Francesco Saverio Cavallari was born in Palermo in 1809 and was an architect, painter, archaeologist and professor. From 1826 he worked for the Duke of Serradifalco in archaeological explorations in Sicily. In 1884 he arrived in Syracuse, where he dedicated all his energy to the reorganisation and...

Porta V was the entrance to the city of Akragas near the Santuario delle Divinità Ctonie (Sanctuary of the Chthonic Deities) and the Temple of Zeus. Even now it is still the best preserved portion of walls in the entire Park. As soon as you were through Porta V, you would enter the main plateia (t...

Numerous coins with crab, dolphin and octopus symbols were found near the Temple of Hera Lacinia. Since these are the symbols traditionally attributed to Poseidon, the god of the sea, it is safe to say that the temple was actually dedicated to this deity. ...

On the chapel walls there are four figures: the first on the left is a bearded saint with a nimbus, whose right hand blesses with his fingers outstretched according to the Eastern rite, while his left hand holds a cross. The figure wears a red tunic under a black cloak. The second figure is a youn...

Inside the chapel of the Crucifix, the work depicts the image of the Bishop Zosimus. The figure appears standing in pontifical robes while he blesses with a mitre on his head and a pastoral staff in his left hand. This panel has been attributed to the Sicilian painter Antonello da Messina. The An...

Every year in July in Agrigento the Feast of San Calogero is celebrated. It is said that the monk Calogerus came to Sicily to spread the Christian faith and that during a period of plague, he walked the streets to ask for bread for the poor. Fearful that he would get too close to their houses, the...

Himera was a Greek colony founded in 648 BC on the northern coast of Sicily, near Palermo, which became famous for the battle of the same name (480 BC) in which the Carthaginians suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the people of Agrigento and Syracuse. The outcome of the conflict did not di...

Francesco Paolo Priolo lived in Palermo between 1818-1892. He was a painter, a pupil of the famous Giuseppe Patania, and specialised in the production of copies and historical and religious subjects, often in watercolour. He had a neoclassical background. In the second half of the 19th century, he ...

The Church of San Biagio (St. Blaise) stands in the eastern part of the Rupe Atenea, on the ruins of the Temple of Demeter. It is a Norman building of worship dating back to the 12th century. The church façade is very simple, with an ogival gate (i.e. with a pointed top) and a round window in the ...

The Girgentana goat is a typical species of goat in the Agrigento area. They can be recognised from other species by their twisted, spiral horns that give them a certain elegance. Thanks to the Park's actions, the endangered animal inhabits these places once more. ...