The temple of Segesta was erected on the top of an isolated hill between 430 and 420 BC.

It was built in the Doric style, in imitation of the great Greek temples, although some details reveal a different origin. The most obvious difference is that Segesta lacks the cella-the beating heart of the Greek temple.
The lack of the cella and roof in the theater at Segesta have long caused scholars to debate. Some argue that the temple simply remained incomplete. Others, however, justify Segesta’s peculiarity with a political and cultural reason: the Segestans were in fact not Greeks, like their enemies in Selinunte, but Elymians. They therefore had a different religion and different customs.

It is therefore possible that they built a temple, in the Greek style and with Greek workmen, to compete with their bitter enemies but that, in reality, it was only a matter of appearances. Of the use that the Elymians made of the temple there is no record.

The peristyle consists of 14 columns on the side and 6 in front. There are no decorations nor can the temple be described as very large compared to the other temples of Magna. However, it is equally spectacular, especially because it can still be admired in its entirety.
The temple alone occupies an entire hill and is perfectly visible even from a distance.

To get there, you have to leave your vehicles a little further down and walk a short distance uphill.