Holiday apartment in Agrigento: Antiquity, culture and Pirandello

Holiday apartment in Agrigento between antiquity and urban history

Agrigento brings together Greek antiquity, urban history and literature in specific locations. The Archaeological Zone of Agrigento, also known as the Valley of the Temples, was founded as a Greek colony in the 6th century BC and developed into one of the leading cities of the Mediterranean region. The area surrounding the zone is complemented by museums, churches, manuscripts and places associated with Luigi Pirandello.

Archaeology as landscape

The Giardino della Kolymbethra is a rare archaeological and agricultural cultural landscape. It combines archaeology, biodiversity and traditional agricultural practices. This cultural landscape also includes the underground hypogeum paths in the Giardino della Kolymbethra; they are 185 m long. The above-ground landscape and the underground section of the path are therefore both located in the Giardino della Kolymbethra. For a tour, the 185 m long underground section can be planned as a separate part of the garden.

Sites in the historic centre

The MUDIA in Agrigento leads visitors through several sites in the historic centre as an open-air museum tour. The Cattedrale di San Gerlando displays its present form in a 17th-century style. A word whispered at the entrance can be heard from the apse at a distance of 85 m. In this acoustic feature, the entrance and apse serve as fixed reference points in the spatial arrangement. The Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Greci was built on the remains of a Greek temple from the 5th century BC.

Luigi Pirandello and his places

Since 1987, the Casa di Pirandello and the Biblioteca Luigi Pirandello have formed a joint institution. Luigi Pirandello's birthplace is a rural building from the late 18th century in Contrada Caos near Agrigento. The Casa di Pirandello houses photographs, reviews and honours, first editions with handwritten dedications, paintings dedicated to the author, and posters for his best-known works. Pirandello's connection to Agrigento is therefore not limited to a name, but is linked to a building and a collection.

Library and festival

The Biblioteca Lucchesiana has 80,000 volumes, 32 Arabic codices, 300 manuscripts, as well as 410 incunabula and rarities from the 16th century. The Festival Internazionale del Folklore in Agrigento takes place every year between February and March. The period between February and March establishes a distinct travel period for the festival within the year.

Monastery and sweet treats

The Monastero di Santo Spirito was founded in the 13th century. Its interior features serpottic stucco work. Visitors are offered a tasting of sweet treats prepared by cloistered nuns according to traditional recipes.

Archaeological museum outside the city area

The regional Archaeological Museum of Agrigento is located in Contrada San Nicola just outside the city area and offers a panoramic view of the Valley of the Temples.

Discover more destinations

Ribera, Castrofilippo, Santa Margherita Di Belice, Raffadali, Villaggio Pirandello, Eraclea Minoa, Bivona, Porto Empedocle

To the overarching travel overview: Agrigento.