Editing Licata (section)

=== 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.