The name Alcantara is of Arabic origin (Шаблон:Lang-ar) and refers to a bridge from Roman times found by the Arabs. Thucydides called it Akesines Potamos (Шаблон:Lang-grc - Akesínes) while its Latin names were Assinus, Assinos, Asines,[1]Asinius,[2]Onobala, Onobalas,[3] and Acesines.[4]Cantera was another hydronym for it, adopted by Normans. The river is mentioned by Thucydides on occasion of the attack made on Naxos by the Messenians in 425 BCE.[5]
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 Alcantara Gorges (Gole dell'Alcantara) next to Francavilla di Sicilia, where the Peloritani mountains end.
The Alcantara River Park (Parco fluviale dell'Alcantara) was established in 2001 for the protection of the river, and to encourage its use as a relaxation area and tourist destination. The columns and surroundings can be seen in the segment "The Enchanted Doe" of the 2015 film Tale of Tales.
