The town is obviously of considerable age and its main street is as appealing as any that I saw in Sicily, almost permanently full of window shoppers.

The town also serves as a gallery for looking down over the temples some mile and a half away nearer the sea. The sight of them floodlit is pretty glorious but with the enhancement of the festa's last night firework display, it was absolutely awesome. Local buses [route 2] to the temples leave from just outside the station and the station bar is a good place to have in mind for getting tickets for the buses which must be bought in advance.

About half way down to the temples is the purpose built Museo Nazionale Archeológico. This is outstanding, particularly the rooms relating to local remains. Opposite to the museum are the ruins of the Greek/Roman residential area. I might have found this worth seeing but the Valley of the Temples was exerting a magnetic influence by this time and I turned straight down for it. It is this area which has made Agrigento deservedly famous.

There are temple remains on both sides of the road and drinks, postcards, etc. are sold on the carpark. The Eastern side is more spectacular as the remains are less ruined. Just by the road there is a path up to the relatively small but particularly beautiful temple of Ercole [Heracles.] The main track continues by the ancient town walls and the necropolis to the Tempio della Concordia, dating from several centuries BC and remarkably well preserved. Apparently it spent part of its life as a Christian church but this is not at all apparent. Lastly the path comes to the temple of Hera.

The Western side is less immediately appealing though there is considerable interest in the enormous pile of 'rubble' which formed the massive Temple of Zeus, the largest anywhere in the Doric style though it may never have been completed! Everywhere the almomds were showing that the festival was perfectly timed.