Valley of the Temples, Sicily

A century ago Sicily’s most enthralling historic attraction, The Valley of the Temples, was discovered and excavated by the little known British archaeologist Sir Alexander Hardcastle.

Dating from the 5th century BC, it is the world’s largest archaeological park, covering 3,950 acres and it’s one of Italy’s most important UNESCO world heritage sites.

Located outside Agrigento, on arid hilltops overlooking the Mediterranean, the site contains the ruins of one of the largest cities in ancient Greece. Around 80,000 people are thought to have lived here and it features seven temples, city walls, an entry gate, an agora and a Roman forum, along with necropoli and sanctuaries.

When Sir Alexander arrived, his consuming passion for unearthing this unique archaeological site saw him pour all his wealth into financing the extensive excavation and restoration project.

Overwhelmed by the financial crisis of 1929, he tragically died penniless in an asylum despite having been made an honorary citizen of the city of Agrigento and granted the rank of Commander of the Order of the Crown of Italy.

As part of the 100-year anniversary celebrations, UNESCO have organised an exhibition by leading sculptor Gianfranco Meggiato which includes 13 monumental sculptures placed around The Valley of the Temples.

Titled Quantum Man: There Is No Future Without Memory and curated by Daniela Brignone, the exhibition juxtaposes stunningly preserved Ancient Greek architecture with quantum theoryinspired contemporary art and will be on public view until January 4.