Hotel Villa Athena, Agrigento
The Hotel Villa Athena is a refined and exclusive hotel located at Agrigento, right in the beautiful Tautiful Valley of the Temples, facing the Temple of the Concordia, one of the best preserved temples of the ancient world. A converted Eighteenth century princely villa, the hotel offers its guests accommodations either in en suite rooms with shower or in apartments. All have central air conditioning, telephone, cable radio and TV. The structure also boasts a restaurant, bar, car park, a delightful winter garden and a spacious park, from which an exceptional view over the valley of the temples can be enjoyed. Situated in an isolated and peaceful position, the Hotel Villa Athena offers its guests a relaxing and comfortable holiday, in a fascinating atmosphere where the vestiges of the ancient world blend harmoniously into the luxuriant and unspoiled surroundings, offering a spectacle of rare beauty and extraordinary charm. .

Standard Guest Room - Suite
En-suite rooms are equipped with a shower, have a view of the Valley of the Temples, are modernly furnished, with air-conditioner, bathroom, shower, telephone, mini-fridge, radio and color TV. .
Standard Guestroom with Two Twin Beds - Suite
En-suite rooms are equipped with a shower, have a view of the Valley of the Temples, are modernly furnished, with air-conditioner, bathroom, shower, telephone, mini-fridge, radio and color TV. .
Standard Guest Room with One Queen Bed - Suite
En-suite rooms are equipped with a shower, have a view of the Valley of the Temples, are modernly furnished, with air-conditioner, bathroom, shower, telephone, mini-fridge, radio and color TV. .

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The Hotel Villa Athena stands in the archaeological area of Agrigento, precisely facing the Temple of the Concordia, the monumental symbol of the celebrated Valley of the Temples. The Hotel is situated in Agrigento, the most beautiful city of mortals, seat of Persephone as the Greek poet Pindar defined it, stands on a hill overlooking the sea. Intense light, a mild climate throughout the year, and the ancient charm of almonds blooming in the spring and cloaking the town in color and scent, make Agrigento one of the most fascinating places in the region. . Founded in 580 BC by the Gelesi originating from Crete and Rhodes and by Greeks from Rhodes on the land lying between the rivers Akragas and Hypsas, Agrigento was a great economic and military power. In the sixth century BC under the tyrant Phalaris, in the fifth century under Theron, and later still under a democratic government, the town with a Hippodamean layout, was mantled in the upper and in the valley part below, in splendid Doric sanctuaries and temples. Referring to this the Agrigento philosopher Empedocles, wrote that his fellow citizens construct buildings as if they could live forever. . Occupied by the Romans in 210 BC, then abandoned in the Byzantine period, it was conquered by the Arabs in 828 AD, taking the name Girgenti. The town kept its central economic position also under the Normans and Swabians, but experienced great building development during the eighteenth century. Finally, in 1927 the town took on its present name of Agrigento. It still conserves the intricate fifth century Hypogea which is a network of underground passages, interesting medieval monuments, including the S. Spirito monastic complex and the cathedral, the regional Archaeological Museum, one of the most important in Sicily, fine churches and old palaces, and the birthplace, now a museum, of Pirandello. . The Hotel is close to the famous Valley of the Temples of Agrigento. It encloses one of the greatest ancient Greek architectural treasures still in existence. The superb Doric Temples, in an excellent state of preservation, made from the intensely yellow local conchitic tufaceous sandstone that is either tinted pink at sunset or acquires a warm amber shade, are the immortal testimony of the splendor and power of the ancient Greek colony. The poet Pindar defined it as the most beautiful among the cities of mortals, the friend of luxury, the seat of Persephone. In a crescendo of majestic beauty and in perfect harmony with its natural surroundings, the procession of temples along the valley begins with the monumental temple of Zeus Olympius, the temple of the Dioscuri, more or less the symbol of the town of Agrigento, the temple of Hercules, the temple of the Concordia, among the best preserved of the sacred buildings and one of the finest examples of Doric architecture anywhere, the temple of Juno Lucina, the temple of Vulcan and the temple outside the town of Aesculapius, all built between the sixth and fifth century BC. . The valley is one of the most important archaeological areas in the whole of Sicily, that left Goethe deeply enchanted, as he wrote in the pages of his Journey through Italy which also contains the famous sanctuary of Demeter and Kouros, the oratory of Phalaris, Theron s tomb, the remains of Greek fortifications, the site of the ancient agora, the magnificently preserved remains of the Hellenic-Roman town and the very rich Regional Archaeological Museum, that houses material of inestimable historical and artistic value. The archaeological area can be visited everyday from 8am to 9pm. Selinunte is situated about 96 km O from the Hotel and Agrigento and is one of the best preserved and most fascinating Magna Graecian cities of the whole region. It was called the favorite place of the gods. The most westerly Greek colony of Sicily was founded, according to statements by Diodorus Siculus and by Thucydides, in 650 or 628 BC by colonists from the Doric Megara Hyblea. It is settled between two rivers the Selino and the Cottone. . The city with its name derived from the Greek term used to indicate wild parsley, that grew plentifully hereabouts, indeed the herb was portrayed on the colony s coinage. It enjoyed the peak of its development in the fifth century BC, thanks above all to the presence of a double landing point, and therefore of two ports, and to the areas notable fertility. The enemy of nearby Segesta, allied first with Carthage, then with Syracuse, the city was destroyed in 409 by the Carthaginians. It was an operation completed by the Romans at the end of the first Punic War. The city was almost totally devastated by an earthquake probably in the Byzantine period. Reduced to a simple village in the Arab period, Selinunte was rediscovered in the sixteenth century thanks to the Dominican Fazello, even though systematic excavation of the area did not begin until 1823. . Its eight superb temples, five of them built on the acropolis, three on the hill facing the sea, admirable examples of the Doric style, is one of the best testimonies to western Hellenic culture. The archaeological park set up in 1993 and divided into four sections which are the acropolis, the ancient city, the Malophoros sanctuary, and the eastern temples which can be visited from 9am to an hour before sunset. It is near the ancient complex. It is the interesting village of Castelvetrano, the Cusa quarries, and Marinella, a lovely fishing village and bathing resort. . The Hotel is 90 km O from Piazza Armerina, one of the most interesting places on the island, and about 100 km from Morgantina one of the most important archaeological areas in Europe. Intense light, a mild climate throughout the year, and the ancient charm of almonds blooming in the spring and cloaking the town in color and scent, make Agrigento one of the most fascinating places in the region. Founded in 580 BC by the Gelesi originating from Crete and Rhodes and by Greeks from Rhodes on the land lying between the rivers Akragas and Hypsas, Agrigento was a great economic and military power. In the sixth century BC under the tyrant Phalaris, in the fifth century under Theron, and later still under a democratic government, the town with a Hippodamean layout, was mantled in the upper and in the valley part below, in splendid Doric sanctuaries and temples. Referring to this the Agrigento philosopher Empedocles, wrote that his fellow citizens construct buildings as if they could live forever. Occupied by the Romans in 210 BC, then abandoned in the Byzantine period, it was conquered by the Arabs in 828 AD, taking the name Girgenti. . The town kept its central economic position also under the Normans and Swabians, but experienced great building development during the eighteenth century. Finally, in 1927 the town took on its present name of Agrigento. It still conserves the intricate fifth century Hypogea which is a network of underground passages, interesting medieval monuments, including the S. Spirito monastic complex and the cathedral, the regional Archaeological Museum, one of the most important in Sicily, fine churches and old palaces, and the birthplace, now a museum, of Pirandello. Agrigento, its economy nowadays is based on tourism and service industry, has still preserved its old craft and folklore traditions, and offers a varied, rich range of cuisine. .

Agrigento IT

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