The Dirillo, or Acate, is a river in

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

which springs from the Hyblaean Mountains and flows through the areas of Vizzini,

Licodia Eubea Licodia Eubea ( scn, Licuddìa) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Catania, on the island of Sicily, southern Italy. It is bounded by the comuni of Caltagirone, Chiaramonte Gulfi, Giarratana, Grammichele, Mazzarrone, Mineo, Mont ...

, Mazzarrone, Chiaramonte Gulfi,

Acate Acate ( Sicilian: ''Acati'' or ''Vischiri'') 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, from Ragusa. Until 1938 it was called Biscari, and its histo ...

, Vittoria, Gela. It enters the

Strait of Sicily The Strait of Sicily (also known as Sicilian Strait, Sicilian Channel, Channel of Sicily, Sicilian Narrows and Pantelleria Channel; it, Canale di Sicilia or the Stretto di Sicilia; scn, Canali di Sicilia or Strittu di Sicilia, ar, مضيق ص ...

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 ( grc, Ἀχάτης). It was noted by

Silius Italicus Tiberius Catius Asconius Silius Italicus (, c. 26 – c. 101 AD) was a Roman senator, orator and Epic poetry, epic poet of the Silver Age of Latin literature. His only surviving work is the 17-book ''Punica (poem), Punica'', an epic poem about th ...

for the remarkable clearness of its waters.

Theophrastus Theophrastus (; grc-gre, Θεόφραστος ; c. 371c. 287 BC), a Greek philosopher and the successor to Aristotle in the Peripatetic school. He was a native of Eresos in Lesbos.Gavin Hardy and Laurence Totelin, ''Ancient Botany'', Routledge ...

in his treatise ''

On Stones Theophrastus (; grc-gre, Θεόφραστος ; c. 371c. 287 BC), a Greek philosopher and the successor to Aristotle in the Peripatetic school. He was a native of Eresos in Lesbos.Gavin Hardy and Laurence Totelin, ''Ancient Botany'', Routledge ...

'' (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 Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...

makes the same connection in his '' Naturalis Historia''Pliny the Elder, ''The Natural History'', Book XXXVII Chapter 54
at the Perseus Project 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 Azienda Nazionale Idrogenazione Combustibili (ANIC) was an Italian chemical company, established during the Fascist regime with the objective of obtaining synthetic gasoline by hydrogenation of brown coal. It was set up in 1936 by state-owned Agip ...

dammed the river near Licodia Eubea to create Lago Dirillo, a reservoir for the

Polo petrolchimico di Gela Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of score (game), scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit ...

petrochemical plants. With good fishing and camping facilities, as well its natural scenic beauty, this area has become a tourist attraction.

Footnotes

References

:''This article includes material from its counterpart in the Italian-language Wikipedia « :it:Dirillo », specifically fro
this version
''

External links

Rivers of Italy Rivers of Sicily Gela Rivers of the Province of Caltanissetta Rivers of the Province of Catania Rivers of the Province of Ragusa European drainage basins of the Mediterranean Sea {{Italy-river-stub