AGRIGENTO – First it was Akràgas, then Agrigentum, Gergent and again Girgenti. Over the centuries, Agrigento has seen its name change according to its rulers. There Valley of the Temples continues to attract visitors but, in reality, the tourist flow has not yet reached those figures that the territory could attract.
Telamone, symbol of Agrigento Capital of Culture 2025
The numbers of these “bridges” are raising new hopes among local tourist operators, who look at them as the prelude to a season that could make us forget the difficulties of past years and the Telamon, recently resurrected in the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, has already begun to capture attention as a tourist icon. This sculpture, dating back to Greek times, has become a real attraction, attracting visitors from all over the world interested not only in its artistic beauty, but also in its ancient and majestic history. The Telamon it will also be the symbol of “Agrigento Capital of Culture” and the latest data on tourist presences in the Valley of the Temples confirm a positive trend in 2024, with an increase in interest in the beauties of Agrigento which, with its variety of historical and cultural, presents itself as an ideal destination for travelers who want a unique combination of history, culture and natural beauty, promising to be one of the most popular destinations for the upcoming tourist season. They are there though some problems that need to be solved to be able to transform visitors into tourists. Precisely to talk about the need for a change of pace in the tourism sector, he intervenes at the QdS Francesco Miccichè, mayor of Agrigento.
Mayor, you often complain that Agrigento is more a destination for tourists passing through than for tourists who stop in the area…
“Yes, it’s true. Few tourists and many visitors, who we define as such because they rarely stay overnight in the city”.
Also by virtue of the important event that will see Agrigento “Capital of Culture 2025”, what are the strategies you are implementing?
“Let’s start with what we are doing in this period and which will be operational between May and June”.
What is it about?
“At the former Filippini college we are creating a multimedia museum in which, in addition to representing the history of Agrigento from Magna Graecia to today, we will illustrate the tour that allows you to visit the city. We have an important historical center and beautiful Sicilian villages that surround our city. Visitors are mainly accompanied by tour operators in the Valley of the Temples and, after a visit that can last a few hours, are taken to eat in Sciacca or Licata without entering the city, thus losing the opportunity to get to know it. In addition to the events that, from the summer, will accompany us to 2025, today we are working to enhance the points of interest of our city and our territory precisely to modify this presence of visitors, which we could define as ephemeral, to try to transform it. The data at our disposal are encouraging because, in October last year, the objective of 1 million visitors had already been reached and, probably, this year that objective will be reached earlier but, as I was saying, we must attract tourists, not visitors. In Agrigento it is also necessary to enhance our historic center which is located on a hill and its buildings are made of large bricks of local calcarenite, with warm colours, unique in all of Sicily, in which there are the Cathedral of San Gerlando, the Church of Santa Maria dei Greci, the Diocesan Museum, the “Pietro Griffo” Regional Archaeological Museum, the Abbey of Santo Spirito, the Artists’ Staircase and suggestive corners that are difficult to find elsewhere”.
What is the situation of accommodation facilities in Agrigento?
“Those that exist, even in this period, are almost all full but their capacity is lower than the tourist potential of our territory. In May we will bring together all the professional associations and organizations to address this problem. At this moment our territory needs accommodation facilities that increase the possibility of overnight stays because the municipal administration can encourage their creation but cannot create them directly. We hope, on that occasion, to find support from private individuals and citizens in order to fully address the important event that will see us as the ‘Capital of Culture’ in 2025″.
The application dossier presented a multiplicity of initiatives. Will they all be made?
“Definitely yes, even if with the necessary implementation adjustments. I must thank the Sicilian Region which, in this 2024, is providing us with important economic support, precisely to allow us to better face the challenge of 2025, such as that provided by the Civil Protection department of the Sicilian Region which allowed the restoration of the road surface and to the recovery of the walls of Via Cavaleri Magazzeni, Serraferlicchio and Via degli Ulivi, an important intervention that allows us to improve safety in transit on the roads, to protect the entire community”.
