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Practicalities
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Trains
arrive at Agrigento Centrale station at the edge of the old town; don't get out at Agrigento Bassa, as it's 3km north of town.
Buses
use the terminal in Piazza Roselli, near the post office, while
city buses
to the temples and the beach at San Leone leave from Piazza Marconi, outside the train station, as does the bus to Porto Empedocle for ferries to the Pelagie Islands
. Buy city bus
tickets
(L1500/€0.78) from kiosks or
tabacchi
, not on the bus. The old town stetches west of the three main interlocking squares, piazzas Marconi, Aldo Moro and Vittorio Emanuele. Via Atenea is Agrigento's principal artery, running west from Piazza Aldo Moro, with the
tourist office
at its eastern end, at via Cesare Battisti 15 (Mon-Fri 8.30am-1.45pm, also Wed 4-7pm; tel 0922.20.454).
Finding somewhere to stay in Agrigento shouldn't be a problem, except perhaps in peak season. The Bella Napoli , Piazza Lena 6 (tel & fax 0922.20.435; L60,000-90,000/€30.99-46.48), at the western end of the old town, is one of the better budget choices, but can be a little noisy. Otherwise try the smartish Belvedere , Via San Vito 20 (tel & fax 0922.20.051; L90,000-120,000/€46.48-61.98), or the friendly Concordia , Piazza San Francesco 11 (tel 0922.596.266; L90,000-120,000/€46.48-61.98), both clean and pleasant choices. If you want to spend a little more, you can stay right in the archeological zone at the Villa Athena , Via dei Templi (tel 0922.596.288; L250,000-300,000/€129.11-154.94), with a pool and big windows soaking up the views. You can camp 6km away at the coastal resort of SAN LEONE , at Internazionale San Leone (tel 0922.416.121); bus #2 or #2/ from outside the train station (every 30min until 9pm).
You can try the
food
and local wine at
La Forchetta
, next door to the
Concordia
hotel, with outdoor seating but nothing fancy; an unadvertised
menu turistico
keeps the bill down. If you're budgeting, make your way to the
Atenea
, a friendly family-run trattoria in Via Ficari, a quiet courtyard just off the Via Atenea (closed Sun except July-Aug). In the same neighbourhood, at Via Giambertoni 2, the
Ambasciata di Sicilia
(tel 0922.20.526; closed Mon) is small but has a view-laden terrace and serves a mean
antipasto rustico
and delectable fresh fish. Right overlooking the temples below the centre,
Le Caprice
at Via Panoramica dei Templi 51 is professionally brisk but maintains high gastronomic standards in its classic Italian cooking - a good spot for lunch or dinner. With a car, you could head out to the moderate-to-expensive
Del Vigneto
at Via Cavaleri Magazzeni 11, south of the temples off the SS115 (tel 0922.414.319; July & August closed Mon; Sept-June closed Tues & Nov); the regional dishes served here are superb. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Italy,
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