The city of Agrigento was founded, under the name Akragas, in the 6th century BC by Rhodian settlers from Gela. The Greek poet Pindar called it, “of incredible opulence” and “the most beautiful city of mortals.” The reason is easily guessed by visiting the Valley of the Temples, one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Sicily. It is hard not to be enraptured by the beauty of the Temple of Concord, walking through the Garden of Kolymbethra or admiring the mosaics of the dwellings in the Hellenistic-Roman quarter. One of the alternative ways to appreciate all the beauty of this archaeological park is to visit it at night or during the Almond Blossom Festival. For this holiday, every year between February and March, folk groups from all over the world celebrate the blossoming of these trees in Agrigento. Taking a leap of several centuries, we arrive in the historic center of Agrigento, where it is nice to get lost in the streets and courtyards of the Rabato, the old Arab quarter. Agrigento’s churches often tell fascinating stories. Like the Abbey of Santo Spirito, where the nuns still prepare exquisite sweets according to ancient and secret recipes. And if the Church of San Lorenzo houses splendid stucco decorations by the Serpotta school, curious acoustic phenomena occur in the Cathedral of Agrigento. These are the places that inspired Nobel Prize-winning writer Luigi Pirandello. His house-museum and tomb are located just outside the city, in Contrada Caos.
