Editing Licata (section)

== History ==
=== Ancient ===

The settlement was frequented by the Phoenicians who traded there between the 12th and 8th centuries BC. At the end of the 7th century BC the Geloi (inhabitants of ancient Gela, in [[Magna Graecia]]) built a fortified station to guard the mouth of the [[Salso]] (''Himera'') river. In the first half of 6th century BC [[Phalaris]], tyrant of [[Agrigento]], built a fortified outpost.

The first settlement was probably<ref>Attested by chance finds of Corinthian, Ionic, and Geloan pottery and figurines, now in the museums of Palermo and Agrigento (Stillwell).</ref> founded by colonists from Gela.<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0006:id=phintias The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, Phintias]</ref>

At the [[Battle of the Himera River (311 BC)]] near the town, [[Agathocles of Syracuse|Agothocles]] was beaten by the Carthaginians and the town fell into their hands.

The city itself was re-founded on the right bank of the Salso in 282 BC, by [[Phintias of Agrigentum|Phintias]], tyrant of [[Agrigentum]], who named it for himself (Phintias), after razing the city of [[Gela]] and resettling its population here.<ref>Diod. xxii. 2, p. 495.</ref> As late as the 1st century BC, inscriptions and coins show that the inhabitants retained the name ''Geloi''. 

Phintias was laid out on a great scale, with walls, temples and an [[agora]]. The setting took advantage of a small natural harbour, about {{convert|80|m|ft}} across, in a bay on the coast that is now infilled. The site was protected by the headland now named Monte San Michele. Phintias, however, never rose to the importance of Gela.

At nearby Cape Ecnomus, in 256 BC the [[Roman Republic|Romans]] won the [[Battle of Cape Ecnomus]] in the [[First Punic War]] and freed the city from the Carthaginians. In 249 BC it afforded shelter to a [[ancient Rome|Roman]] fleet which was, however, attacked by the [[Carthage|Carthaginians]] and many of the ships sunk.<ref>Diod. xxiv. 1, p. 508.</ref> [[Cicero]] also alludes to it as a seaport, carrying on a considerable export trade in corn.<ref>Cicero ''[[In Verrem]]'' iii. 8. 3.</ref> 

Under the Romans Phintias became a large commercial emporium. But in [[Strabo]]'s time it seems to have fallen into the same state of decay with the other cities on the south coast of Sicily, as he does not mention it among the few exceptions.<ref>Strabo vi. p. 272.</ref> [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]], notices the Phintienses (or Phthinthienses as the name is written in some manuscripts) among the stipendiary towns of Sicily; and its name is found also in [[Ptolemy]]; but it is strange that both these writers reckon it among the inland towns of Sicily, though its maritime position is clearly attested both by Diodorus and Cicero. The ''[[Antonine Itinerary]]'' also gives a place called Plintis, doubtless a corruption of Phintias, which it places on the road from Agrigentum along the coast towards [[Syracuse, Italy|Syracuse]], at the distance of {{convert|23|mi|km}} from the former city.<ref>Itin. Ant. p. 95.</ref> This distance agrees tolerably well with that from Agrigento to Licata, though somewhat less.

=== Middle and Modern Ages ===
The historical centre of the town, near the coastal castle of Lympiados, dates from the period of [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] domination. In 827 the Arabs conquered Licata, and their rule lasted for more than two centuries, ending when the town was captured by the [[italo-Normans|Normans]] on July 25, 1086. During the Norman-Hohenstaufen age the town flourished and was awarded the title of ''Cittè Demaniale'' ("Crown's City").

In 1270 Licata (then having some 7,000 inhabitants) rebelled against [[Capetian House of Anjou|Angevine]] rule as part of the uprising known as the [[Sicilian Vespers]]. Thereafter the town came under the control of the [[House of Trastámara]], who in 1447 granted it the title of ''fidelissima'' ("Most Faithful"). In 1553, after the city was sacked by [[Dragut]]'s corsairs, it was decided to rebuild the walls, together with a [[Castel Sant'Angelo (Licata)|large tower]] which was erected on the summit of Sant'Angelo hill.

Licata began to flourish once more in the 16th century, thanks in part to the presence of a community of [[Maltese people|Maltese]] immigrants, and this period of prosperity continued well into the 17th century, when the first settlements appeared outside the wall, housing the growing Maltese community, and numerous buildings were constructed or rebuilt in the Baroque style. The port also enjoyed a period of prosperity, largely resulting from the export of grain.

=== Contemporary era ===
In 1820 Licata rose against the [[house of Bourbon|Bourbon]] rulers of the [[Kingdom of the Two Sicilies]], led by patriot Matteo Vecchio Verderame. During the [[Expedition of the Thousand]] under [[Giuseppe Garibaldi]], the town contributed with a whole corps, and housed for a night Garibaldi's son [[Menotti Garibaldi|Menotti]] and his general [[Nino Bixio]].

The 1870s saw the construction of two bridges connecting to the [[sulphur]] mines inland, and five refineries (including the then largest in Europe) were built. This brought a considerable economic expansion, leading to the creation of several elegant residences in Licata.

[[File:Treno armato Licata.JPG|thumb|left|Remains of the Italian Navy [[armored train|armed train]] ("treno armato") ''[[T.A. 76/2/T]]'' ([[:it:Treni armati della Regia Marina|it]]), destroyed by [[USS Bristol (DD-453)|USS ''Bristol'']] while opposing the landing at Licata.]]

Licata<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i_3vsRs4G64C&q=joss+force&pg=PA71|author=Samuel Eliot Morison|title=Sicily-Salerno-Anzio|publisher=University of Illinois press|year=2002|isbn=9780252070396|access-date=2017-06-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809212426/https://books.google.it/books?id=i_3vsRs4G64C&pg=PA71&lpg=PA71&dq=joss+force&source=bl&ots=DiLqJpkbW5&sig=188YKJVR7Z-qFkV5lO4UX-TfXzI&hl=it&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwianNHgttzUAhVHchQKHWW1DDQQ6AEIRjAI#v=onepage&q=joss%20force&f=false|archive-date=2017-08-09|url-status=dead}}</ref> served as an Allied landing point during the 1943 Operation HUSKY [[Allied invasion of Sicily]] of [[World War II]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=pqCFSMtjZH0C&dq=mollarella&pg=PA131 Info at Google Books]</ref> War damage and the decline in competitiveness in the sulphur industry caused economic decline, forcing many people to emigrate to northern Italy or abroad.  As a town occupied by the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]], it served as a model for [[John Hersey]]'s novel [[A Bell for Adano (novel)|''A Bell for Adano'']].<ref>[http://www.militarystory.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Sicilia-1943.-Da-Licata-ad-Agrigento-10-16-luglio.pdf Info at militarystory.org]</ref>

[[File:Licata Beach Memorial for Operation Husky.JPG|thumb|Italian memorial at Licata for the Allied invasion of Sicily during Operation Husky, July 10, 1943.]]

Licata has however maintained its artistic importance, and tourism has begun to flourish again in recent times. Nevertheless, the economy is heavily reliant on the fishing industry.
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Licata oggi 6.jpg|thumb|250px|View of the Molarella Beach.]] -->

The Museo Civico displays many archaeological finds, notably material from burial grounds dating from prehistoric times to the 3rd century BC.