The view of the perfectly-proportioned Doric temple of Segesta amid the
rolling hills, with their neatly-manicured vineyards and bonsai-sized olive
trees, has been admired by travellers for centuries. Segesta, the ancient
Egesta, was a city of the Elymians, the legendary survivors of the Trojan
War, who were led here by Aeneas. Always at loggerheads with Selinunte,
it is thought that the temple was deliberately built in 426 bc in order
to impress the Athenians, with whom the city was seeking an alliance, rather
than as a place of worship; in fact, it was never finished, and was probably
never intended to be so. Mt Barbaro, the hill to the east of the temple,
was the site of the city; on the north slope, near the top, is the ancient
theatre, offering indescribably lovely views. The tyrant Agathocles of Syracuse
inexplicably sacked the town in 307 bc, and catapulted thousands of the
inhabitants into the ravine behind the temple; it is an eerie place, even
today, even in bright sunlight, with jackdaws cawing overhead. Although
inhabited by the Arabs, Segesta was abandoned by the 13th century.
Dramatic Productions: Each Summer, a series of classical Greek dramas
is performed (in Italian) at Segesta's ancient amphitheatre.
The view of the perfectly-proportioned Doric temple of Segesta amid the
rolling hills, with their neatly-manicured vineyards and bonsai-sized olive
trees, has been admired by travellers for centuries. Segesta, the ancient
Egesta, was a city of the Elymians, the legendary survivors of the Trojan
War, who were led here by Aeneas. Always at loggerheads with Selinunte,
it is thought that the temple was deliberately built in 426 bc in order
to impress the Athenians, with whom the city was seeking an alliance, rather
than as a place of worship; in fact, it was never finished, and was probably
never intended to be so. Mt Barbaro, the hill to the east of the temple,
was the site of the city; on the north slope, near the top, is the ancient
theatre, offering indescribably lovely views. The tyrant Agathocles of Syracuse
inexplicably sacked the town in 307 bc, and catapulted thousands of the
inhabitants into the ravine behind the temple; it is an eerie place, even
today, even in bright sunlight, with jackdaws cawing overhead. Although
inhabited by the Arabs, Segesta was abandoned by the 13th century.