Valle dei Templi just consists of a few temples in a row, but the archaeological site tells us much more than the religion of ancient Akragas.

Here you can find remains of the city's residential quarters, streets and cemeteries from different periods. Archaeological excavations have also provided knowledge about the later Hellenistic and Roman city. Anyone who is really interested in history can therefore spend considerably more time here than is required to see just the most famous temples.

Our visit to the Valley of the Temples

We visited Valle dei Templi in the middle of summer, in the middle of the afternoon, in the scorching heat. We can start by saying not recommend.

It was insanely hot, the shade was almost non-existent, and the road from the parking lot already made us wonder if we really needed to see those ancient temples up close. That's when the sightseeing bus showed up.

We fell for the ”guide in English”

The salespeople promised ”guide in English” and ”perfect views for photos.” In the heat, it sounded fantastic. So we could sit comfortably, get a guide, and photograph the temples without having to drag ourselves around in the sun.

We paid and hopped on. It didn't quite turn out as we had imagined. The English guide turned out to consist of headphones where the sound effectively competed with the lively conversation of fellow passengers. And the perfect photo views would have possibly been perfect if we had had a very impressive telephoto lens.

To actually get close to the temples we had to leave the bus, buy a regular entrance ticket and start walking. So we ended up walking anyway, on foot, in the heat. Sweating and grumbling.

But the temples were worth it

Once we stood in front of the temples, we at least forgot some of our irritation. It's hard not to be impressed when you stand in front of a building like the Temple of Concordia and realize that people erected these columns about 2,500 years ago.

It's also easy to think of antiquity as something abstract. Years, Greeks, Romans, and various gods merge into a distant past.

In a place like the Valle dei Templi, history becomes more concrete. Here people built temples, houses and roads. Here religion, politics, trade and everyday life took place while large parts of the Europe we know today looked completely different. Suddenly the 5th century BC doesn't feel quite so abstract anymore.

Best time to visit the Valley of the Temples

From our own experience, this is perhaps our most important advice: avoid the hottest hours of summer days.

Spring and autumn are more pleasant seasons for those who primarily want to walk and discover the area. If you visit Agrigento during the height of summer, the morning or later part of the day is significantly more pleasant than mid-afternoon.

Plus, the light becomes more beautiful when the sun is lower, which hardly makes the honey-colored temples any less impressive.

Valle dei Templi can also be visited in the evening during certain periods, but opening hours and evening opening times vary. Please check the current times before visiting.

Valley of the Temples by motorhome

For those traveling around Sicily by camper, Valle dei Templi is an easy destination to add along the route on the south coast. We came to Agrigento by camper, from Trapani, and parked during the day next to the archaeological area, during the day.

After visiting, we continued our journey in a southerly direction, and a little later in the evening we pulled into a simple parking lot/campsite on the coast.

More to see in Sicily

Sicily is both a beautiful and historically interesting island. Here you will find more reports with tips:

• Things to do in Trapani
• Marina di Ragusa
• Things to do in Noto
• Things to do in Syracuse