Agrigento between Temples, Coast and Sicilian Culture

Agrigento combines significant evidence of ancient Greece with Mediterranean landscapes and the literary heritage of Luigi Pirandello. The Archaeological Area of Agrigento preserves the site of a Greek colony founded in the 6th century BC. The Valley of the Temples contains the most important Doric temples on the sacred hill of the ancient city; the area extends to the necropolis located outside the city walls.

Archaeology, Museums and Pirandello

At the Pietro Griffo Regional Archaeological Museum, you can see 5,688 archaeological finds. They are arranged chronologically and topographically and illustrate the history of the Agrigento area from prehistoric times to the end of the Greek-Roman period. The museum thus complements the monumental temple landscape with a perspective spanning a broad period.

The Teatro Pirandello is also one of the city’s notable cultural venues. It opened to the public in 1880 and features ceiling and box-front decorations created by well-known 19th-century painters. The Casa Museo Pirandello focuses on personal belongings, photographs, awards, reviews, letters, manuscripts, first editions with handwritten dedications and posters relating to Luigi Pirandello’s well-known works.

The writer’s birthplace is located in the rural district known as “Caos”, on the steep coast between the municipalities of Agrigento and Porto Empedocle. The stated distance to the municipality of Agrigento is 4 km. Guided literary tours depart from the Casa Museo Pirandello and visit places, landscapes, events and people from Luigi Pirandello’s life and work.

Coastal Landscape and Protected Nature

The Torre Salsa Nature Reserve is located in Siculiana in the Province of Agrigento and covers 761.62 hectares. As a guided nature reserve, it combines narrow paths through vegetation and rocks with a beach where coastal dune vegetation has been preserved. This creates a natural experience that combines physical activity with close observation of the landscape.

The beaches and coastal dunes of the Torre Salsa Nature Reserve serve as nesting grounds for the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta. In the Pantano, you can also observe the endemic Sicilian pond turtle Emys trinacris. Those interested in coastal ecology and peaceful walks will find here a particularly tangible complement to Agrigento’s historical sites.

Hiking, Cycling and Special Insights

The Itinerarium Rosaliae begins at the Eremo di Santo Stefano di Quisquina in the Province of Agrigento. The route crosses the Parco dei Monti Sicani, nature reserves and other natural areas. Over approximately 187 km, it passes through 15 municipalities, offering a broad view of the landscape of Sicily’s interior.

The Itinerarium Rosaliae can be travelled on foot, by bicycle or on horseback. Its route follows royal survey roads, mule tracks, hiking trails and disused railway lines. Depending on the chosen mode of transport, the character of these paths can be experienced in different ways, without limiting the route to a single form of travel.

The Giardino della Kolymbethra is an FAI heritage site open to the public in the Parco Valle dei Templi, in the area of the Temple of the Dioscuri in Agrigento. In addition, a 40-minute guided tour of the hypogea is available for small groups of six people. It includes an introduction, preparation and equipment, as well as an approximately 20-minute tour of the hypogeum with staff from the Associazione Agrigento Sotterranea.

Getting There, Events and Local Specialties

The Giardino della Kolymbethra can be reached by train from Palermo or Caltanissetta to Agrigento, followed by a bus to the Valle dei Templi. Scheduled buses from the Piazzale Rosselli bus station supplement public transport connections within this excursion destination.

For the 2026 edition of Mandorlo in Fiore, the event in Agrigento was scheduled to take place from 7 March to 15 March. The programme included performances, music, dancing, entertainment and culinary initiatives. Together with the 68th International Folklore Festival and the 23rd International Festival “I Bambini del Mondo”, it was combined as a joint event for the 78th Mandorlo in Fiore.

The local culinary scene includes gelato pecorino. Cafés and pastry shops in Agrigento offer this delicate ice cream made from sheep’s-milk ricotta as a typical and unique specialty of the Agrigento area. The cathedral’s exhibition rooms also display four Hellenistic-Roman sarcophagi as part of the Arkeo&Fede project.

More Places for Planning Your Trip

More destination pages for planning your trip: Santo Stefano Quisquina, Naro, Cattolica Eraclea, Lampedusa, Fiumenaro, Sant'anna, Villaggio Pirandello, Burgio, Villaseta, Sant'angelo Muxaro, Ravanusa, Joppolo Giancaxio, Grotte, Località Maragani, Lampedusa e Linosa, Zingarello, San Biagio Platani, Contrada Fiori Sud, Torre di Gaffe, Eraclea Minoa, Lucca Sicula, Villaggio Mosè, Cammarata, Caltabellotta, Borsellino, Montaperto, Montallegro, Castrofilippo, Cianciana, Santa Margherita Di Belice, Favara, Montevago, Campobello Di Licata, Alessandria Della Rocca, Sambuca Di Sicilia, Aragona, Palma Di Montechiaro, Borgo Bonsignore, Racalmuto, Raffadali, Ribera, Sciacca, Siculiana, Casteltermini, Bivona, Canicattì, San Leone, Siculiana Marina, Agrigento, Porto Empedocle, Realmonte, Licata, Menfi, Porto Palo Di Menfi.

For the overview of the wider destination: Sicily.