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AGRIGENTO Province (ab 466,495 - km2 3041,90) Town (ab, 51325 - 230 slm) The oldest town in Sicily, formerly known as Akragas and Girgenti. It is placed on two hills that dominate the Valley of the Temples with the view of the sea in the background. Of course, one of the major tourist attractions of the island. To visit in the province: Aragona, Canicattì, Cattolica Eraclea, Lampedusa, Linosa, Licata, Naro, Palma di Montechiaro, Porto Empedocle, Sciacca. In ancient texts he speaks of Agrigento as "the most beautiful among the cities of the mortals", and this is certainly not mythology, it is a story that has been rocks and earth, for centuries nourished by the sun, that same sun which suggested glorious Civilization of a time to choose them as dwellings of men and gods. Today Agrigento has no enamel then, but there is the charm that never leaves the Sicilian island: the beautiful timeless architecture, the warm Mediterranean colors and a pleasant and incomparable climate. Today its province has 43 municipalities and a population of about 400,000 inhabitants. Bordered on the border from the Belice River to the west and from the Imera River to the east and south, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The main activity remains the agriculture of which there are good examples in international markets Canicattì grapes, Ribera oranges, Bidona peaches and the criodies of Santa Margherita Belice. Great is also the production of wines (Menfi, Palma di Montechiaro, Sambuca) and oil (Caltabellotta - Bugio). A very important role also has rich fisheries especially in the ports of Licata, Porto Empedocle and Sciacca. The tourist influx now runs throughout the province, even though its capitals remain Agrigento, Eraclea Minoa, Sciacca, Naro, the sandy beaches of San Leone and Realmonte. Not to be missed: the Almond's Fair in Fiore, in Agrigento, the Carnival of Sciacca, the Talarata Festival of Casteltermini, the Bread Archs of San Biagio Platani. The Scale of the Turks is a living cragment consisting of a spur of white marble prominent on the sea, whose layered degrading foams give a very striking appearance, accentuated in turn by the strong contrasts of colors if one thinks of the blue of the sea and Of the sky contrasted with the blinding white of the rock. The form that this monument of nature assumes is that of a stairway, where according to the legend, during the Moorish invasions that invaded in the fifteenth century, the Turks (so mistakenly called) landed in the territory of today's Realmonte bursting on stratifications Of this cliff. Valley of the Temples is an archaeological area of Sicily characterized by its exceptional state of conservation and a series of important Doric temples of the Greek period. Corresponds to the ancient Akragas, a monumental nucleus of the city of Agrigento. Today it is a regional archaeological park. Since 1997 the whole area has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is considered an ambitious tourist destination, in addition to being the symbol of the city and one of the main attractions of the whole island. The Valley of the Temples archaeological and landscape park, with its 1,300 acres, is the largest archaeological site in the world. In 2011, 583,465 people were visited. Among the most important is the Temple of Concordia. The Roman villa of Realmonte (Punta Piccola), near the splendid Scala dei Turchi, is an archaeological site comprising an area of about 5000 square meters dating back to the 1st century AD. . Archaeological remains include necropolis, as well as finds related to the hunting and labor sphere. The villa, from an architectural point of view, is a typical representation of Domus Romana, located, among other things, a few ten meters from the sea. Of particular interest are the black and white color mosaic floors and the polychrome marble floors. Villa Romana was accidentally discovered during the excavations for the construction of the railroad tracks (Agrigento-Sciacca, today dismantled) in 1907. It will take over sixty years to begin the site's recovery work. Today, despite the timid attempt by the Superintendency and the City of Realmonte to make the Villa available, the site remains unmanageable if we consider the real cultural and historical value. The "Torre Salsa" natural reserve is a protected natural area of Sicily, established in 2000 by the Sicilian Region and entrusted to WWF Italia. The territory of the reserve extends for 761.62 hectares in the province of Agrigento in the municipality of Siculiana. Its coast stretches along the coast for about 6 kilometers, from Siculiana to Eraclea Minoa, where alternate steep slopes, dunes and beach alternate. The Torre Salsa reserve boasts one of the few examples of dunal surroundings surviving in Sicily. The most interesting areas for the diffusion of fauna are that of the Pantano and that near the dune. |
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Valley of the Temples is an archaeological area of Sicily characterized by its exceptional state of conservation and a series of important Doric temples of the Greek period. Corresponds to the ancient Akragas, a monumental nucleus of the city of Agrigento. Today it is a regional archaeological park. Since 1997 the whole area has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is considered an ambitious tourist destination as well as being the symbol of the city and one of the most important of the island. The Valley of the Temples archaeological and landscape park, with its 1,300 acres, is the largest archaeological site in the world. In 2011, 583,465 people were visited. Among the most important is the Temple of Concordia. |
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The Scale of the Turks is a living cragment consisting of a spur of white marble prominent on the sea, whose layered degrading foams give a very striking appearance, accentuated in turn by the strong contrasts of colors if one thinks of the blue of the sea and Of the sky contrasted with the blinding white of the rock. The form that this monument of nature assumes is that of a stairway, where according to the legend, during the Moorish invasions that invaded in the fifteenth century, the Turks (so mistakenly called) landed in the territory of today's Realmonte bursting on stratifications Of this cliff.
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The Roman villa of Realmonte (Punta Piccola), near the splendid Scala dei Turchi, is an archaeological site comprising an area of about 5000 square meters dating back to the 1st century AD. . Archaeological remains include necropolis, as well as finds related to the hunting and labor sphere. The villa, from an architectural point of view, is a typical representation of Domus Romana, located, among other things, a few ten meters from the sea. Of particular interest are the black and white color mosaic floors and the polychrome marble floors. Villa Romana was accidentally discovered during the excavations for the construction of the railroad tracks (Agrigento-Sciacca, today dismantled) in 1907. It will take over sixty years to begin the site's recovery work. Today, despite the timid attempt by the Superintendency and the City of Realmonte to make the Villa available, the site remains unmanageable if we consider the real cultural and historical value. |
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The "Torre Salsa" natural reserve is a protected natural area of Sicily, established in 2000 by the Sicilian Region and entrusted to WWF Italia. The territory of the reserve extends for 761.62 hectares in the province of Agrigento in the municipality of Siculiana. Its coast stretches along the coast for about 6 kilometers, from Siculiana to Eraclea Minoa, where alternate steep slopes, dunes and beach alternate. The Torre Salsa reserve boasts one of the few examples of dunal surroundings surviving in Sicily. The most interesting areas for the diffusion of fauna are that of the Pantano and that near the dune. |
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