Sicily · Enna
Agira
On the slopes of Monte Teja at 650 meters, birthplace of the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus and burial site of 490 Canadian soldiers of the 1943 campaign.
Known for
DIODORUS SICULUS
Birthplace around 90 BC of the Greek historian who wrote the forty-book Bibliotheca historica, of which fifteen books survive intact.
SAN FILIPPO
Royal Abbey founded by Basilian monks in the seventh or eighth century, rebuilt by Roger I after 1095; patron saint buried beneath the church.
CANADIAN CEMETERY
Only Canadian war cemetery in Italy holds the 490 graves of soldiers killed taking Agira in five days of July 1943 fighting, the largest Canadian battle of the Sicilian campaign.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
The festa: Filippo di Agira, 11 May
Why come
Agira sits on the summit and slopes of Monte Teja at 650 meters in the mid-valley of the Salso river, thirty-five kilometers east of Enna. The town stands on the site of the Sicel city of Agyrion, where the Greek general Timoleon settled ten thousand colonists in 339 BC and where the historian Diodorus Siculus was born around 90 BC. Diodorus wrote the Bibliotheca historica, a forty-book universal history of which fifteen books survive intact.
The Royal Abbey Church of San Filippo, founded by Basilian monks in the seventh or eighth century, was refurbished into a Benedictine abbey by Roger I between 1095 and 1101 and remains the central monument of the town. In July 1943 Agira fell to the Canadians after five days of fighting, the largest Canadian battle of the Sicilian campaign; the Canadian War Cemetery on a hill outside the town holds the graves of 490 soldiers, the only Canadian war cemetery in Italy.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Agira’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
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What to see
Reale Abbazia di San Filippo
Basilian monastery founded in the seventh or eighth century, refurbished into a Benedictine abbey by Roger I between 1095 and 1101; the patron saint Philip of Agira is buried beneath the church.
Castello di Agira
Medieval fortress on the summit of Monte Teja above the town, with surviving walls and towers; the strategic outpost that controlled the central Sicilian interior.
Agira Canadian War Cemetery
Only Canadian war cemetery in Italy, on a hill outside the town, holding 490 graves of soldiers killed in the July 1943 Sicilian campaign.
Centro storico medievale
Steep stone lanes climbing Monte Teja from the lower town to the castle, layered with Greek, Byzantine, Norman and Aragonese remains.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Agira fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
Living here
- Population 7,671
- Off the beaten pathi
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest airport Sicily, 54 min drive
- Regional capital Palermo, 2 h 5 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 650 m
- Population: 7,671
- Surface area: 164.08 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Featured on
Agira appears on this themed pick from our Collections:
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