What is the exact location of Agrigento? In today’s article, we will learn more about this beautiful city and precisely where Agrigento is located. Agrigento is an Italian municipality with a population of 55,317 and is also the capital of the homonymous free municipal consortium in Sicily.
This wonderful city is situated in a territory where various peoples settled over the centuries, leaving their mark on the island. Originally inhabited by indigenous peoples who maintained excellent trade relations with the Aegeans and Mycenaeans, the Agrigento area saw the rise of the polis of Akragas, founded by Geloans of Rhodian-Cretan origin.
Agrigento reached its peak in the 5th century BC, before its decline due to the war with Carthage. During the Punic Wars, it was conquered by the Romans, who Latinized the name to Agrigentum.
In the Middle Ages, it was a Greek-Byzantine city but was later abandoned due to constant Arab raids, which completely destroyed it in 828. In 1089, it was conquered by the Normans, who renamed it Girgenti, a name it retained until 1927 when it was given its current name.
Today, the city is also known as the “City of Temples” due to its array of Doric temples from the ancient Greek city located in the so-called Valley of the Temples, which was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1997. Additionally, the city has been named the Italian Capital of Culture for 2025.
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To discuss this, we must also mention that the entire province of Agrigento is characterized by a very varied territory, ranging from mountains to valleys, hills to plains, and offering a natural and cultural heritage of great value.
The province of Agrigento is divided into four municipalities, each with its own territory and history. The municipalities are Agrigento, Canicattė, Favara, and Sciacca. Among these, Agrigento is undoubtedly the largest and most important city, as well as the capital of the province.
The entire province of Agrigento offers many valleys of great interest, such as the Platani Valley, the Belice Valley, and the Salso Valley. These valleys, along with the surrounding mountains and hills, provide a unique and suggestive landscape, characterized by gentle hills, olive groves, vineyards, pastures, and woods.
Moreover, the province of Agrigento also has a vast plain, the Plain of Gela, which stretches for 60 km along the southern coast of Sicily. This plain is undoubtedly one of the most fertile areas in the entire region, thanks to the presence of many rivers that cross it and its favorable geographical position.
The Plain of Gela has long been one of the most important agricultural areas, and today it still produces a wide variety of high-quality agricultural products, such as olive oil, figs, oranges, and lemons.
In conclusion, we can say that the province of Agrigento is a land rich in valleys, mountains, hills, and plains, offering a suggestive and varied landscape. Each area has its own peculiarities and history, which deserve to be discovered and appreciated. Moreover, if you are passionate about nature and culture, you must visit the province of Agrigento.
