Lago Arancio, lake in Sicily
Lago Arancio is a reservoir in the province of Agrigento in southwestern Sicily, formed by a dam built across the Carboj River. The water sits in a shallow valley framed by rocky gorges and wooded slopes, in a hilly stretch of land between the interior and the coast.
The dam was completed in the early 1950s to support water supply and irrigation in one of the driest parts of Sicily. When the basin was flooded, the Arab fortress of Mazzallakkar, built in the 9th century, was submerged beneath the rising water.
The name Arancio comes from the Arabic word for orange, a trace of the long Arab presence in this part of Sicily. Today, the lake is known among bird watchers for the many species that stop here during migration.
The lake can be reached by minor roads and walking paths that run along the shore from different directions. Spring and fall are the best times for wildlife watching, but the area is open throughout the year.
When the water level drops in summer, the walls of the Mazzallakkar fortress rise above the surface and become visible from the shore. The ruins sit in the middle of the basin and can remain exposed for several months depending on how dry the season has been.
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