Despite their grandeur, the statues of the togati appear graceful and composed. The drapery, which captures the attention most, follows the shapes of the bodies and replicates in detail all the folds that are created when the garment is worn. The artist’s chisels reproduced an image so similar...

To ensure that all spectators correctly identified the role of each character on stage, the colours of the clothes worn by the actors followed well-defined canons: red for the poor, purple for the rich, yellow for the courtesans, white for the elderly and colourful for the young. The mask then ind...

The description of the Valley by Justus Tomassini during his Grand Tour tells us that despite the passing years, the beauty of the nature and buildings of the Valley of the Temples have remained unchanged: “Here for the first time I enjoyed the fiery splendour of the southern vegetation and the in...

Observing the Sarcophagus of the Child means surrendering to the narrative present on its sides. Through a skilful play of light and shadow on white marble, the sculptors have given the story an emotional appeal that leaves no for indifference: the face of the woman who leans over the body of the c...

Sulphur, when found in nature in its pure state, has a citrine yellow colour characterised by clarity and luminosity, which makes it shine under the sun’s rays. It is often found in microcrystalline clusters and therefore appears fragmented. In the presence of impurities, the colour changes from...

Though the Hellenistic-Roman quarter now has only the lowest part of the perimeter walls of the domus, at the time of Agrigentum, these houses, which now appear calm, would have been a mixture of bright colours. The Romans loved to sumptuously decorate where they lived: the walls were adorned with...

Horses, elegant battle steeds, were venerated in Agrigento in a more heartfelt way than in other cities. There was a real exaltation in Akragas for the spectacle deriving from their superb beauty and sinuous movements, so much so that majestic funeral monuments were raised and they were depicted on...

The Oratory of Phalaris still has traces of its original colour: the building was probably covered with white stucco painted on the side walls and according to Hellenic tradition, metopes and triglyphs that ran on the frieze would have been blue and red. A triumph of bright colours, lit by the war...

In ancient times, when sailors passed by Akragas, they would have been ecstatic and impressed. In the astonishing belt of temples that embraced the city there was one temple of colossal dimensions that stood out from the rest. The structure's bright colours – red, white and blue – increased ...

The Temple of Concordia, in its majestic integrity, is a spectacle that fascinates and elicits respect. The imposing Doric columns, surmounted by capitals that are still intact, support the trabeation without any apparent effort. The characteristic yellow ochre colour of the Agrigentine stone us...