Licata

Few towns have so many names: in the documents Licata has been Phintias, Limpiadum, Lecatam, Katta, Leocata, Alicata. On its origin the field runs from the Greek Leucada to the Arabic al-Qal'a, «fortress»; but local scholars have thrown in everything — the salt in the air, a lord called Ali, a seaweed, Lica the mother of Daphne, and even a lion carved in the rock at contrada Stretto, whence leon-cata, «by the lion». Certain history begins in 282 BC, when the Mamertines destroyed Gela and the tyrant Phintias founded here, to take in the survivors, the town that bears his name: Phintias, the last Greek colony in Sicily. Licata too, like so many, is born of a flight.

Off this sea, in 256 BC, one of the largest naval battles of antiquity was fought off Cape Ecnomus, won by the Roman fleet. And on these beaches, between Mollarella and Poliscia, on the night of 9-10 July 1943 Truscott's American infantry landed, in Patton's Seventh Army: Licata was among the first Italian towns liberated, and Operation Husky began here. Between the two extremes lies a surprising town: the nineteenth century of sulphur and the port left it liberty palaces signed by Ernesto Basile, and Edmondo De Amicis was stationed here as a young officer. Castel Sant'Angelo watches the harbour, the mouth of the Salso and the beaches close the picture, and the seafood cooking has won over the guidebooks. Agrigento is half an hour away.