Below the town of Agrigento lies Sicily’s most important archaeological site – the Valle dei Templi, or Valley of the Temples, part of the ancient city of Akragas. Once this loveliest of mortal cities, as the Greek writer Pindar described it, was among the wealthiest of Sicily’s Greek colonies. Today, its former grandeur is still apparent in the valley’s nine temples, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the finest classical remains outside Greece.

Agrigento presents the dilemma of many celebrated destinations: on one hand the main attraction – in this case, the Valle dei Templi – is unmissable, but on the other its popularity means that it can be uncomfortably crowded during peak times.

The ancient city was enclosed by a defensive wall, part of which embraced the high ridge to the north, site of the city’s ancient acropolis, an area now occupied by the medieval and modern town.