FROM RICHES TO RUIN

Meet your private driver outside your accommodation in Trapani, sit back and relax on the ride to Agrigento. En route, stop to enjoy a guided tour of the largest archaeological site in Europe.

Immersed in a tranquil setting on a high plain overlooking the cobalt-blue Mediterranean Sea and the golden sandy beaches of the western coast of Sicily, the ruins of the one-time bustling city of Selinunte are a truly moving and impressive sight. Historians believe the settlement was founded by Greek colonists some time between 650 and 630 BC. Selinunte’s population, commercial power and financial prosperity grew rapidly, leading it to become one of Sicily’s most affluent and influential cities. The abundance of olive oil and wheat triggered a profitable agricultural exporting activity; its thriving port drew ships and wares from all over the Mediterranean giving impulse to trade and to the mass production of ceramic artefacts; grandiose temples in honour of the classical deities began to be erected as an expression of gratitude for such good fortune. The city’s ambitions and expansionist designs sparked the envy of nearby populations and especially of the Elymians from the rival town of Segesta, whose enmity would eventually be fatal.

The ruins you see today have lain abandoned for almost 2,500 years, ever since a devastating 409 BC raid transformed Selinunte into a gigantic heap of rubble. The North African Carthaginians, who considered the city’s feats a threat to their dominance over Sicily, taking advantage of some minor border skirmishes between Selinunte and the Elymians, sent a 40,000 strong army against Selinunte on the pretext of defending the interests of their ally Segesta. After a nine-day siege the Carthaginians breached the walls of Selinunte, destroyed and plundered private homes and temples, slaughtered some 16,000 of the estimated 25,000 civilians and enslaved 6,000 men, women and children. This brutal massacre marked the end of Selinunte’s glories and, although the city was partially rebuilt and repopulated, it never again regained its former magnificence. A second, definitive attack was inflicted on the city by the Carthaginian troops during the first Punic War in 250 BC.

Despite ferocious pillage and plunder, a violent earthquake that shook the area in the Middle Ages and the inevitable assaults of time, a remarkable portion of Selinunte has miraculously survived, frozen for almost two and a half millennia. As you walk past the ruins of temples, residential quarters and workshops your guide will explain how this archaeological site continues to provide us with valuable knowledge about the customs, traditions and beliefs of a bygone civilization. What is striking about Selinunte is that its age-old metropolis is still preserved in its entirety, mostly hidden under layers of sand and earth, thus offering an exciting opportunity to unravel some enigmas surrounding the ancient Greeks. From one day to the next vibrant Selinunte became a ghost town and simply ceased to exist. Indeed one of the most appalling tragedies of the classical world may well prove to be a source of priceless information, enabling us to throw light on the mysteries of our ancestors’ way of life.

After the tour, enjoy some free time for lunch then rejoin your driver and head for your accommodation in Agrigento.