Citizens of the beautiful city of Agrigento and lovers of that area of Sicily, today we will discover together the history of the city, how many inhabitants it has, and what they are called. Are you ready to embark on a journey through the beauty and curiosities of Agrigento? Great, let’s begin.
Called “Girgenti” in the Sicilian language, Agrigento is an Italian municipality with 55,317 inhabitants and is also the capital of the homonymous free municipal consortium located in Sicily. Founded by the Greeks around 581 B.C., Agrigento is situated in a territory where many peoples settled over time, leaving their mark on the island.
Already home to indigenous peoples who maintained good commercial relations with the Aegeans and Mycenaeans, the territory of Agrigento saw the rise of various cities, including the beautiful polis of Akragas, founded by settlers from Gela of Rhodian-Cretan origin. It reached its peak in the 5th century B.C. before starting to decline due to the war with Carthage. Later, during the Punic Wars, it was conquered by the Romans, who Latinized the name to “Agrigentum.”
In the Middle Ages, Agrigento was a Greek-Byzantine city that was eventually abandoned due to constant raids by the Arabs, who destroyed it in 828. It was only in 1089 that the city was conquered by the Normans, who renamed it Girgenti, a name it retained until 1927 when it was finally renamed Agrigento.
How many inhabitants does Agrigento have, and what are they called?
Currently, this beautiful city of Agrigento is also known as the “City of Temples” because of its extraordinary collection of Doric temples from the ancient Greek city located in the so-called Valley of the Temples. This area was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The city has been named the Italian Capital of Culture for the upcoming year 2025.
Now, let’s focus on the main topic of this article and answer the questions posed above. First, we can say that the inhabitants of the city of Agrigento are called “Agrigentini” or “Girgintani,” and the total population is approximately 58,070, given that the municipality covers an area of 246 km².
As for the Province of Agrigento, it is a large province comprising 43 Italian municipalities with a total population of 445,129 inhabitants spread over an area of 3,045 km².
Would you like to know some curiosities about Agrigento? The patron saint of the city is San Gerlando, and his feast is warmly celebrated on February 25. San Cataldo, known as San Catallu in the Sicilian dialect, is also an Italian municipality belonging to the free municipal consortium of the city of Caltanissetta, in Sicily. This municipality is located in an inland hilly area at an altitude of 625 meters above sea level, extending north of the town center, among various municipalities, including Caltanissetta. The town is crossed by only one river, the “Salito,” formed by springs originating from the slopes of Mount Schiavo.
