An ancient terrain, rich in biodiversity and even richer in its cultural heritage. Agrigento, Girgenti in Sicilian, and Akragas to the Greeks, when it was a major city and colony of Magna Graecia, may have lost its former glory, but a renaissance is under way. The remains of the seven temples, with Concordia (440-430 BC) the most striking and best preserved, is one of the striking historical symbols of Sicily and has UNESCO World Heritage status.
The modern city has often said to have blotted the landscape of the historic site and the ancient Kolymbetra Garden, located in the small valley between the Dioscuri and Vulcan temples, was abandoned for many years. Now, however, with the work of FAI (Fondo Per L’Ambiente Italiano), the Italian equivalent of the National Trust, the garden has been beautifully restored. FAI had set up a long-term landscape and renovation project to reconstruct the garden, which in recent centuries had grown to include ancient, exotic fruit trees and a unique natural habitat. FAI’s contribution in restoring the Kolymbetra Garden (re-opened to the public in 2001), brought together botanists, archaeologists, zoologists and others, and was crucial in preserving a unique environmental history.
The wider province of Agrigento is also rich in culture and history. This is the land, too, of Luigi Pirandello, a native of Agrigento who knew the importance of a ‘fruitful soil’ – the imagination – in the development of the creative instincts of artists and writers. In nearby Raculmuto, where he was born and lived for most of his life, Leonardo Sciascia, a sharp critic of Italy’s political class and the cultural hold of the mafia on Sicilian society, was driven by his understanding of the complexities of his land. Food, along with other aspects of local art and culture, remained crucial to Sciascia’s Sicilian identity as a writer. Sicilian food is important too in the work of Andrea Camilleri, one of Italy’s greatest contemporary writers, who originates from nearby Porto Empedocle, It is the backdrop to the plots involving his popular Sicilian detective Inspector Montalbano, with many surrounding areas featuring in the books – loosely Agrigento is ‘Montelusa’ and Porto Empedocle is ‘Vigata’. Given Montalbano is a gastronome as well as being a critic of the abuses of power on the island, the books provide a rich insight into Sicily’s pleasures as well as problems.
Where to stay?
Maria Deleo’s delightful Villa Deleo is right on the seafront in Realmonte, near the Scala dei Turchi (the Turkish Steps), where each day begins with Giovanna’s own Granita di Mandorle, Cannoli and other specialities on the terrace overlooking the sea. In the past Andrea Camilleri has sat on this terrace, smoking, contemplating and talking. http://www.villadeleo.it/it/
Fattoria Mose an organic agriturismo where you can taste a variety of local food and is within easy reach of Agrigento.http://www.fattoriamose.com