City Museum
Former Filippini College

Built at the end of the 17th century, the building was entrusted to the Congregation of the Filippini Fathers. Today, after a careful restoration, the former college retains its original spacious layout, spread across three floors arranged around a central courtyard marked by a characteristic well. On the third floor is Metaphorà The Multimedia City Museum, one of the most immersive and engaging experiences for those wishing to discover the soul of Agrigento. Walking through its wide corridor is like embarking on a journey through 2,600 years of history: from ancient Akragas to the contemporary city, through historical turning points, urban transformations, and shared memories. Interactive installations, maps, a multimedia immersive room, and animated archival photographs offer in-depth explorations of the city’s urban evolution, its key artistic and monumental landmarks, and its popular festivals, symbolic events, and deeply rooted traditions.

In addition to monuments and works of art, the touchscreen desks offer a heartfelt tribute to the great figures of Agrigento’s cultural legacy: patrons, artisans, artists, and writers – including Empedocles, Pirandello, Sciascia, and Camilleri – who captured and expressed the city’s essence through philosophy, literature, art, and memory. Metaphorà is a space designed to spark curiosity, inspire wonder, and offer a meaningful introduction to everything a visitor can discover during their stay in Agrigento.

The Museo dei Filippini, in addition to housing the City Museum, is home to the Municipal Art Gallery, which features a permanent exhibition of about 200 works, mainly from the 19th-century Sicilian painting school. One room, also on the third floor, is dedicated to Raffaele Politi, a versatile artist, architect, archaeologist, and art theorist who worked primarily in Agrigento. Among his creations is the monumental Porta Atenea, now known as Porta di Ponte, marking the entrance to the historic center’s main street.

On the second floor, another room celebrates the talent of Francesco Lojacono (1838–1915), one of Sicily’s finest 19th-century landscape painters. His works, along with those of his students, form the evocative Sinatra Collection. In his paintings, one can still recognize the timeless landscapes of the Valley of the Temples and the lush beauty of the Sicilian countryside.

Completing the visit is the ethno-anthropological section in the basement facing Via Atenea, which preserves the remarkable miniature reproductions of traditional trades and old neighborhoods by Roberto Vanadia : a form of intangible heritage now recognized by UNESCO. Just beside the entrance, on the ground floor, are the Sicilian Marionettes masterfully crafted by Carmelo Guarneri, a living symbol of a centuries-old theatrical tradition that continues to thrive.