Palermo, Sicily, Monday 9 June, Day 47

Up early, checked out, left our bags at the hotel and headed off down the hill to the site of the temples and the remains of the Greek then Roman city below. Pedestrian traffic obviously isn't too common and we had to scramble along to avoid oncoming traffic. Most people seem to arrive by coach as part of an organized tour group.

A couple of the temples are very well preserved, one because it was taken over as a church, after the bishop had 'exorcised the pagan filth' the sign helpfully informed us. Other temples have been destroyed by earthquakes, but are still impressive as you get a good sense of how massive the component parts of the temples can be, and a new respect of the engineering capacity that was around in Greek society in 600 BC to build those huge structures. Other temples have been destroyed by human intervention, with stone carted off for other building projects.

It was great to be able to wander through the old city, to contemplate some of its chequered history, to look out from the remnants of the defensive walls, to explore the places where houses once stood, their layout still clear, and to see things like the plaster still visible on fallen temple columns. There was an ancient swimming pool, with the steps and the irrigation channel clearly visible.

There are some ancient olive trees around the site too, said to be more than 1500 years old. There was a Japanese tour group in front of us as we approached a particularly venerable tree, and each member of the group placed their hand respectfully on the tree's trunk as they passed.

It was very hot by the time we had traversed the city, so we decided to catch the local bus back up the hill to the Archeology Museum. While waiting we shared the extremely small patch of shade available with a senior Sicilian citizen and his little dog which was really feeling the heat. Anne offered the dog some water, which won the approval of the owner, and we had a good old chat while waiting for the bus. He had been to Australia and New Zealand, and was like many of the Sicilians we have met, very proud of Sicily and its culture.

The museum has an impressive collection of art and artefacts retrieved from the site. The city at its zenith had over 200,000 people, and was inhabited for hundreds of years, so the amount of stuff is not surprising. There are still large areas which have not been excavated. Walking back up the hill there were bits of pottery shard visible in the bank beside the path. But it was too hot to stop, and we needed to get to the station, get our tickets and some supplies, and catch the train.

Agrigento station is a strong contender for the Italian station of the trip award. It has a great bar, offering a fine selection of freshly baked Sicilian pastries.  We got an economical and tasty lunch from the friendly proprietor, it has helpful group of loungers who are very ready to provide useful information - get your ticket over there, the departures board is that one, silly, go down the lift there - it has a deliciously cool waiting room, and it even has its own chapel. Lost points for locking the door to the ladies. Overall score very high.

The train ride from Agrigento to Palermo traverses some really lovely Sicilian landscape. It is in parts a stunningly rugged and beautiful place. Geologists must love it, as it has some extraordinary features, massive plates of sedimentary rock pushed up at alarming angles to form mountains a bit reminiscent of some parts of the Grampians.  There were some thunder storm clouds around today which created wonderful patterns of light and shade on the grass and flower covered hills. The regional train was very comfortable too, with good air con, unlike our train from Salerno to Catalina. And it ran to schedule, so we got here in good time and found our hotel without any drama.  I think I have finally worked out the GPS.

The hotel has roof terrace restaurant so we tried it out tonight. The view over Palermo and the surrounding mountains was magical as the sun set and the city lights came on. The dinner was perhaps not so magical, but we have been spoiled by the fantastic Sicilian food so far. Lots to explore over the next few days.