Agrigento, one of the most beautiful cities in Sicily.
Agrigento, on the south coast of Sicily, was founded by Greek settlers about the 6the century BC. It was one of the leading cities of Magna Graecia. The Valley of the Temples was inserted in the UNESCO list of the Patrimonies of Humanity in 1997. The Valley represents what remains of the ancient city of Akragas( the old Greek name of the city). The temples stand in line, from east to west and the first is the Temple of Juno, with its amazing panoramic view. The second temple is called Concord, whose maintenance is amazing and it ' s one of the three best preserved Greek temples in the world. In front of the Temple of Concordia you can admire the statue of Icarus. The statue represents the fall of Icarus, who disobeyed his father Dedalus and flew too near the Sun, burning his wax wings and falling into the Mediterranean Sea. The Temple of Hercules is the oldest, but only eight columns remain today. The last temple to be admired is that of the Dioscuris, which is one of the symbols of the city.
Greek mythology is still alive in our land, and we try to preserve ancient traditions. The festival of the Blooming Almond Trees is very popular in the city of Agrigento, according to the tradition it ' s repeated every year at the beginning of March and lasts one week. The goal is to celebrate the early spring with the bloom of the almond trees. Many folk groups from all over the world arrive in Agrigento and parade through the streets of the town along with the Sicilian carts and music bands. On the last day of the festival the folk groups perform with dances and music before the Temple of Concord. According to the Greek mythology, this celebration would be connected to the love story of Acamas and Phyllis. Acamas went to fight the Trojan war and, during the ten years of war, Phyllis never stopped waiting for the beloved one. But Acamas didn ' t return and Phyllis died with grief. The goddess Athena, touched by the death of Phyllis, turned her into an almond tree. Acamas, however, was not dead. He had been delayed to return by a block to the ship and, when he came to know of the death of his beloved and of the transformation into an almond tree, he went toward the tree and he embraced it. This way, the almond tree bloomed.
( Maria Pia Cacciatore and Rosa Brancato)
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