Licodia Eubea ( Sicilian : Licuddìa ) is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Catania , on the island of Sicily , southern Italy . It is bounded by the comuni of Caltagirone , Chiaramonte Gulfi , Giarratana , Grammichele , Mazzarrone , Mineo , Monterosso Almo and Vizzini . It rises over an internal hilly area, 630 metres (2,070 ft) above sea level.
8-485: Situated above a hill overlooking the valley of the Dirillo river, Licodia Eubea boasts a rich production of olives, almonds, citrus fruits, and excellent table grapes, that can be tasted during the annual Sagra dell'Uva (Grapes' festival) held in the month of September. Cattle breeding, as well as horse, sheep, and goat farms, are flourishing, not to mention the production of absolutely delicious typical Sicilian cheeses. Among
16-622: The Hyblaean Mountains and flows through the areas of Vizzini , Licodia Eubea , Mazzarrone , Chiaramonte Gulfi , Acate , Vittoria , Gela . It enters 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 ( Ancient Greek : Ἀχάτης ). It was noted by Silius Italicus for
24-640: The Fourth Period (700–500 BCE), and show the gradual process of Hellenization among the Sicels. In 1392, the ancient castle was bestowed to the Santapau family, that gave it its name and owned it until the 16th century, when it passed under the dominion of lord Vincenzo Ruffo. In 1693 , the town was devastated by the earthquake, and experienced a slow reconstruction. In 1968, the Licodia Eubea Social Club
32-617: The notable buildings in the town are Santa Margherita , the mother church of the town, erected during the 17th century, preserving the emblem of the Santapau family on its front portal, the Chiesa del Rosario of the 18th century, and the Palazzo Municipale (Town Hall building). The name Licodia derives from the Greek word 'Licos' meaning wolf, which is why its Coat-of-Arms has a picture of a wolf. The suburb belonged to lord Riccardo Filangieri, and
40-524: 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
48-586: The surroundings. In the 1950s, the Azienda Nazionale Idrogenazione Combustibili dammed the river near Licodia Eubea to create Lago Dirillo , a reservoir for the Polo petrolchimico di Gela petrochemical plants. With good fishing and camping facilities, as well its natural scenery, this area has become a tourist attraction. This Sicilian location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to
56-464: Was afterwards bestowed to nobleman Manfredi Aragona. The name Eubea was given to the place in 1872, to identify with Chalcis , a town on Euboea , the second-largest Greek island, because it is believed to be the colony of Leontini , founded early in the 6th century BC on the same site of an unknown Sicel settlement. Vases of the First Period were found and all the tombs explored in 1898 belonged to
64-542: Was established in Victoria, Australia. [REDACTED] This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Ashby, Thomas (1911). " Licodia Eubea ". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 588. Dirillo The Dirillo , or Acate , is a 54-kilometre (34 mi) river in Sicily which springs from
#820179