Days 14 and 15: Valle dei Templi (Valley of the Temples) in Agrigento and drive to Finale di Pollina (last stop in Sicily)Our time in Sicily truly felt like vacation (because too much sightseeing sometimes just feels like work). The day we visited the temples we leisurely woke with the sun (OK, maybe a bit after that), took our time at breakfast, wandered around the archeological site, ate lunch when our stomachs began to growl, came back to camp, took a nap, made dinner, read by the camp light (because it got dark by 5 PM), and crashed out never knowing what time any of the previous events had occurred. Although we had no idea what time we got there or how long we stayed, I estimate that we spent about half a day exploring the temples.
If we could do it all over again, the only thing we'd do differently is hire a professional tour guide or buy the guide book and lead ourselves. The audio guide was not very helpful, and we left with only a vague understanding that the ancient Greeks built these sandstone temples between the 6th and 5th centuries B.C. We would have liked to learn a little bit more about the historical context, but I guess we should have done our homework...
Temple of Heracles (Hercules)
Temple of Concordia
Temple of Hera (Juno) Lacinia
Temple of Hera (Juno) Lacinia
The next morning, "Hercules" and her sisters greeted us as we packed up camp to head to our next destination.
After a stop in Corleone (the inspiration for The Godfather) for lunch, we arrived at our campsite in Finale di Pollina. Probably the smallest town I've ever been to, Finale consists of the campsite and one main road with shops and residences.
So much history, the temples. Great shots Amanda! I'm looking forward to traveling...
ReplyDeletequestion: how cold was the temperature at night? at your campsite? I know when I used to camp it got very cold.
HI Elisa! Thanks! It wasn't too bad at night in Sicily. 20C during the day and around 15C at night (probably a bit cooler than that). We have a 4 seasons tent and winter sleeping bags, so that helped keep us warm, sometimes too warm.
ReplyDeleteRome on the other hand was unbearable, like -1C at night. EEK!
Oh dear. You know I would have told you to pack up Hercules and her gang over to Swiss-land, right?!?
ReplyDeleteJuanita, yes, I know you would have. We actually considered packing them all up, but the thought of being on the road 5 more days with kitties in tow didn't really seem like a good idea :(
ReplyDeleteYou're exactly right, too much sight-seeing is like work. I never thought about it like that. Those temples look stunning, Hera is my fave.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you guys had a truly wonderful vacation! Gosh, I miss Italy sometimes. I just love Roman and Greek ruins - there's something about seeing something stand the test of time for so long that brings incredible peace.
ReplyDeleteFly Girl - Perhaps it's because you've had more relaxing vacations than ones that felt like work. I tend to cram too much into a small amount of time - NEVER again, especially now that I know what real vacation feels like.
ReplyDeleteElisa - Well put. I know it's cliche for me as an American to say how much I love Italy, but I really do...