Acquaviva Platani (CL)(Arab. Michinese): (see full page)
Acquavona: A mountain pass (alt. 1050 m.) in the chain of M. Reventino, part of the Calabrian Apennines.
Acque Basse, Canale: A canal (length: 12 km) in the province of Foggia (Puglia). Stretching from Masseria Caroppi near Lesina, it captures the waters of the Parata before emptying into the Lago di Lésina near Foce Vecchia Càldoli.
Acquedolci (ME): A commune in the province of Messina.
Area: 12.96 km². Alt. 15 m. CAP: 98070. Tel. Pref.: 0941. Geographical Coordinates: Lat 38°3’25″56 N/Long 14°34’58″44 E. Population: 5,436 (2004). 5,373 (2001); 5,122 (1991). % Change in Population from 1991 to 2001: . Population Density (2001): / km². Inhabitants Designation: Acquedolcesi.
Location & Setting: located 107 km W of Messina. It is situated on the N. (Tyrrhenian) coast of Sicily about 4 km. W of Sant’ Agata di Militello, to the W of Capo d’Orlando. Part of the Regione Agraria n. 4 – Montagna litoranea dei Nebrodi.
Economy: The economy is based on agriculture (cereals, olives, citrus) and processing factories. Local handicrafts center on marble working and woodworking.
Historic Population Figures: 109(1861); 757(1901); 895(1921); 3,572(1951); 4,925(1981); 5,373(2001).
History: The town’s name, meaning “sweet water”, is believed to derive from the sugar cane introduced into the area by the Saracens in medieval times. This crop survived until c1700.
There is evidence of a harbor existing here in Hellenistic times.
During the 17th and 18th centuries it was a fief of the Princes of Palagonia.
In 1922 the center was founded as a frazione after a landslide damaged nearby San Fratello (ME). It became an autonomous commune in 1969.
Major earthquakes struck in 1978 and 1990.
Points of Interest: The Grotta di S. Teodoro (on M. Castellaro) was the site of prehistoric habitation. It measures 60 meters in length, 20 meters in width, and up to 20 m in height. Excavators have discovered artifacts including stone implements and animal remains. The walls are decorated with several drawings. It appears to have been the site of a settlement of the Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic Eras (20,000 to 6,000 BC). Researchers have found what is believed to be some of the earliest skeletal remains of woman ever found in Europe. About 30 years of age at her death, “Thea” (as she has been named) dates to c9000 BC.
The principal religious monument is the church of S. Benedetto “il Morro”.
Other churches include those of Santa Anna and S. Giacomo.
The commune has remains of a 14th century castle and a fortified tower built by Charles V.
Culture & Religion: Patron Saint(s): S. Benedetto “il Morro” (FD- Apr.5).
Festival of S. Benedetto- Apr. 5.
Cattle Fair- May 14-15
Festival of the Emigrants- summer.
Acquoso, Rio: A waterway of Molise. It is formed from the union of two branches: the Rio San Pietro (length: 7 km) which descends from Monte Marrone (1805 m), and the Rio Molinello (length: 5 km) which originates on Monte Marrone under the name of Rio Petrara. Its waters flow into the River Volturno in the Colli al Volturno at a point 86 km from Campobasso.
Acradina: Ancient name for Capo Santa Panagia (SR), a promontory that forms the S end of the Golfo di Augusta.
Acrae: Latin name for Akrai, a town in eastern Sicily, founded by Syracuse in 664 BC.
Acrae (Acra) (mod. Palazzolo Acreide [SR]). A town in ancient Sicily located to the southwest of Syracuse, between the rivers Anapus and Tellaro. West of modern Palazzuolo Acreide, it sat on a flat-topped, hill. The steep sides of the hill made the place approachable only on one side. The town was founded in 665/664 BC by colonists from Syracuse on a site periodically inhabited since Paleolithic times. The colony was founded as a fortified outpost to guard an important approach to Syracuse. The town appears periodically in history in events linked to Syracuse. Dion stopped here in 357 BC during his expedition against Dionysius II. In 263 BC, Acrae was mentioned in a treaty between Hieron II of Syracuse and the Romans as one of the towns that would come under the jurisdiction of Syracuse. During the 1st Century AD Pliny the Elder mentioned it as having the status of a civitates stipendiariae. Although it disappears from history thereafter, archaeological evidence shows that the town remained active well into the late Empire. The town was probably destroyed in AD 827 during the Saracen invasion.