Lake Pergusa (''Pergoussa'', Πυργούσσα in
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...
) is a lake in
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
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, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
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, demographi ...
, set between a group of mountains in the
Erean Mountains
The Herean Mountains (also influenced by Italian as ''Erean'') ( scn, Munti Erei; it, Monti Erei; la, Heraei montes) are a mountain chain in central Sicily, southern Italy, mostly located in the central and northern areas of the province of E ...
chain near
Pergusa
Pergusa is an Italian village of Sicily. It is a ''frazione'' of Enna, the administrative seat of the same-named province.
Geography
Pergusa lies in hills about 10 km south of Enna. Pergusa is reached by the ''Enna-Gela Road'', which allow ...
, 5 km from
Enna
Enna ( or ; grc, Ἔννα; la, Henna, less frequently ), known from the Middle Ages until 1926 as Castrogiovanni ( scn, Castrugiuvanni ), is a city and located roughly at the center of Sicily, southern Italy, in the province of Enna, towering ...
, Italy. It is a vital stop in the migratory trajectory of a great number of birds. In addition to birds, which are by far the main inhabitants of the Pergusa nature reserve, there are also interesting species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates found here. At an elevation of 670 m, the lake's surface area is 1.83 km
2.
Overview
The lake is encircled by the most important racing track of Southern Italy, the
Autodromo di Pergusa
The Autodromo di Pergusa is an automobile and motorcycle circuit that encircles the only Sicilian natural lake, Pergusa Lake. The circuit is also known as Enna-Pergusa, as the lake is located near the city of Enna.
Overview
During the 1960s, t ...
, that hosts international competitions and events, such as
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
,
Formula 3000
Formula 3000 (F3000) was a type of open wheel, single seater formula racing, occupying the tier immediately below Formula One and above Formula Three. It was so named because the cars were powered by 3.0 L engines.
Formula 3000 championships
...
and a Ferrari Festival that has featured Formula One star
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher (; ; born 3 January 1969) is a German former racing driver who competed in Formula One for Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari, and Mercedes. Schumacher has a joint-record seven World Drivers' Championship titles (tied with Lewis ...
.
In the area of Lake Pergusa, an archeological site known as ''Cozzo Matrice'' can be found. This site essentially houses the ruins of an old fortified village, containing imposing walls constructed around the 9th millennium BC, a sacred citadel, an opulent
necropolis
A necropolis (plural necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'', literally meaning "city of the dead".
The term usually im ...
and the remains of an ancient temple dedicated to
Demeter
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Demeter (; Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, grains, food, and the fertility of the earth. Although s ...
, dating back more than 2,000 years.
An important forest and vegetation zone named Selva Pergusina (meaning "Pergusa Wood") surrounds part of the Lake Pergusa Valley, producing a striking panorama.
In antiquity, the lake was said to be the site where
Persephone
In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Persephone ( ; gr, Περσεφόνη, Persephónē), also called Kore or Cora ( ; gr, Κόρη, Kórē, the maiden), is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She became the queen of the underworld after ...
was abducted by
Pluto
Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the S ...
.
References
External links
Enna tourist page
Province of Enna
Lakes of Sicily
Enna
{{Sicily-geo-stub