Things To Do in Agrigento
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Agrigento Attractions
The tourist office, in the modern town at Piazzale Aldo Moro 7 (tel. 0922/20454), is open Sunday through Friday 8am to 1pm and 3 to 8pm, Saturday 8am to 1pm. Another tourist office is at Via Empedocle 73 (tel. 0922/20391), open Monday to Friday 8am to 2:30pm and Wednesday 3:30 to 7pm.
Beyond the sites we've broken out below, theater-lovers may want to go to the Casa di Pirandello (Pirandello's House), Contrada Caos, Frazione Caos (tel. 0922-511826), is the former home of the 1934 Nobel Prize winner, known for his plays Sei Personaggi in Cerca d'Autore (Six Characters in Search of an Author) and Enrico IV (Henry IV). Although Agrigentans back then might not have liked his portrayal of Italy, all is forgiven now, and Pirandello is the local boy who made good. In fact, the Teatro Luigi Pirandello at Piazza Municipio bears his name. His casa natale is now a museum devoted to memorabilia pertaining to the playwright's life. His tomb lies under his favorite pine tree, a few hundred yards from the house and grounds, which are open daily 9am to 1pm and 2 to 7pm. Admission is 2€ for adults, and free to EU citizens aged 17 and under and 60 and over. The birthplace lies outside of town in the village of Caos (catch bus no. 1 from Piazza Marconi), just west of the temple zone.
- Religious Site
Abbazia di Santo Spirito
There is one good reason to venture into the tacky modern city itself. Although this 13th-century church is rotting away, it is still a worthy goal, as you'll realize when you stand at its impressive Gothic entrance surmounted by a rose window. The single nave is adorned with a… - Religious Site
Duomo
Founded in the 12th century, the cathedral of Agrigento has faced rough times. There are still remnants from the early Norman days, particularly the windows, but most of the church was reconstructed in the 13th and 14th centuries. It was vastly restored in the 17th century, and later… - Ruins
Parco Valle dei Templi
In the eastern zone are Agrigento’s three best-preserved temples. The Temple of Hercules (Tempio di Ercole) is the oldest, dating from the 6th century b.c. At one time the temple sheltered a celebrated statue of Hercules, long since plundered. Gaius Verres, the notoriously corrupt…
