Page 370 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

The first inland colony of Siracusa, ancient Akrai thrived during the peace and
security that characterized Hieron II’s reign during the third century BC. It declined
under the Romans, but later re-emerged as an important early Christian centre (as
shown by the number of rock-cut tombs in the area), only to be eventually destroyed by
the Arabs.

Many remains give little impression of their former grandeur. You’ll have a job
identifying the excavated Roman Tempio di Persefone, above the Greek theatre, an

unusually round chamber that was formerly covered by a cupola. Equally fragmentary
is the much older Tempio di Afrodite, sixth or fifth century BC, lying at the head of
what was the agora. From here you can look straight down into one of the two quarries
from which the stone to build the city was taken. Later they were converted into

Christian burial chambers, and in the first of them, the Intagliata, you can plainly see
the recesses in the walls: some of them catacombs, others areas of worship, the rest
simply rude dwellings cut in the Byzantine era. The narrower, deeper quarry below it,
the Intagliatella, holds more votive niches and a relief cut from the rock-face, over
2m long, that combines a typically Greek scene – heroes banqueting – with a Roman
one of heroes offering sacrifice. It’s thought to date from the first century BC.

There are more niches and chambers in a lower quarry, the Templi Ferali, though
you’ll have to ask the custodian to let you see this.

Teatro Greco

Of the visible remains, the most complete is the small Teatro Greco, built towards
the end of Hieron’s reign. A perfect semicircle, the theatre held six hundred people
and retains traces of its scene-building. Behind the theatre to the right is a small

senate house, or bouleuterion, a rectangular construction that was originally covered.
Beyond lies a 200m stretch of decumanus that once connected the two gates of the city.
Crossed at regular intervals by junctions and paved in lava rock, it’s in better
condition than many of the more recent roads in the area.

Santoni

Currently closed for refurbishment; call for an update • 0931 876 602 • The sculptures are a 15min walk from the
main Akrai site

Comprising twelve rock-cut sculptures (carved no later than the third century BC), the
Santoni represent the fertility goddess Cybele, a predominantly eastern deity whose
origins are steeped in mystery. There’s no other example of so rich a complex relating
to her worship, and the local name tagged to these sculptures – santoni, or “great
saints” – suggests that the awe attached to them survived until relatively recently.

Parcallario