The Church of San Biagio (St. Blaise) stands in the eastern part of the Rupe Atenea, on the ruins of the Temple of Demeter. It is a Norman building of worship dating back to the 12th century. The church façade is very simple, with an ogival gate (i.e. with a pointed top) and a round window in the ...

The Girgentana goat is a typical species of goat in the Agrigento area. They can be recognised from other species by their twisted, spiral horns that give them a certain elegance. Thanks to the Park's actions, the endangered animal inhabits these places once more. ...

Calcarenite is a type of rock formed by the sedimentation of layers of limestone and is very common in Sicily. The Agrigento calcarenite is very porous, soft and crumbly, but useful for to its resistance to weather (rain and wind). The ease with which it was cut, worked and sculpted made it very...

The Tempio dei Dioscuri (Temple of Castor and Pollux) was located in the second terrace of the Sanctuary of the Chthonic Deities. It was built in Doric style in the 5th century BC as requested by the tyrant Theron, but over the years neglect and adverse weather have reduced it to a pile of rubble. ...

For Asclepius, many animals were sacred, and helped his priests and priestesses to heal the sick. The serpent was the most important since small doses of its venom could be used as a drug. Then there were dogs and geese, because their saliva helped to heal wounds. Finally, the rooster: the animal...

Every year in July in Agrigento the Feast of San Calogero is celebrated. It is said that the monk Calogerus came to Sicily to spread the Christian faith and that during a period of plague, he walked the streets to ask for bread for the poor. Fearful that he would get too close to their houses, cit...

According to the ancient Greeks, the kingdom of the underworld was where the souls of the dead resided. The kingdom was usually located underground and to get there souls had to cross the river Acheron on a boat ferried by the ancient Charon. To pay for the journey, an obolus, a coin of little va...

The almond tree is a very long-lived and widespread tree in the Mediterranean Basin. It can reach a height of 10 metres and is usually easy to recognise in a garden. Its splendid flowering of pinkish-white shoots, which in Agrigento starts as early as January, makes it one of the garden's most bea...

The Agrigento Warrior is a wonderful example of Greek sculpture, whose style is defined as "severe" due to the rigidity of expression and movement of the statue compared to the following classical period. The work, created around 480-475 BC, was found in the 1940s with the torso lying near the Temp...

The Italian Environment Fund (Fondo Ambiente Italiano – FAI) is a foundation that, since its creation in 1975, has protected and developed Italian historical, artistic and landscape heritage. Through the organisation of initiatives and events such as the FAI Days in spring and autumn, the founda...