Global Treasures: Agrigento

Television Director: Ullman, Frank

Producer: Scarson, Peter O.

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Catalogue Number: GTR-DVD-1194

UPC: 879061007934

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Global Treasures - History's Most Protected Monuments - Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa's Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world's heritage. Join us as we explore one of these protected monuments.

For thousands of years, the ruins of the magnificent temples in the Valle Dei Templi have risen up from the ancient city of Akragas, and today Agrigento is now one of the most well-known and most visited places in Sicily. In addition to the temple districts, in recent years the medieval centre of Agrigento, with its narrow and romantic lanes, has attracted an increasing number of visitors.

In the 3rd century BC, Akragas was conquered by the Carthaginians and later by the Romans, Byzantines and Arabs, and over the years the size of the legendary ancient polis was gradually reduced to that of a village. But Agrigento enjoyed a further period of prosperity under the Norman king Roger II, who declared it a diocesan town.

The classical splendor of the ancient temples of Agrigento leave an indelible impression in the memories of all those who experience them.