The Simeto (; scn, Simetu; la, Symaethus; el, Σύμαιθος) is a long river in

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

southern Italy Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half. The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the pe ...

. At , it is the second longest river on the island after the

Salso The Salso ( Sicilian: ''Salsu''), also known as the Imera Meridionale (Greek: ; Latin Himera), is a river of Sicily. It rises in the Madonie Mountains (Latin: Nebrodes Mons; Sicilian: Munti Madunìi) and, traversing the provinces of Enna and Ca ...

(also known as Southern Imera), but the most important in terms of watershed ().Bacino Idrografico del Fiume Simeto (094), Relazione bacino
Regione Siciliana, p. 1-2 It flows through the

province of Enna Enna ( it, Provincia di Enna; sicilian language, Sicilian: ''Pruvincia di Enna''; officially ''Libero consorzio comunale di Enna'') is a Provinces of Italy, province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy. It was created in 1927, out ...

and the province of Catania. Its source is located near Bronte, from the union of several streams of the

Nebrodi The Nebrodi ( scn, Munti Nèbbrudi; it, Monti Nebrodi, ; la, Nebrōdēs montēs) is a mountain range that runs along the north east of Sicily. Together with the Madonie and the Peloritani, they form the Sicilian Apennines. The mountains run ...

Mountains. After receiving its first affluent, the Troina, the river starts running southwards into a spectacular canyon of lava from eruptions of

Mount Etna Mount Etna, or simply Etna ( it, Etna or ; scn, Muncibbeḍḍu or ; la, Aetna; grc, Αἴτνα and ), is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina ...

. Near

Adrano Adrano (, scn, Ddirnò), ancient '' Adranon'', is a town and in the Metropolitan City of Catania on the east coast of Sicily. It is situated around northwest of Catania, which was also the capital of the province to which Adrano belonged, n ...

, Simeto constitutes the boundary between the province of Catania and that of Enna, and receives the

,Not to be confused with the larger Salso River of western Sicily. then flows near

Paternò Paternò ( scn, Patennò) is a southern Italian town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Catania, Sicily. With a population (2016) of 48,009, it is the third municipality of the province after Catania and Acireale. Geography Paternò ...

. Simeto's final course is slower and twisting, being all included in the plain of

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also b ...

; its last confluences are with the

Dittaino The Dittaino (Greek: ; Latin: Chrysas) is a river of central Sicily which rises in the Heraean Mountains, not far from the modern towns of Gangi and Enna. It is long. After flowing through the territory of Assorus, where its tutelary divinity ...

and the

Gornalunga The Gornalunga is an river located in central-eastern Sicily. The river springs from Monte Rossomanno, on the Erean Mountains, in the province of Enna. After flowing through the plain of Catania, the river becomes an affluent of the Simeto rive ...

, before flowing into the

Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea ( el, Ιόνιο Πέλαγος, ''Iónio Pélagos'' ; it, Mar Ionio ; al, Deti Jon ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including ...

south to the metropolitan area of Catania.

Notes

Rivers of Italy Rivers of Sicily Rivers of the Province of Catania Rivers of the Province of Enna Rivers of the Metropolitan City of Messina Drainage basins of the Ionian Sea {{Italy-river-stub