Alcantara (river)
Encyclopedia
The Alcantara is a river in Sicily
. It has its source on the south side of Monti Nebrodi and its mouth in the Ionian Sea
at Capo Schiso in Giardini-Naxos
. The river is 52 km (32 mi) long.
The name Alcantara is of Arabic
origin ( al-Qanṭarah, 'the Bridge') and refers to a bridge from Roman
times found by the Arabs. Thucydides
called it Akesines Potamos while its Latin names were "Assinus or Assinos" and "Onobala".Cantera was another hydronym adopted by Normans
.
, it flows through the municipalities of Randazzo
, Mojo Alcantara
, Francavilla di Sicilia
, Motta Camastra
, Castiglione di Sicilia
, Graniti
, Gaggi
, Calatabiano
, Taormina
and Giardini-Naxos
.
Several thousand years ago, the river bed was blocked by a lava flow from Mount Etna
. As the lava
was cooled much more quickly by the water than it would have done otherwise, it crystallised in the form of columns. Over the next millennia, the river naturally eroded a channel through these columns, resulting in impressive gorges and ravines such as the "Gole dell'Alcantara".
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. It has its source on the south side of Monti Nebrodi and its mouth in the Ionian Sea
Ionian Sea
The Ionian Sea , is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Adriatic Sea. It is bounded by southern Italy including Calabria, Sicily and the Salento peninsula to the west, southern Albania to the north, and a large number of Greek islands, including Corfu, Zante, Kephalonia, Ithaka, and...
at Capo Schiso in Giardini-Naxos
Giardini-Naxos
Giardini Naxos is a comune in the Province of Messina on the island of Sicily in Italy. It is situated on the coast of the Ionian Sea on a bay which lies between Cape Taormina and Cape Schisò...
. The river is 52 km (32 mi) long.
The name Alcantara is of Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
origin ( al-Qanṭarah, 'the Bridge') and refers to a bridge from Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times found by the Arabs. Thucydides
Thucydides
Thucydides was a Greek historian and author from Alimos. His History of the Peloponnesian War recounts the 5th century BC war between Sparta and Athens to the year 411 BC...
called it Akesines Potamos while its Latin names were "Assinus or Assinos" and "Onobala".Cantera was another hydronym adopted by Normans
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
.
Course
The Alcantara has its source at an altitude of 1250m in the municipality of Floresta. On its way to the sea, past the north of Mount EtnaMount Etna
Mount Etna is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina and Catania. It is the tallest active volcano in Europe, currently standing high, though this varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is 21 m higher than it was in 1981.. It is the highest mountain in...
, it flows through the municipalities of Randazzo
Randazzo
Randazzo is a town and comune of Sicily, Italy, in the province of Catania. It is situated at the northern foot of Mount Etna, 70 km NW of Catania by rail. It is the nearest town to the summit of Etna, and is one of the points from which the ascent may be made.-History:In the 13th century the...
, Mojo Alcantara
Mojo Alcantara
Mojo Alcantara is a comune in the Province of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about 150 km east of Palermo and about 50 km southwest of Messina...
, Francavilla di Sicilia
Francavilla di Sicilia
Francavilla di Sicilia is a town and comune in the Province of Messina on the island of Sicily, Italy.It has a population of about 4,000 people and is situated in the southern part of the province, close to the northern slopes of Mount Etna. The distance to Messina is about 50 km, and the...
, Motta Camastra
Motta Camastra
Motta Camastra is a comune in the Province of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about 160 km east of Palermo and about 45 km southwest of Messina...
, Castiglione di Sicilia
Castiglione di Sicilia
Castiglione di Sicilia is a comune in the Province of Catania in Sicily.-Geography:...
, Graniti
Graniti
Graniti is a comune in the Province of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about 160 km east of Palermo and about 45 km southwest of Messina. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,550 and an area of 10.0 km².Graniti borders the following municipalities: Antillo,...
, Gaggi
Gaggi
Gaggi is a comune in the Province of Messina in the Italian region of Sicily, located about 160 km east of Palermo and about 45 km southwest of Messina...
, Calatabiano
Calatabiano
Calatabiano is a comune in the Province of Catania in the Italian region Sicily, located about 170 km east of Palermo and about 35 km northeast of Catania...
, Taormina
Taormina
Taormina is a comune and small town on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy, in the Province of Messina, about midway between Messina and Catania. Taormina has been a very popular tourist destination since the 19th century...
and Giardini-Naxos
Giardini-Naxos
Giardini Naxos is a comune in the Province of Messina on the island of Sicily in Italy. It is situated on the coast of the Ionian Sea on a bay which lies between Cape Taormina and Cape Schisò...
.
Several thousand years ago, the river bed was blocked by a lava flow from Mount Etna
Mount Etna
Mount Etna is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina and Catania. It is the tallest active volcano in Europe, currently standing high, though this varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is 21 m higher than it was in 1981.. It is the highest mountain in...
. As the lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
was cooled much more quickly by the water than it would have done otherwise, it crystallised in the form of columns. Over the next millennia, the river naturally eroded a channel through these columns, resulting in impressive gorges and ravines such as the "Gole dell'Alcantara".