Book your stay at Relais Briuccia from the website for the best rate guaranteed! Fine hospitality and fine dining in Montallegro.
Contact us for a quote tailored to your needs.
The Greek Theatre
Eraclea Minoa
To the east of the mouth of the River Platani, the ancient city of Heraclea Minoa stands majestically on a plateau. Site of a colony of Selinunte, from the 6th century BC it was fought over by Akragas and Selinunte, and later by Carthaginians and Romans.
According to legend, the name was given due to the death of Minos, king of Crete, who had come to Sicily seeking revenge on the Athenian architect Daedalus, guilty of helping his wife, Queen Pasifae, to couple with a bull. The consequence of that unnatural act was the birth of the Minotaur. The story says that when Theron, tyrant of Agrigento, found the tomb of Minos, he returned the bones to Crete.
Excavations have brought to light the boundary walls with the gates, the Hellenistic inhabited area, and many important finds, some of which are in the antiquarium of Minoa and some in the Museo Archeologico of Agrigento.
The splendid theatre with its rows of seats facing south is a testimonial to the magnificence of the ancient city. Built towards the end of the 5th century BC, the cavea consists of nine sectors and ten tiers of seats facing the Mediterranean. Heraclea Minoa was an important centre of the wheat trade, and the inhabitants adapted a cove where they could easily load and unload the ships.
The site is within easy reach of Agrigento by taking the SS115 after the turnoff for Montallegro.
According to legend, the name was given due to the death of Minos, king of Crete, who had come to Sicily seeking revenge on the Athenian architect Daedalus, guilty of helping his wife, Queen Pasifae, to couple with a bull. The consequence of that unnatural act was the birth of the Minotaur. The story says that when Theron, tyrant of Agrigento, found the tomb of Minos, he returned the bones to Crete.
Excavations have brought to light the boundary walls with the gates, the Hellenistic inhabited area, and many important finds, some of which are in the antiquarium of Minoa and some in the Museo Archeologico of Agrigento.
The splendid theatre with its rows of seats facing south is a testimonial to the magnificence of the ancient city. Built towards the end of the 5th century BC, the cavea consists of nine sectors and ten tiers of seats facing the Mediterranean. Heraclea Minoa was an important centre of the wheat trade, and the inhabitants adapted a cove where they could easily load and unload the ships.
The site is within easy reach of Agrigento by taking the SS115 after the turnoff for Montallegro.
