A Perfect Slice of Sicily (Part 2 of 2): The Valley of the Temples, Noto & Syracuse!
[Click here if you missed Part 1!]
Picture it: Sicily, 2018.
The scorching Sicilian sun is rising over Agrigento and the ancient Valley of the Temples - which is actually not a valley at all, but a ridge located just outside of the city . . . but who’s counting? Our two vagabonds, dry-mouthed and red-eyed, are just crawling out of bed - thoroughly exhausted from a long day’s journey into Sambuca . . . but who’s counting? Awaiting them is a transformational day of spiritual awakening in the largest archeological park in all of Europe and what is widely regarded as one of best examples of ancient Greek art and architecture in the world.
Agrigento: The Valley of the Temples
One of the highlights of our trip to Sicily was undoubtedly our visit to the Valley of the Temples, located on the outskirts of the charming city of Agrigento. After a short drive from Palermo to Agrigento, we nestled into our beautifully appointed vacation rental just a few minutes drive from the archaeological site. Dinner that night was a perfectly crispy and cheesy Sicilian pizza for my husband and a delectable spaghetti alle vongole for me at a modest bistro in the center of town. Absolute heaven!
But little did we know, the next day, the heavens were about to open Mount Olympus to us. We were immediately overwhelmed by the magnificence of the Temple of Concordia, which was built between 440-430 BCE to honor the Greek goddess Harmonia (or Concordia in Roman mythology) and is, along with the Second Temple of Hera at Paestum, the most well-preserved Doric temple in the world.
As if that wasn’t impressive enough, we quickly found ourselves exploring the rest of this vast site, mouths agape before the Temples to Hera, Zeus, Heracles, Asclepius, Hephaestus, Castor and Pollux and the impressive remnant of colossal statues on the Olympeion field.
Noto: World-Famous Granita!
We decided to take the scenic route from Agrigento to Syracuse, driving leisurely along the sea and then up past the ancient ramparts of Ragusa. From there, we made our way to the medieval town of Noto for an obligatory pit stop to sample the world-famous granita of renowned chef Corrado Assenza at Caffè Sicilia. When legendary chef Alain Ducasse (who is currently the second-ranked Michelin chef in the world with 21 stars) hails Assenza as “the greatest confectioner in the world,” his café is definitely worth a pit stop. And it was, quite simply, the most divine granita any of us had ever tasted. An absolute must!
Syracuse: The Teatro Greco & The Wine of the Assassin!
As the blazing sun began to set over the slopes of the Temenite hills of the Teatro Greco of Siracusa, we leaned back against the rocky stone of one of the largest ancient amphitheaters in the world in preparation for the production. And, for just a moment, we felt as if we might have been spectators at the original 5th-century performance of The Persians by Aeschylus, the powerful scent of myrrh wafting up from the orchestra.
But in fact we were there to see a modern adaptation of Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles, brilliantly directed by Yannis Kokkos and starring the phenomenal Massimo De Francovich as Oedipus. The play, which details the end of Oedipus’ tragic life, was set during the fascist era of Mussolini, lending a prescient anti-authoritarian twist to this ancient Greek classic. We were thoroughly mesmerized by the direction, the performances, the impressive set and the magical setting of the Teatro Greco of Syracuse. An unforgettable evening!
Following this arresting spectacle, there was only one thing for us to do in order to make the evening complete . . . drink wine! So we left the amphitheater, still reeling from the incredible production, and made our way to Le Vin de l’Assassin Bistrot (The Wine of the Assassin Bistrot). After all, any wine bar that names itself after a poem by Baudelaire is clearly an establishment after my own heart. And Le Vin de l’Assassin Bistrot did not disappoint! We finished the evening off with a couple bottles of exquisite Etna Bianco and some delectable antipasti, dissecting the finer points of the play we’d just seen and savoring all the spectacular souvenirs from our sojourn in seductive Sicily!
