page_title: Licata
section_title: Contemporary era
hierarchical_section_title: Licata / History / Contemporary era
caption_attribution_description: English: Italian memorial to the Allies for the invasion of Sicily during Operation Husky, July 10th, 1943.
context_page_description: Licata, formerly also Alicata, is a city and comune located on the south coast of Sicily, at the mouth of the Salso River, about midway between Agrigento and Gela. It is a major seaport developed at the turn of the twentieth century, shipping sulphur, the refining of which has made Licata the largest European exporting centre, and asphalt, and at times shipping cheese.
  West of the port city there is a series of pocket beaches separated by wave-cut headlands as high as 40 metres.
context_section_description: In 1820 Licata rose against the 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 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.
  Licata.  served as an Allied landing point during the 1943 Operation HUSKY Allied invasion of Sicily of World War II. 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, it served as a model for John Hersey's novel A Bell for Adano.
  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.
  The Museo Civico displays many archaeological finds, notably material from burial grounds dating from prehistoric times to the 3rd century BC.
caption: Italian memorial at Licata for the Allied invasion of Sicily during Operation Husky, July 10, 1943.
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