First of all Valley of the Temples is a misnomer. It is actually a ridge.The structures here were built starting around the 8th century BC by settlers from Greece who founded colonies in southern Italy. Agrigento was Greek Akragas. Siracusa was another, the name is more recognisable.
We don't actually encounter this Temple of Concordia until a ½ hour into the walking tour but I have put a photo here to give you a taste of what's in store.
The online advice were take bus 2 to the Temple of Giunone entrance and to return to Agrigento by bus 1 from the lower entrance.
After buying a ticket and entering, the first structure is the Temple of Hera. By the way the names are the traditional ones ascribed to them in renaissance times and not necessary accurate.
This group was listening to an explanation by a guide.
About 15 minutes walk takes one to the Temple of Concordia which is the best preserved specimen and the one featured in most photos. In this shot the modern bronze statue Fallen Icarus is in front of it. In mythology Agrigento was founded by Daedalus and Icarus.
The front of the temple.
The rear of the temple.
A clearer photo. A sign explained that they were once endemic to the area, but numbers have declined sharply and the project seeks to conserve them.
Next is the Temple of Heracles, which is supposed to be the most ancient of the collection.
From here we have a view to the city of Agrigento.
Down in a basin is the ancient Kolymbéthra Garden which required a separate ticket that I did not obtain.
Archeologists are still at work discovering more from the site.
There were some minor structures not depicted here, such as some fortifications and necropolises. In this trip I had been walking westwards from the Giunone entrance and I exited via the Hardcastle entrance where I caught bus 1 back to Agrigento.
And that was my half-day visit to the Valley of the Temples. It's not often you get to see structures that are almost 3 millennia old.
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