Travellers who walk through Sicily’s Tempio della Concordia (Temple of Concordia) this summer have Dolce & Gabbana to thank, after the Italian fashion house turned the site into a runaway that’s now open to tourists.
The ancient Greek temple is located in the Valle dei Templi (Valley of the Temples) on the Italian island of Sicily. It is a well-preserved example of a Doric temple, and one of the best examples outside of Greece. The valley is a Unesco World Heritage site and one of Sicily’s main tourist draws, but tourists have previously not been able to enter the Temple of Concordia, which was built in 430 BC. The building has stood the test of time, as it was built on a site with a layer of soft clay beneath, which has helped it withstand earthquakes. However, the ancient structure was still fragile enough that tourists could not enter into it.
But Dolce & Gabbana’s show, which displayed the latest Alta Moda collection, required putting a runway through the temple. The special floor that allowed the models to show off their amazing couture while protected the temple will remain in place until this fall – allowing tourists to also walk through the usually cordoned-off site.
It’s a big win for tourists heading the area, who will get the unique experience of walking through an otherwise out-of-reach ancient site. And while the valley may be a draw for travellers who are amazed by incredible architecture and history, the fashion show has sparked new interest for lovers of haute couture.
According to Dolce & Gabbana, the Valley of the Temples is “one of the finest artistic expressions that the ancient Greeks have handed down to us, comparable only, in terms of the beauty and perfection of its architecture, to the Parthenon in Athens.” It’s not surprising then that the fashion house chose the site to show off its masterpieces of fashion, which “evoke the enduring myths of classicism.”
This isn’t the first time the fashion house has brought its Alta Moda collection to Sicily. The first went presented in Taormina in 2012. They returned with another Alta Moda show in Palermo in 2017, before heading to the Valley of the Temples this year.
