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Dirillo

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Coordinates:37°00′09″N14°20′15″E / 37.0025°N 14.3374°E /37.0025; 14.3374

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

River in Sicily: provinces of Ragusa, Caltanissetta and Catania

Dirillo


Location
Country	Sicily: provinces ofRagusa,Caltanissetta andCatania
Physical characteristics

Source
• location	Iblei mountains, nearVizzini
• elevation	986 m (3,235 ft)

Mouth	Mediterranean Sea
• location	Strait of Sicily, south-east ofGela
• coordinates	37°00′09″N14°20′15″E / 37.0025°N 14.3374°E /37.0025; 14.3374
• elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Length	54 km (34 mi)
Basin size	739.39 km² (285.48 sq mi)

TheDirillo, orAcate, is a 54-kilometre (34 mi) river inSicily which springs from theHyblaean Mountains and flows through the areas ofVizzini,Licodia Eubea,Mazzarrone,Chiaramonte Gulfi,Acate,Vittoria,Gela. It enters theStrait of Sicily south-east of the town ofGela. As the largest river in the area it is sometimes known as theFiume Grande.

The river was known in antiquity as theAchates (Ancient Greek:Ἀχάτης). It was noted bySilius Italicus for the remarkable clearness of its waters.^[1]Theophrastus in his treatiseOn Stones (ca. 315 B.C.) indicates that the name of the gemstoneachates (agate) was based on the source of such stones from this river.^[2]Pliny the Elder makes the same connection in hisNaturalis Historia^[3]Agate andchalcedony can still be found here. During the period of Arab rule it became known asWadi‑Ikrilu: ‘The River ofAcrille’, an ancient Greek-Roman colony that stood in the surroundings.

In the 1950s, theAzienda Nazionale Idrogenazione Combustibili dammed the river near Licodia Eubea to createLago Dirillo, a reservoir for thePolo petrolchimico di Gela petrochemical plants. With good fishing and camping facilities, as well its natural scenery, this area has become a tourist attraction.^{[citation needed]}