Ribera, the city of oranges

Ribera is a Sicilian town in the province of Agrigento; it has 20,000 inhabitants and extends over a wide plain at 230 meters above sea level which is 7 km away. The territory is particularly suitable for cultivation, thanks to its favorable geographical position and mild climate. The first crops date back to the Middle Ages. The territory is rich in ancient testimonies attesting prehistoric frequentations. A cave-like necropolis, typical of the Aeneolithic era, was found around 1980. The true origins of Ribera are relatively young and date back to the first half of the 1600s. In 1637 the first church of the city was completed in the current square of Sant'Antonino; there are no more traces of it because it was demolished shortly after. But the title was transferred to the church of the Immaculate Conception, a little later. In 1667, at the behest of the bishop of Agrigento, work began on a new mother church, more suited to the city. It is dedicated to St. Nicholas of Bari and the Virgin of the Rosary, and was opened for worship in 1673. Ribera is known for being the birthplace of Francesco Crispi, a famous Italian statesman. After the Second World War, Ribera established itself for the production of citrus fruits on a national level, after dark periods of hardship and misery, and the rural village named after Antonio Bonsignore, local carabiniere, 13 km away from Ribera and near the sea, was inaugurated. Today Ribera is the city of the Ribera PDO orange and is particularly renowned for the different qualities of oil and fruit.