Malta/Sicily Day 5: Port Empedocle and Agrigento, Sicily

Thursday, June 18, 2026

This morning we docked at Port Empedocle in southern Sicily for a short bus ride to the Valley of the Temples in nearby Agrigento. “Valley of the Temples” is really a misnomer; the temples were built on a ridge looking down on the surrounding landscape.

We walked a mile or so, visiting various ancient temples. The temples were of Greek architecture, although repurposed by later civilizations, including Romans and, later, Christians.

During the walk, we stopped for a refreshment break. It is here that I discovered “granita limone”, basically a very lemony Icee. It was delicious, to the extent that I had to deal with significant “brain freeze” as I was eating it. Nevertheless, I expect to have numerous lemon granitas during our days in Sicily.

Following the tour of the Valley of the Temples, we made a short stop at a nearby museum. There we were able to see various artifacts from the temples that had been moved inside for protection. Most significant was a very large statue (telamon) that was originally part of the Temple of Zeus, a replica of which had been installed outside.

We returned to the Sea Cloud II for lunch. The afternoon was spent on the ship, with cultural and historical lectures and other leisure time, followed by the usual cocktails and dinner.

This article is part of a series about our recent trip to Malta and Sicily. To see the introductory article in the series, click here.