In 1860, the town gave its full support to the "Mille" led by Giuseppe Garibaldi. In the early 20th century, the city reached its highest population, with c. 6,000 inhabitants. More recently, its inhabitants have slowly left the town in order to move towards Northern Italy and foreign countries, with possibly its largest emigrant community located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vita was heavily damaged by the 1968 Belice earthquake, and rebuilt in a new urban zone, close to the old one.