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Sicily

Looking across the bay at the city of Mazara.

The beautiful Motya Charioteer sculpture. It is a rare example of a victor of a chariot race who must have been very wealthy in order to commission such a work. It was found built into Phoenician works from 397 BC.

The foundation of the city probably dates from the eighth century BC, about a century after the foundation of Carthage in Tunisia. Here are cemetery markers, possible Tophet, a type of cemetery for cremated remains of children who were sacrifices..

The Whitaker house contains a small museum, and the well-preserved ruins of a crossroads of civilizations.

Mosaic floors dating back centuries.

Looking across the bay toward Mazara.

Looking out the back of the bus the construction of bridges in Sicily.

We visit the Valley of Temples just outside the city of Agrigento. The city was once the Greek city of Akragas, one of the most culturally advanced cities of the ancient world.

City of Agrigento in the distance

Close to the sea

Temple of Giunone. Placed spectacularly in the easternmost part of this magical hillside, it housed the cult of the goddess of fertility.

View of the sea from the Valley of Temples.

The Valley of the Temples is certainly the most important testimony of the ancient, classical culture of Sicily. It brings together the temples of gods goddesses as well as the area of the necropolis and sanctuaries outside the walls.

Children at the end of their school year get day trips from school.

Over the centuries the area was under Roman, Arab and Norman control, largely due to its strategic position overlooking Porto Empedocle and the Strait of Sicily. All left their mark at Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples shows evidence of all these civilizations. The city of Agrigento is built in the distance.

The Archaeological and Landscape Park of the Valley of the Temples is the largest archaeological site in the world with 3,212 acres. The remains of 8 Greek Temples are found within the park.

Fallen Bronze statue of Icarus in front of the Temple of Concordia

Due to its good state of preservation, the Temple of Concordia is ranked among the most notable edifices of the Greek civilization existing today.

Up close Temple of Concordia looking through the pillars.

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