At the foot of the “sacred hill” history, folklore and art blend harmoniously in a spring festival that Agrigento and its valley offer up to the world.
The Almond Blossom Festival began as a village festival in 1935 in Naro to welcome the early buds of the delicate almond flower that blossomed in an adjacent valley. It is thought to be the brainchild of Count Alfonso Gaetani. The purpose was to highlight springtime in Agrigento providing a platform for the launch and marketing of a selection of typical Sicilian products. Agrigento willingly adopted this festival thereby affording the city an opportunity to extol its natural and architectural beauty. Every year the valley, covered by a beautiful mantle of flowers from the almond trees, is the scene of this important and unique event. On the final Sunday, the splendid Valley of Temples sets the stage for the most exciting part of the festival. This is the moment when the award of the Golden Temple is voted by an international jury.
The festival is a harmonious blend of folklore, history, competitions, spectaculars, tastings, and torchlight processions. In particular, numerous folk groups from various parts of the world cheer and dance along to the tunes of their traditional melodies. The festival takes thousands of spectators on an immense journey through history. This meeting of peoples aims to strengthen the values of peace, freedom and brotherhood creating harmony such that Agrigento becomes a city for peace.
Agrigento, which in centuries past suffered under diverse dominions, thus transforms its region in order to reawaken sentiments of brotherhood, friendship and peace, values that contemporary civilization has largely forgotten and that the valley attempts, at least for a few days, to resurrect.