Porto Empedocle

From CruisersWiki

Porto Empedocle is the harbour of the large industrial town of Agrigento in Sicily. As one would expect from a large commercial port, the harbour is noisy and not particularly clean. However, the inner harbour has good depths and is secure in all weathers. Porto Empedocle is also the nearest harbour for a visit to the World Heritage site of Agrigentum - rather appropriately, since it is named in honour of the 5th century BC Greek philosopher and poet Empedocles, the ancient city's most famous resident.

Charts

Admiralty

2123 - Capo Granitola to Capo Passero

Italian

917 - Da Capo Rassello ad Augusta e Isole Maltesi

Weather

The prevailing wind on the south coast of Sicily during the summer is a SW sea breeze, which rarely gets up much above force 4-5. Most of the harbours along the south coast are liable to swell in strong southerly winds which are, however, rare outside the winter months.

Sources for weather forecasts:

• There is a continuous (computerized voice) weather forecast on VHF 68 - first in Italian and then followed with an English translation
• The same forecast is given in Italian and English on VHF coastal stations following a notification on channel 16
• Navtex weather forecasts are broadcast from stations at Roma, Cagliari (Sardinia) and Augusta (Sicily)

Passages

See Aegean to West Mediterranean Passages.

Islands

None.

Communication

• VHF channels 16 (Marina) & 74 (Harbour Master)

Also see World Cruiser's Nets.

Navigation

The harbour is approached from SSE between a long western and shorter eastern breakwater. Depths in the entrance are in excess of 8.0 metres and in the inner harbour 6.0 - 8.0 metres.

Entrance

Porto Empedocle is a port of entry for Italy. For details see Entrance: Italy.

Berthing

This is a fishing and ferry harbor.

Marinas & Yacht Clubs

Anchorages

It was formerly possible to anchor in the outer harbour in 4.0 - 5.0 meters in mud, clear of the fairway, although shelter is rather poor in southerly winds. However, anchoring in the outer harbour is no longer permitted and recently (August 2014) a yacht was heavily fined for doing so. --Sailabroad

Amenities

Facilities
Water	On the pontoons
Electricity	On the pontoons
Toilets	In the marina
Showers	In the marina
Laundry	?
Garbage	Bins around the inner harbour
Supplies
Fuel	Fuel station on the NE quay (0800 - 1300 and 1500 - 1800)
Bottled gas	?
Chandlers	?
Services
Repairs	Slipway and mobile crane (50T). Engine, electrical repairs. Steel and fibreglass repairs. Sail repairs. Divers
Internet	WiFi in internet cafes
Mobile connectivity	?
Vehicle rentals	Several outlets in the town

Provisioning

Numerous supermarkets and provisions shops in the town.

Eating out

Numerous restaurants in the town. As Porto Empedocle is an important fishing harbour, fish is especially good here.

Transportation

• Buses to Agrigento (about once per hour) and further to the Palermo Airport and other locations. On exiting the harbour, turn right and walk along the main road for about 1km, where you will then find a bus terminal on the right.

Tourism

Although the modern town is somewhat featureless, it does boast some interesting mediaeval buildings, including the 14th century century cathedral and the 13th century Church of Santa Maria dei Greci ("Our Lady of the Greeks"), which was constructed on the site of an ancient Greek temple. Most of the finds from the Greek and Roman occupation of the area are displayed in the town’s archaeological museum. There are also some spectacular cliff walks in the area. However, the main attraction of Porto Empedocle is its proximity to the ancient Greek city of Akragas, better known under its later Roman name of Agrigentum. The Valle dei Temple (Valley of the Temples) here contains the remains of five Doric temples along a ridge overlooking the modern city of Agrigento. Of the five temples, the most complete is the Temple of Concord, built around 440 BC.

Temple of Concord, Agrigentum

Temple of Juno

Temple of Hercules

Friends

Contact details of "Cruiser's Friends" that can be contacted for local information or assistance.

Forums

List links to discussion threads on partnering forums. (see link for requirements)

• 2000 € fine

Links

• Porto Empedocle at the Wikipedia
• Porto Empedocle at the Wikivoyage

References

See Italy.

Comments

We welcome users' contributions to the Wiki. Please click on Comments to view other users' comments, add your own personal experiences or recommend any changes to this page following your visit.

Verified by

Date of member's last visit to Porto Empedocle and this page's details validated:

• Oct 2009 --Wayward
• May 2013 --LifePart2
• Aug 2014 --Sailabroad

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Contributors to this page
Names: Lighthouse, Athene of Lymington, Wayward, Sailabroad