The archaeological area of Agrigento, known as the ‘Valley of the Temples,’ is located along the southern coast of Sicily; a Unesco World Heritage site since 1997, it comprises the vast territory of the ancient polis (i.e. a city-state in ancient Greece), from the Rupe Atenea hill to the acropolis of the original ancient city, as well as the sacred hill on which stand the main Doric temples.

It is indeed the magnificent Doric temples that testify to the greatness and supremacy of ancient Agrigento, founded by the Greeks in the 6th century BC. It became one of the leading cities of Magna Grecia during the golden age of ancient Greece, with a population estimated between 200,000 and 800,000 before 406 BC, and a major role in the Mediterranean for trade and for its cultural life.