Province of Agrigento

History

Greek colonists from Gela founded the province in the 6th century BC as Akragas. Carthage destroyed the province in 406 BC, but it was later ruled by the Romans, Goths, Byzantines, and Arabs. The Arabs rebuilt several parts of the province. Several ancient Doric temples were constructed during the 6th and 5th century BC to worship Hercules, Jupiter, Juno, Castor, Pollux, and Demeter. They are located in the Valley of Temples (Italian: Valle dei Templi). The ancient temples and other architectural structures were built using the stones of the hills near Capo San Marco.

Geography

It is surrounded by province of Palermo in the north, Trapani in the west, Mediterranean Sea in the south, and Caltanissetta in the east.

The province faces the Channel of Sicily in the south and is known for its beaches. Torre Salsa's beaches have been designated natural reserves and are protected due to their environmental importance.

Municipalities

Main article: List of municipalities of the Province of Agrigento

There are 43 municipalities (comuni) in the province.

• Agrigento
• Alessandria della Rocca
• Aragona
• Bivona
• Burgio
• Calamonaci
• Caltabellotta
• Camastra
• Cammarata
• Campobello di Licata
• Canicattì
• Casteltermini
• Castrofilippo
• Cattolica Eraclea
• Cianciana
• Comitini
• Favara
• Grotte
• Joppolo Giancaxio
• Lampedusa e Linosa
• Licata
• Lucca Sicula
• Menfi
• Montallegro
• Montevago
• Naro
• Palma di Montechiaro
• Porto Empedocle
• Racalmuto
• Raffadali
• Ravanusa
• Realmonte
• Ribera
• Sambuca di Sicilia
• San Biagio Platani
• San Giovanni Gemini
• Sant'Angelo Muxaro
• Santa Elisabetta
• Santa Margherita di Belice
• Santo Stefano Quisquina
• Sciacca
• Siculiana
• Villafranca Sicula

Demographics

As of 2025, the province has a population of 408,059, of whom 48.9% are male and 51.1% are female. Minors make up 15.3% of the population, and seniors make up 24.5%, compared to the Italian average of 14.9% and 24.7% respectively.

As of 2024, the foreign-born population is 31,168, equal to 7.6% of the population. The 5 largest foreign nationalities are Germans (7,746), Romanians (5,709), Moroccans (1,976), Swiss (1,561) and Belgians (1,461).

Economy

The economy is primarily based on agriculture and tourism. Port traffic is also moderate, centered on Porto Empedocle, which was once a thriving hub for the sale of sulfur from the Pasquasia mine in Enna and smaller deposits. Today, drought and the inequity of the water supply system make water crises frequent.

According to the government records the number of unemployed people is about 17% of the total labour force.

Wine production

Viticulture produces fine wines, including Inzolia and Marsala, and sparkling wines, all distinctive and driving forces for a rather depressed economy. The total area covered by vineyards in 1984 was almost triple to that in 1949. During this period Marsala based wine merchants used the grapes produced in the province to produce Marsala wine. In 1984 the local government passed a law that regulated this practice. Around three-quarters of the Sicilian land devoted to growing Fiano grapes is in the province. Some of the important municipalities known for their vineyards include Sambuca di Sicilia, Menfi, and Santa Margherita di Belice.

Transport

Roads

The Agrigento area is not served by any highways, having only a few expressways. However, the SS 640 is currently being upgraded to a modern highway from Agrigento to the A19 motorway, passing through Caltanissetta. The road network in the province comprises 540 km. of street roads, 1,000 km. of provincial roads, 260 km. of communal roads and 56 km. of regional roads.

Railways

The Agrigento area is crossed by three railway lines open to passenger traffic, all operated by RFI, for a total of approximately 150 km: the Palermo-Agrigento line, the Caltanissetta Xirbi-Agrigento line—which meet at the Aragona station—and the Syracuse-Canicattì line. All three lines have single-track electrification, except the Syracuse-Canicattì line, which is not electrified.

References

Bibliography

References

1. "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". [[Italian National Institute of Statistics.
2. "Resident population". [[Italian National Institute of Statistics.
3. [https://stats.oecd.org/ Regions and Cities > Regional Statistics > Regional Economy > Regional Gross Domestic Product (Small regions TL3)], OECD.Stats. Accessed on 16 November 2018.
4. "Agrigento, Sicily".
5. Touring Club of Italy. (2005). "Authentic Sicily". Touring Editore.
6. "Popolazione residente dei comuni. Censimenti dal 1861 al 1991". [[National Institute of Statistics (Italy).
7. "Resident population - Time series". [[National Institute of Statistics (Italy).
8. "Resident population by sex, municipality and citizenship". [[Italian National Institute of Statistics.
9. "Some data about the Province of Agrigento".
10. Touring Club of Italy. (2002). "The Italian Food Guide: The Ultimate Guide to the Regional Foods of Italy". Touring Editore.