Sun, Shadows and Stone: An afternoon at Valle dei Templi
As we drive into the parking lot of the Valle dei Templi, there's sand and dust everywhere. It's early August and Ferragosto hasn't started yet, but it feels like the whole of Italy has planned to come here today. Cars crisscross the terrain like ants, and — in typical Sicilian fashion — there's little signage to tell you where to go. After all these years of traveling to Sicily, I've grown used to a bit of organized chaos. I like it, actually. It makes the island feel so much like itself — a stark contrast to the planned, orderly street architecture I'm used to in the Netherlands.
Today I won't have many opportunities to take photos. Still, when the moment arises, I attempt a few shots. I don't want to disturb our guide as he talks — which he does so well — walking us through the complete history of the valley in just over two hours. For the pictures I do manage to shoot, I've set my camera to RAW. It helps preserve the highlights under this burning sun. What I sometimes like to do in these situations is shoot deliberately into the sun. It gives you a silhouetted foreground, and paired with a vintage 50mm Takumar lens, it creates a really beautiful, warm vintage look.
We conclude the day entirely satisfied. This was such a rich experience. It's incredible to witness how these ancient structures have survived destruction, wars, and natural disasters over the millennia, yet they are still standing — a testament to the people who built them. They knew a thing or two about construction, and so much more besides: agriculture, astronomy, mathematics — things we, 2000 years later, can still learn from. This visit definitely deserves a follow-up in the form of a good book about these temples. Or who knows — perhaps I'll visit them again someday. They're not in a hurry, after all.
For now, it's back to the dusty parking lot to queue up with my ant friends. I forget about the ancient Greeks for a moment as my mind slowly drifts to granitas and an ice-cold Peroni.