Alcantara (river)

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Alcantara
Map of the Alcantara
Origin	Monti Nebrodi (Commune of Floresta, Province of Messina)
Mouth	Ionian Sea: Capo Schiso (Commune of Giardini-Naxos, Province of Messina).
Basin countries	Italy
Length	52 km
Source elevation	1,500 m
Avg. discharge	2.41 m³/s
Basin area	573 km²

The Alcantara at the time of the 2003 floods

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 long.

The name Alcantara is of Arabic origin (al Quantarah = the bridge) and refers to a bridge from Roman times found by the Arabs.

[edit] 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 Etna, 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 millenia, the river naturally eroded a channel through these columns, resulting in impressive gorges and ravines such as the "Gole dell'Alcantara".

[edit] Alcantara river park

Gola dell'Alcantara

The Alcantara river park (Parco fluviale dell'Alcantara) was established in 2001 for protection of the river, and to encourage its use as a relaxation area and tourist destination.