Dirillo
Sign in to saveAlso known as Acate, Achates
The Dirillo, or Acate, is a river in Sicily which rises in the Hyblaean Mountains and flows through the areas of Vizzini, Licodia Eubea, Mazzarrone, Chiaramonte Gulfi, Acate, Vittoria, Gela. It empties into 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.
Key facts
- River.name
- Dirillo
- River.image
- Sicily Dirillo.jpg
- River.source1_location
- Iblei mountains, near Vizzini
- River.mouth
- Mediterranean Sea
- River.mouth_location
- Strait of Sicily, south-east of Gela
- River.subdivision_type1
- Country
- River.subdivision_name1
- Sicily: provinces of Ragusa, Caltanissetta and Catania
- River.length_km
- 54
- River.basin_size_km2
- 739.39
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Lago Dirillo 1.jpg
- Length
- 54
Show 3 more facts
- watershed area
- 739.39
- discharge
- 4
- Commons category
- Dirillo
via Wikidata · CC0
~2 min read
Article
2 sectionsContents
- References
- External links
The Dirillo, or Acate, is a river in Sicily which rises in the Hyblaean Mountains and flows through the areas of Vizzini, Licodia Eubea, Mazzarrone, Chiaramonte Gulfi, Acate, Vittoria, Gela. It empties into 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 (). It was noted by Silius Italicus for the remarkable clearness of its waters. 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.
On the map
2 mapped locations