Dirillo
Encyclopedia
The Dirillo, or Acate, is a 54 kilometres (33.6 mi) river in Sicily
which springs from the Hyblaean Mountains
and flows through the areas of Vizzini
, Licodia Eubea
, Mazzarrone
, Chiaramonte Gulfi
, Acate
, Vittoria, Gela
. It enters the Strait of Sicily
south-east of the town of Gela
. As the largest river in the area it is sometimes known as the Fiume Grande.
The river was known in antiquity as the Achates. Theophrastus
in his treatise On Stones (ca. 315 B.C.) indicates that the name of the gemstone achates (agate
) was based on the source of such stones from this river. Pliny the Elder
makes the same connection in his Naturalis Historia
Agate and chalcedony
can still be found here. During the period of Arab rule it became known as Wadi‑Ikrilu: ‘The River of Acrille
’, an ancient Greek-Roman colony that stood in the surroundings.
In the 1950s the Azienda Nazionale Idrogenazione Combustibili
dammed the river near Licodia Eubea to create Lago Dirillo
, a reservoir for the Polo petrolchimico di Gela petrochemical plants. With good fishing and camping facilities, as well its natural scenic beauty, this area has become a tourist attraction.
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
which springs from the Hyblaean Mountains
Hyblaean Mountains
The Hyblaean Mountains are a mountain range in south-eastern Sicily, Italy. They are included in the provinces of Ragusa, Syracuse and Catania, and reaches the highest altitude with Monte Lauro, at 986 m.-Geology:...
and flows through the areas of Vizzini
Vizzini
Vizzini is a town and comune in the province of Catania, on the island of Sicily. It is located 60 km from Catania in the Hyblaean Mountains, on the most northwesterly slopes of Monte Lauro....
, Licodia Eubea
Licodia Eubea
Licodia Eubea is a town and comune in the province of Catania, on the island of Sicily. It is bounded by the comuni of Caltagirone, Chiaramonte Gulfi, Giarratana, Grammichele, Mazzarrone, Mineo, Monterosso Almo and Vizzini...
, Mazzarrone
Mazzarrone
Mazzarrone is a comune in the Province of Catania in the Italian region Sicily, located about 160 km southeast of Palermo and about 70 km southwest of Catania....
, Chiaramonte Gulfi
Chiaramonte Gulfi
Chiaramonte Gulfi is a town and comune in the province of Ragusa, Sicilia, Italy. As of 2007 Chiaramonte Gulfi had an estimated population of 8,035.-Geography:...
, Acate
Acate
Acate is a small town and comune in the south of Sicily, Italy, part of the province of Ragusa. It is located in the Dirillo River valley, 34 kilometers from Ragusa....
, Vittoria, Gela
Gela
Gela is a town and comune in the province of Caltanissetta in the south of Sicily, Italy. The city is at about 84 kilometers distance from the city of Caltanissetta, on the Mediterranean Sea. The city has a larger population than the provincial capital, and ranks second in land area.Gela is an...
. It enters the Strait of Sicily
Strait of Sicily
The Strait of Sicily is the strait between Sicily and Tunisia. It is about wide and divides the Tyrrhenian Sea and the western Mediterranean Sea from the eastern Mediterranean. Its maximum depth is ....
south-east of the town of Gela
Gela
Gela is a town and comune in the province of Caltanissetta in the south of Sicily, Italy. The city is at about 84 kilometers distance from the city of Caltanissetta, on the Mediterranean Sea. The city has a larger population than the provincial capital, and ranks second in land area.Gela is an...
. As the largest river in the area it is sometimes known as the Fiume Grande.
The river was known in antiquity as the Achates. Theophrastus
Theophrastus
Theophrastus , a Greek native of Eresos in Lesbos, was the successor to Aristotle in the Peripatetic school. He came to Athens at a young age, and initially studied in Plato's school. After Plato's death he attached himself to Aristotle. Aristotle bequeathed to Theophrastus his writings, and...
in his treatise On Stones (ca. 315 B.C.) indicates that the name of the gemstone achates (agate
Agate
Agate is a microcrystalline variety of silica, chiefly chalcedony, characterised by its fineness of grain and brightness of color. Although agates may be found in various kinds of rock, they are classically associated with volcanic rocks and can be common in certain metamorphic rocks.-Etymology...
) was based on the source of such stones from this river. Pliny the Elder
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
makes the same connection in his Naturalis Historia
Naturalis Historia
The Natural History is an encyclopedia published circa AD 77–79 by Pliny the Elder. It is one of the largest single works to have survived from the Roman Empire to the modern day and purports to cover the entire field of ancient knowledge, based on the best authorities available to Pliny...
Agate and chalcedony
Chalcedony
Chalcedony is a cryptocrystalline form of silica, composed of very fine intergrowths of the minerals quartz and moganite. These are both silica minerals, but they differ in that quartz has a trigonal crystal structure, while moganite is monoclinic...
can still be found here. During the period of Arab rule it became known as Wadi‑Ikrilu: ‘The River of Acrille
Akrillai
Akrillai was an ancient Greek colony located in the modern province of Ragusa where theSicilian town of Chiaramonte Gulfi stands today. The ruins of the old colony can be found in the contrada Piano del Conte-Morana and Piano Grillo...
’, an ancient Greek-Roman colony that stood in the surroundings.
In the 1950s the Azienda Nazionale Idrogenazione Combustibili
Azienda Nazionale Idrogenazione Combustibili
Azienda Nazionale Idrogenazione Combustibili S.p.A was the name of an Italian company, which was to pursue the derivation of fuel by hydrogenation of brown coal. It was created in 1936 by AGIP and Montecatini as a joint company....
dammed the river near Licodia Eubea to create Lago Dirillo
Lago Dirillo
Lago Dirillo is an artificial lake to the south of Licodia Eubea in the Province of Catania, Sicily, Italy, which was formed in the 1950s by damming the river Dirillo....
, a reservoir for the Polo petrolchimico di Gela petrochemical plants. With good fishing and camping facilities, as well its natural scenic beauty, this area has become a tourist attraction.