Town resists billionaire's Zeus temple bid

AGRIGENTO, Italy, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- The mayor of Agrigento, Italy, says the town's Temple of Zeus isn't for sale -- not even for as much money as it took "to save Italy's finances."

Russian precious-metals billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov recently showed interest in purchasing the ruins in Agrigento's famous Valley of the Temples.

"I wouldn't sell the Temple of Zeus even for 40 billion euros ($51.2 billion), the figure Premier Mario Monti had to find to save Italy's finances," Mayor Marco Zambuto said.

Zambuto said he is interested in attracting foreign investment in the UNESCO World Heritage site, ANSA reported Thursday.

"It's a different matter if we are talking about turning over management [of sites] for events or initiatives, or even the sponsorship of renovations and maintenance of the temples and sanctuaries in the valley," he told ANSA. "I don't rule out this option."