Agrigento, Italy

Temple of Hera, Agrigento, Sicily, Italy
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Agrigente_2008_IMG_1895.JPG
Author: poudou99


Agrigento is the capital of the eponymous province on the south coast of Sicily, Italy. It is also known in Sicilian as Girgenti. The city covers 244 sq km (94 sq mi) and has a population of 59,000 people (2012 estimate).

The history of Agrigento goes back to around 582 BC, when it was established by Greek colonists and was originally called Akragas. At one time it grew into one of the wealthiest colonies of Magna Græcia, as the Greek colonies of Southern Italy was known. An attack by the Carthaginians in 406 BC brought an end to its glorious days, and the city never fully recovered.

In 261 BC, Romans attacked Agrigento and sold its population to slavery. More battles were to be fought in Agrigento between the Romans and the Carthaginians until 210 BC, when the Romans captured the city and renamed it Agrigentum. The modern name is derived from that.

Due to its rich history, Agrigento is today a popular tourist destination. However this did not help lift the city from being one of the poorest in Italy with unemployment rate that is three times the national average.

Agrigento

Take route SS121 heading south from Palermo. There are buses and trains from Palermo as well.

Places of Interest in Agrigento

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