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| Ultimate Italy / Places
/ Valle di Templi |
| Abbazia
di Santo Spirito |
| Hours : |
Tues-Sat 9am-1pm and 4-7pm; Sun 9am-1pm |
| Location : |
Via Porcello at Via Santa Spirito |
| Transportation : |
No bus |
| Prices : |
Free admission |
This 13th century dilapidating church warrants
a visit for its entrance and rose window that are set in Gothic
style. There is only one nave, which is beautifully decorated stucco
inside. Giacomo Serpotta supposedly designed the four reliefs depicting
the Adoration of the Magi, the Nativity, the Presentation of Christ
at the Temple, and the Flight into Egypt. Turn right at the façade
to walk under a pointed arch leading to the cloisters. Don’t
forget to try the chocolate and pistachio sweets the nuns sell in
the adjoining convent. |
| Duomo |
| Hours : |
Tues-Sun 10am-1pm and 4-6pm |
| Location : |
Piazza Don Minzoni, off Via del Duomo |
| Transportation : |
No bus |
| Prices : |
Free admission |
Originally built by the Normans in the 12th century
and dedicated to San Gerlando, the town’s first archbishop.
His tomb is in the right wing of the transept. The cathedral was
redesigned between the 13th and 14th centuries. A massive renovation
project was undertaken in the 17th century, and again in 1966. The
bell tower was started in 1470 but has never been completed. This
results in the cathedral looking as it were wind-damaged. But the
interiors are beautiful with a unique wooden ceiling. If you stand
under the apse you can hear the whispers from the other end of the
80-m nave. |
| Museo
Regionale Archeologico (Regional Archaeological Museum) |
| The museum is situated on the outskirts of town on the way to Valle
dei Templi. Open everyday between 9am and 7:30pm, it charges an admission
of 4.50€. Almost all the artifacts were excavated locally, the
most valuable of which are a head of one of the telamones (male caryatids)
from the Tempio di Giove and the remarkable collection of Greek. Many
of the artifacts on display were dug up when Agrigento was excavated.
Bus no. 8, 9, 10, or 11 gets you here. |
| Casa
di Pirandello (Pirandello's House) |
| Born in the nearby village of Caos, the people of the town didn’t
like the Nobel Prize winning playwright Luigi Pirandello as Agrigentans
back then did not like his portrayal of Italy. But this is forgotten
now and he is definitely the most popular local. The Teatro Luigi
Pirandello at Piazza Municipio is named after him.
His house is now a museum showcasing his life and works. His tomb
lies a short distance from the house, under his favorite pine tree.
This museum is open to the public from Monday to Saturday between
8:30am and 1pm and again from 4pm to 7pm. An admission of 2.50€
is charged. The bus number 11 from Piazza Marconi get you here.
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