1,000,000 Visitors to the Valley of the Temples in 2023

Jorge Pascual Ibanez, a Basque tourist, has become the one-millionth visitor of 2023 at the Archaeological Park of the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. Arriving from Bilbao with his wife and child to celebrate his fortieth birthday in Sicily, the family received a warm welcome from the regional assessor for Cultural Heritage, Francesco Paolo Scarpinato, and the Park’s director, Roberto Sciarratta. In 2023, the Valley of the Temples has secured its place among the most visited cultural sites in the country, surpassed only by iconic locations such as the Colosseum, the Uffizi Gallery, and Pompeii, according to the Ministry of Culture’s 2022 ranking. This achievement reaffirms Agrigento’s status as one of Italy’s prestigious destinations. Renato Schifani, President of the Sicilian Region, announced an allocation of €10 million to support Agrigento as the Italian Capital of Culture in 2025, recognizing the city as a captivating tourist destination. Sciarratta, the Park’s director, highlighted the effective collaboration with the city and noted that the Valley of the Temples was the first fully accessible site in Italy for people with disabilities. This underscores Agrigento’s extraordinary success as a tourist destination and acknowledges the appropriateness of designating it as the Italian Capital of Culture in 2025.