Ribera ( Sicilian: ''Rivela'') is a ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' in the province of Agrigento, Region of

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, between the

Verdura Verdura is a river of southern Sicily. Its source is in Lake Favara, and flows into the Sicily Channel at Torre Verdura, between Sciacca and Ribera. Course The upper reaches are known as the Sosio, becoming the Verdura after it is joined by the ...

and Magazzolo valleys in the so-called

Plain of San Nicola In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or Highland, up ...

. The town is connected by the SS115 state road, leading from

Trapani Trapani ( , ; scn, Tràpani ; lat, Drepanum; grc, Δρέπανον) is a city and municipality (''comune'') on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an impor ...

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

. The

Platani River The Platani ( scn, Plàtani), known in ancient Greek as the (''Lykos'', "wolf") or (''Halykos'', "Salty"), is a river in southern Sicily, Italy. It is the fifth longest in the island after Imera Meridionale, Simeto, Belice and Dittaino, with a ...

, the third Sicilian river, flows nearby. It has enormously contributed to developing both farming and tourism in the area. Its mouth has been designated as a natural reserve. Ribera torre poggiodiana

History

The comune probably rose on the site of the ancient Allava, to which the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

necropolis near the modern town may possibly be attributed. In 1627, Luigi Guglielmo Moncada, Prince of Paternò, founded a new centre named after his wife, Maria Alfan di Ribera; the new centre developed rapidly, thanks to the fertility of the soil and the accessibility of the area. It is the birthplace of Prime Minister

Francesco Crispi Francesco Crispi (4 October 1818 – 11 August 1901) was an Italian patriot and statesman. He was among the main protagonists of the Risorgimento, a close friend and supporter of Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi, and one of the architect ...

Main sights

Sights include: *The Chiesa Madre, founded in the 18th century, facing the Piazza Duomo ("Cathedral Square"). *The Town Hall (19th century) is in the same square. *In ''Via Crispi ''is the house where

, leader of the Italian government between 1887 and 1896, was born. *The Garibaldi Garden offers a botanical itinerary. Just outside the town, on a gorge overlooking the Verdura river is the Castello di Poggio Diana, built by Guglielmo Peralta in the 14th century. A

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

necropolis A necropolis (plural necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'', literally meaning "city of the dead". The term usually im ...

(13th century BC) was discovered near the town. It includes some 30 tombs in two types, "chamber"- or "grotto"-like; some are preceded by a corridor up to long. Also outside the town is the Borgo Bonsignore, a village founded under Fascism as part of the "colonization" policy that encouraged the creation of new villages; it has now grown as a summer resort.

Economy

Agriculture is the commune's main industry, notably involved in the cultivation and marketing of the Washington navel orange – here introduced by emigrants returned from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

– and

strawberries The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus '' Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is widely ap ...

. Such businesses are enhanced both by excellent climatic and environmental conditions and a supporting policy by the local authorities.

Twin towns

* Oinousses, Greece * Elizabeth, USA

External links

Official websiteRibera - Photos, history, traditions, newsArancia di Ribera D.O.P.

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History

Main sights

Economy

Twin towns

See also

External links