The Hellenistic theater of Agrigento is a breathtaking monument dedicated to Dionysus. Its discovery was the result of a project that the Archaeological and Landscape Park of the Valley of the Temples coordinates and shares with the Park, the University of Catania, the Polytechnic of Bari, the Kore University of Enna, the University take part del Molise, Cnr-Itabc. The work covers the entire civil public area, located in the center of the ancient city and begun in 2012. The theater area was intercepted during the research phase aimed at defining the South boundary of the public area that has undergone important transformations over the centuries.
With a seating section – the cavea – of about 90 meters, it is one of the largest Sicilian theaters second only to those of Syracuse and Taormina. The imposing structure is thought to have acquired its monumental aspect between the end of the III and the beginning of the II century BC. However, some clues would lead to the hypothesis that there was a previous structure dating back to a not yet definable moment of the IVth century BC. The theater of Agrigento occupies a strategic place in the urban plan, at the edge of the Agora, which is an expression of the importance given at the time to monumental complexes where collective entertainment, political functions, and representation of power came together in a highly scenographically constructed landscape.
The priority of the ongoing excavation, which will continue for at least other 15-18 months – is to offer visitors of the Park the opportunity to enjoy the visit of an extraordinary monument, both for the history it tells and for the position it occupies within the Valley: a window on a landscape of breathtaking beauty.