SICILY - Part Three: AGRIGENTO and SELINUNTE

After breakfast Monday, we walked through Ortigia one final time and boarded our coach bus.  We headed inland and west.  The day was a "rest day" as we spent several hours on the bus.

Mom and I pose in front of "Diane" once again.

We were afforded excellent views of the terrain, so it was an enjoyable bus ride.

The mountainous heart of the island.

A little over two hours, we arrived in the small, nondescript town of Piazza Armerina, in the province of Enna, where we stopped for lunch at a family-owned and operated restaurant, La Coccinella. 
The restaurant is on the first floor of the building, and the family lives on the 2nd and 3rd floors.  We were served fusilli with a light pesto sauce, followed by a baked vegetable dish which included potatoes, eggplant, roasted peppers and tomatoes, along with a thick slice of local cheese.  We had a light dessert which was a bowl of grapes and an almond cookie.

La Coccinella, where the service and the food were superb.

The waitress dishes out fresh pasta to my mother.

A healthy vegetarian entree, along with a pitcher of wine.

The reason people pass through Piazza Armerina is to visit the nearby ruins of a private Roman villa, built in 310 A.D.  It is massive, composed of 63 rooms.

The villa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

This villa was almost entirely forgotten until the 19th Century when pieces of mosaics and some columns were found.  Major professional excavations were done in the 1950s.  An extensive, impressive series of floor mosaics were discovered; over 65 million tiny tiles with 37 different hues.  An expert local guide led us along the path of catwalks, and pointed out several of the significant mosaics to us.

Every picture tells a story...

and fuels the imagination. 

Perhaps the best known of all these mosaics are the images of the so-called Bikini Girls, because they are performing in an athletic completion wearing what appears to be the ancient version of the bikini. They are a group of young women engaged in a number of activities, such as long jumping with weights in their hands, throwing discus, running and playing a form of handball.

Proof positive that Coco Chanel did not invent the bikini in the 1950s!

Coronation of the champion.

We drove through more fertile farmland after we left the Roman villa and headed toward Agrigento, a hilltop city on Sicily's southwest shore.  We arrived late afternoon and checked into our rooms at the Colleverde Park Hotel. 

All of our accommodations have featured beautiful common areas.  However, Colleverde was the tops, with their elaborate gardens.  It was a park of Mediterranean plants and trees, such as date-palms, agaves, Indian figs, olive, almond and lemon trees.

Gerry waves to me from one side of the garden.

Our group ate dinner together at the elegant restaurant in the Colleverde Park.  I enjoy sitting at meals and talking with my fellow travelers.  It is a very interesting group of people on our tour.

Homemade vegetable soup is simple but delicious.

Braised beef in wine sauce, with carrots and zucchini.

Almond parfait with a drizzle of chocolate.

Tuesday morning (October 10) we boarded the coach for the short ride to Valley of the Temples, where we met our local guide, Michele Gallo. Agrigento (known as Akragas to the Greeks), was the most wealthy city in Greek Sicily.  It was first settled by the people from Gela in 580 B.C.

We visited four ancient temples:  Temple of Hera, Temple della Concordia, Temple of Hercules and the Temple of Zeus.

Temple of Hera, 450 B.C., said to be the most romantic of the temples.

Temple della Concordia, 430 B.C., one of the best-preserved temples in the world.

Temple of Hercules is the oldest of the temples and dates back to 520 B.C.  It is roughly the same proportions as the Parthenon in Athens. 

Temple of Hercules.

The Temple of Zeus was the largest Doric temple ever known.  It was roughly three times the size of the Parthenon. Sadly, only five percent of the original temple remains today.

Temple of Zeus.

A toga statue from the First Century A.D. is along the path between the temples. We also walked by several olive trees and a colorful pistachio tree.  Pistachio gelato is a favorite flavor in these parts.

Another headless statue to behold.

A colorful pistachio tree amidst the olive trees.

After a delicious lunch of pasta with olive oil, tomatoes and capers followed by an entree of roasted chicken and potatoes, and pistachio ice cream dessert, we boarded our bus for a ten-minute ride to the Archeologico Museum.  Once again, Michele was our guide and he pointed out the museum highlights which included hundreds of artifacts and lovely painted Greek vases.

One of several painted vases that date back to B.C.

The masterpiece of the museum is the massive, mighty telamon, which was part of the Temple of Zeus.  It is a weather-worn stone sculpture of 25 feet.  It is worth the entry fee to the museum just to see this piece.

Yep, it dominates the room!

We were on our own for dinner in Agrigento.  Gerry and I walked up the hill from our hotel to discover the old part of downtown.  The pedestrian-friendly main street was lined with high-end shops and boutiques.  It was not touristy, with only one postcard shop within a half-mile.

Gerry outside one of the shops on the main thoroughfare in Agrigento.

We discovered "Opera" a restaurant with a dining room that overlooked the sea.  So now, I can say "I have been to the opera in Sicily!  And, it was a fine performance.

The view from the Opera.

We ordered a tall Moretti beer and a delicious vegetarian pizza, which came loaded with asparagus, tomatoes, olives and basil, plus plenty of rich ricotta cheese.  I loved our "plates", wooden carving boards in the shape of Sicily.  One pizza ($9) was more than enough food for us, but we polished it off.  No dogs nor doggie bags for us.

Enjoying the Opera and our best pizza in Sicily.

Just when I think I have seen enough temples, I am about to see some more.  They prove to be fascinating.  We boarded our coach bus Wednesday morning and headed farther up the western coast to the town of Selinunte, another archeological area with ancient temples. They have such creative names; Temple E, Temple F and Temple G, for example.  Our excellent guide, Michele, met us in Selinunte and led us on the tour.  Selinunte is beautifully located, sitting on a high plain and overlooking the sea.

A view of the temples and the Mediterranean.

Temple E dates back from 460 B.C. and was probably dedicated to Juno.  It was destroyed during earthquakes, and what we see here is the reconstruction.

Temple E.

All that remains of Temple G, a Doric temple started in 630 B.C. is a standing column among a heap of rubble.  Historians believe this temple was dedicated to Zeus.

Temple G.

Blocks of stone, some weighing 100 tons, were transported here from the Cusa quarry, located nine miles away.  Oxen were used to transport these blocks of stone.

I stand near a slab of stone, so you can get an idea of the size.

With all of the stones and rocks, it is nice to see colorful purple flowers here.

Species identification?  No idea.

It was such a glorious day, with bright sunshine and views of temples and the alluring Mediterranean. I couldn't stop taking pictures.  It was beautiful in every direction.

Ah, the gorgeous Sicilian landscape.

The sea, the lovely Mediterranean sea beckons.

And, soon we are there by the sea!  We drive to the little village in the photo above, and have lunch seaside at Ristorante Pierrot.  We dine on the top floor of this restaurant, in a room with picture windows overlooking the beach.

Ristorante Pierrot, an idyllic setting for a fabulous seafood lunch.

All of our meals in Sicily are at least three courses.  Today's lunch does not break this mold.

Bruschetta, local olives and chickpea fritters start us off.

This fresh Sicilian pasta has small pieces of swordfish mixed in.  

Gilthead seabream in a potato crust, with a simple salad.

A colorful Sicilian cart was on display in the restaurant, which reminds me that I need to check out the Italian American museum in Los Angeles when I get home.  They currently have on display a collection of Sicilian carts.

We walked down the steps to the beach.  I would have loved to take an afternoon siesta here, but it unfortunately was not on our agenda.

The sandy beach isn't attracting tourists on this Wednesday afternoon.

We did make one stop en route to Palermo at Olive Nocellara del Belice, an olive processing plant.  These large green olives are among the most sought-after variety of olives in the world. The plant processes 6,000 tons of olives a year, from 150 farms in the area.

Workers sorting through the olives.

Late afternoon we arrive in Palermo, our home for the final five days or our tour.  Our hotel, the Grand Hotel Piazza Borsa, is located in the heart of the city which we are ready to explore in the coming days. 

The atrium at historic Grand Hotel Piazza Borsa.