Agrigento overview

The inhabitants of Agrigento once feasted like there was no tomorrow according to Pindar, a reference to the magnificent Valley of the Temples – the primary draw card for visitors. The modern town shows little of the grandeur of its ancestor, with the hilltop new city offering row upon row of drab apartment buildings. A notorious mafia safe-haven in recent times, you may still share a coffee with an assortment of shady characters along the Via Atena. However, Agrigento is for visiting the past, not the commercially savvy present, so once you battle past the hordes of hawkers plying you with t-shirts and postcards you can experience the true glory of Valle dei Templi. One of the greatest sites of the ancient world, the Greek city dates back to the sixth century BC and completely outshines the overlooking town. Modern cement factories fill the surrounding area, making mafia shoe-shopping convenient.