Selinunte is one of the biggest archeological sites in Europe. The former name of the city was Selinon, which means wild parsley. It is located in the province of Trapani, on the south coast of western Sicily, on a high plateau about 30 meters above sea level – with a wonderful view of the Sicilian coastline.
It has been founded by Greek colonists from Megara Hyblaea which crossed Sicily around 650 b.C.
The Acropolis has been built on a steep rock slope of the coast for defense reasons.
The city center has been built above the acropolis, and offered accommodation for around 10‘000 inhabitants. 5 Temples have been built on the lower parts of the area – unfortunately only ruins are left over now. The few columns left are so impressive that one can easily imagine the incredible buildings of ancient times.
Furthermore, you can visit 2 Necropolises and further 3 Temples.
The biggest building is the Temple G, which has been dedicated to Zeus. It is 110 x 50 meters long.
The location is stunning: you can perfectly imagine how life could have been in Selinon in that era. Wonderful flowers are still growing in between big Aloe Vera plants that offer you some precious shadow. I immediately imagined myself sitting underneath this plants dressed with a Greek tunic, sipping on my drink, with a cool breeze from the sea, looking down to the golden beaches.
But back to real life: The huge archeological area is too big to visit completely by foot (it is an area of around 1 km).
You can buy a ticket for the buggies which bring you from the Acropolis to the Necropolis and the Antiquarium. It is a hop on and hop off system that gives you the freedom to be as fast or slow as you want – and if you arrive there on one of the hottest days of August around midday (like me), they have an extra cooling effect thanks to the wind. You just have to trust the drivers’ sporty driving-style! 😉
PINKVEL 