21 September Mosaics and Temples

Yes it can get bigger. First priority was to be at Villa Romana del Casales before the crowds. Here a late Roman mansion was discovered buried beneath a mudslide. It mostly preserved hundreds of metres of mosaic.  The scale of this is not really describable which is why we travel I suppose. To see these things is to feel very privileged.

After a longish drive we stopped for lunch in modern Agrigento.

Then we drove to the site of the rich ancient Greek city of Acragus. Here, Greek colonists built a row of temples on the ridge above their city. The Carthaginians captured the city and destroyed it. The temples remain.

I felt both inspired and sobered. The giant figure above made a small part of the unfinished mega-temple of Zeus. (Random Italians are included for scale.) You'd think the Acragans had honoured the gods sufficiently but apparently not.

The surrounding farmlands were covered with vineyards, olives and almond trees. The latter were clearly struggling in the prevailing drought.

Last stop was Marsala for the next two nights.