eMates eMAtes - 3rd issue | Page 47

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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