Porto Empedocle
Encyclopedia
Porto Empedocle is a town and comune
in Italy on the coast of the Strait of Sicily
, administratively part of the province of Agrigento
. It is the namesake of Empedocles
(Greek: , ca. 490–430 BC), a Greek pre-Socratic philosopher and a citizen of the city of Agrigentum (present-day Agrigento
), in his day a Greek colony in Sicily
. The primary industries of Porto Empedocle are agriculture, fishing, ironworking, pharmaceuticals and rock salt refining.
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
, ordered a tower built to protect the territory's reserves of harvested grain in the fifteenth century. The tower was later converted to a prison and is now a social and cultural center.
Trade increased in the area after the completion of the harbor wall in 1763. The comune became autonomous in 1853. The town took its present name in 1863. It is named after 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 popular novels by Andrea Camilleri
, famous Italian writer and native of Porto Empedocle, about detective Inspector Montalbano
are placed.
The main church is Parrocchia Maria SS.del Buon Consiglio, which is located in the center of the town. The marl
Scala dei Turchi
is located nearby, on the coast ot Realmonte
.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in Italy on the coast of the Strait of Sicily
Strait of Sicily
The Strait of Sicily is the strait between Sicily and Tunisia. It is about wide and divides the Tyrrhenian Sea and the western Mediterranean Sea from the eastern Mediterranean. Its maximum depth is ....
, administratively part of the province of Agrigento
Province of Agrigento
Agrigento is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy. It has an area of 3,042 km², and a total population of 454,370...
. It is the namesake of Empedocles
Empedocles
Empedocles was a Greek pre-Socratic philosopher and a citizen of Agrigentum, a Greek city in Sicily. Empedocles' philosophy is best known for being the originator of the cosmogenic theory of the four Classical elements...
(Greek: , ca. 490–430 BC), a Greek pre-Socratic philosopher and a citizen of the city of Agrigentum (present-day Agrigento
Agrigento
Agrigento , is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy, and capital of the province of Agrigento. It is renowned as the site of the ancient Greek city of Akragas , one of the leading cities of Magna Graecia during the golden...
), in his day a Greek colony in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. The primary industries of Porto Empedocle are agriculture, fishing, ironworking, pharmaceuticals and rock salt refining.
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
, ordered a tower built to protect the territory's reserves of harvested grain in the fifteenth century. The tower was later converted to a prison and is now a social and cultural center.
Trade increased in the area after the completion of the harbor wall in 1763. The comune became autonomous in 1853. The town took its present name in 1863. It is named after 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 popular novels by Andrea Camilleri
Andrea Camilleri
Andrea Camilleri is an Italian writer.-Biography:Originally from Porto Empedocle, Sicily, Camilleri, began studies at the Faculty of Literature in 1944, without concluding them, meanwhile publishing poems and short stories.From 1948 to 1950 Camilleri studied stage and film direction at the Silvio...
, famous Italian writer and native of Porto Empedocle, about detective Inspector Montalbano
Inspector Montalbano
Inspector Salvo Montalbano is a fictional character created by Italian writer Andrea Camilleri in a series of novels and short stories.Set in the picturesque Sicilian town of Vigàta , the fractious detective's character and manner encapsulate much of Sicilian mythology and astute detective work...
are placed.
The main church is Parrocchia Maria SS.del Buon Consiglio, which is located in the center of the town. The marl
Marl
Marl or marlstone is a calcium carbonate or lime-rich mud or mudstone which contains variable amounts of clays and aragonite. Marl was originally an old term loosely applied to a variety of materials, most of which occur as loose, earthy deposits consisting chiefly of an intimate mixture of clay...
Scala dei Turchi
Scala dei Turchi
The Scala dei Turchi is a rocky cliff on the coast of Realmonte, near Porto Empedocle, southern Sicily, Italy. It has become a tourist attraction due to its unusual white colour, as well as by its mention in Andrea Camilleri's series of detective stories about Commissario Montalbano.The Scala is...
is located nearby, on the coast ot Realmonte
Realmonte
Realmonte is a comune in the Province of Agrigento in the Italian region Sicily, located about 90 km south of Palermo and about 10 km west of Agrigento....
.