Agrigento Old Town: The Sound of the South

Sicily is an island where history settles into the stones like honey, just waiting to be discovered.

On this walking tour, you’ll explore Agrigento beyond its famous Valley of the Temples, wandering instead through the historic center where centuries of Sicilian life has unfolded. You’ll see evidence of a city that’s absorbed Greek, Arab, Norman, and Spanish influences – in its noble palaces, hidden staircases covered in poetry, and narrow streets scented with jasmine and pastry.

The tour starts on Via Atenea, the elegant main street that divides the old city. You’ll stroll past noble buildings with wrought-iron balconies from the 16 and 1700s, and discover how straight boulevards were once a tangle of medieval Arab alleyways.

You’ll ascend through the oldest quarters of the city via picturesque staircases, each step revealing a new layer of history. I’ll show you the Artists’ Staircase, where local poets and schoolchildren have transformed stone steps into a canvas of words and images. The tour ends at the Cathedral of San Gerlando, perched at the city’s highest point, offering breathtaking views across rooftops to the distant sea.

During this 40-minute tour, you’ll:

• Visit Pasticceria Infurna Giuseppe, the local bakery where traditional Sicilian almond sweets are still crafted using recipes passed down through generations
• Discover the Church of Purgatory (Chiesa di San Lorenzo detta del Purgatorio) with its enigmatic stone masks and deep connection to themes of redemption
• Explore the Luigi Pirandello Theater, named after Agrigento’s Nobel Prize-winning literary son
• See a statue of Andrea Camilleri, the beloved author who transformed Agrigento into the fictional setting for his Inspector Montalbano mysteries
• Admire the Church of Santa Maria dei Greci (Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Greci), built directly atop a 5th-century BCE Doric temple
• Learn about San Gerlando, the Norman bishop who became the city’s patron saint
• Explore what was once the ancient Greek acropolis, now the religious and civic heart of modern Agrigento
• Experience the authentic rhythm of Sicilian life as you climb from the city center to its highest viewpoint

Let the rhythm of this ancient city guide you as you uncover the stories hidden beneath its golden stones.