The museum is located just outside the city of Agrigento at Contrada San Nicola, with a panoramic view over the Valley (or rather, ridge) of the Temples. The museum visit forms the perfect counterpart to your visit of the archaeological site of the Valley of the Temples.

The area of the museum has recently been identified as the site of the upper agora (town centre) of the ancient city.

The museum is housed in a building complex that was redesigned in the 1960s, perfectly blending the new site of the museum with the restored Convent of San Nicola (14th century), which contains the library, the conference hall, and the auditorium.

The collection illustrates the history of the ancient city of Agrigento and its territory from prehistory to the period of Hellenization.

The original collection, from the Civic Museum, consisted of numerous items discovered during excavations conducted at the beginning of the 20th century. Other exhibits were ceded by the Archaeological Museums of Palermo and Syracuse.

The most important material stems from excavations conducted by the Soprintendenza of Agrigento, the government department responsible for monuments and other treasures.

The museum is arranged both chronologically and topographically, in two separate but complementary sections, and the exhibition is richly documented throughout.