Porto Empedocle ( scn, 'a Marina) is a town and ''
comune'' in Italy on the coast of the
Strait of Sicily, administratively part of the
province of Agrigento
The Province of Agrigento ( it, Provincia di Agrigento; scn, Pruvincia di Girgenti; officially ''Libero consorzio comunale di Agrigento'') is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy, situated on its south-western coast. Foll ...
. It was named after
Empedocles, a
Greek pre-Socratic philosopher and a citizen of the city of
Akragas
Agrigento (; scn, Girgenti or ; grc, Ἀκράγας, translit=Akrágas; la, Agrigentum or ; ar, كركنت, Kirkant, or ''Jirjant'') is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy and capital of the province of Agrigento. It was one of ...
(present-day
Agrigento
Agrigento (; scn, Girgenti or ; grc, Ἀκράγας, translit=Akrágas; la, Agrigentum or ; ar, كركنت, Kirkant, or ''Jirjant'') is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy and capital of the province of Agrigento. It was one of ...
), in his day a
Greek colony in Sicily. The primary industries of Porto Empedocle are
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
,
fishing, ironworking,
pharmaceuticals
A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and r ...
and rock salt refining.
Physical geography
Climate
Porto Empedocle is the second ''comune'' with the lowest amount of
degree days in Italy. It is in the climatic zone A of the .
History
Born as a port zone in the old Girgenti, today called
Agrigento
Agrigento (; scn, Girgenti or ; grc, Ἀκράγας, translit=Akrágas; la, Agrigentum or ; ar, كركنت, Kirkant, or ''Jirjant'') is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy and capital of the province of Agrigento. It was one of ...
, under the name of Marina di Girgenti (seashore of Girgenti), since in the 15th century it was the main cereal trading centre of the region. From 1549 to 1554, by order of the viceroy Vega, Torre del caricatore of Girgenti, already known during the ancient times (as it probably already existed before the Angevin period), was restored. It had been built to protect against the
Saracen pirates, together with the whole system of the
Coastal towers of Sicily.
The tower was later again restored by
Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...
with the help of Bishop . This restoration was completed only in 1763. In 1853, during the government of the
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ( it, Regno delle Due Sicilie) was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1860. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by population and size in Italy before Italian unification, comprising Sicily and all ...
the town obtained
independence by becoming chief town of the decurionato under the name of Molo di Girgenti. Then, in 1863, the town changed its name into Porto Empedocle in memory of the Agrigentine philosopher
Empedocles.
In 2003, the town changed its official denomination to Porto Empedocle Vigata, after the name of the fictional town where the novels by
Andrea Camilleri, Italian writer and native of the town, about
detective Inspector Montalbano are placed. However, the decision was revoked in 2009.
The main
church is Parrocchia Maria SS. del Buon Consiglio, which is located in the center of the town. The
marl
Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae.
Marl makes up the lower part o ...
Scala dei Turchi is located nearby, on the coast of
Realmonte.
References
External links
"Porto Empedocle becomes Vigata" Repubblica.it
"Parrocchia Maria SS.del Buon Consiglio"
Cities and towns in Sicily
Coastal towns in Sicily
Mediterranean port cities and towns in Italy
{{Sicily-geo-stub