Himera, was one of the Greek colonies in Sicily, founded in 648 b.c. It boasts a compelling history of wars and conquests: in 480 b.c. the armies of Siracusa and Akragas, in the battle of Himera, defeated the army of Carthage, which came back 70 years later (around 409 a.C.) and finally destroyed it. Together with the Libyans, the survivors to the invasion founded the current city of Termini Imerese.

Right now, the archaeological site of Himera is not only an incredibly important evidence of the greatness of the people who once inhabited the island, but also a destination you can’t miss if you are a history enthusiast and you are visiting this part of Sicily.

The site spreads over a very large area, of which only a small part has been excavated: it is estimated that the geographic area of Himera is the biggest necropoli that has ever been discovered.
Many tombs and buildings have been found, in fact you can admire the Themenos of Athena, bordered by a perimeter wall that holds inside 4 oikos type temples and an altar dedicated to the goddess.

Most of the artifacts, relics, and various findings, on the other hand, can be admired in museums: the Antiquarium of Himera, where the most notable items found during the excavation of the necropoli and in other sites of the territory are kept, and Museum Pirro Marconi, named after the archaeologist that, between 1929 and 1930, brought the temple of Vittoria to light. Here you will be able to observe up-close the materials found during the excavations carried out in the temple enclosure, mass graves and horse tombs, probably connected to the battles of Himera of 480 and 409 b.c., the remains of a watermill for grain milling and a rural home of the previous century. Thanks to the projection of a video, you can also witness the virtual 3D reconstruction of the city and of the Vittoria’s temple.