9^th July 2009

Here in Syracuse we walked around the city, visited some Museums and galleries and did some shopping . I did find a Vodafone shop and I bought a 3G USB stick, so from now on and all time staying in Italy I will be able to keep you updated with our adventure.

We are renting a car and plan to drive around to see this part of Sicily and visit the Archeological Greek sites. So plenty of photos to follow.

I have to say that having Babis in our crew we have the best free guide to whichever site we go, during the car drive he is telling us the history of the place in detail so when we arrive we a bit about what we will see. The kids are listening our “guide” amazed from his knowledge.

The city of AKRAGAS (Ακράγας)

Οh friends, ye who inhabit the great city of sacred Akragas up to the acropolis, whose care is good deeds, who harbor strangers deserving of respect, who know not how to do baseness, hail! I go about among you an immortal god, no longer a mortal, honored by all, as is fitting, crowned with fillets and luxuriant garlands..

Empedokles of Akragas from ’’Fragments’’

The Greek philosopher who was a subscriber to the Pythagorean school of natural philosophers, but without the mysticism of his contemporaries. He felt that we must use the data from our senses, even though they could not be completely trusted. He believed the Moon  shone by reflected light. He postulated that all substances were made up of air, earth, fire, and water combined in different proportions. He is the first to have suggested the humoral theory, proposed a crude theory of evolution and  later adopted by the Hippocratics.

Greeks colonized Sicily moving from Greece towards the West around the 8^th century B.C. and found the city of Akragas, where they built the Valley of the Tmples, around 582 B.C. with settlers from Rhodes and maybe Cretans. Their choice for this site was determined by the desire  to be participating in the commerce of this region with the sea route from the Aegean to  North Africa. The land been rich with cereals, wine, olives, oil and with plenty of green hills for the living stock  made Akragas one of the biggest and most thriving centers of Greek civilization.

For more information go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agrigento  and  http://www.lifeinitaly.com/tourism/sicily/agrigento.asp

So let’s enjoy the view of Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples:

1.2.3.The temple

4. View of the valley

5. A holy olive tree

6. Vie in the archeological site

7. Columns

8. The limits of the wall

9. Other ruins

10. A man’s statue on the ground