Augusta Bay (Sicily)

The Augusta Bay is located on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, about 270 nm south-southeast of Naples.^[1] In the ancient period it was called Xiphonius portus (Ancient Greek: Ξιφώνειος λιμήν). The modern Capo di Santa Croce was called Xiphonian Promontory (Ancient Greek: τὸ τῆς Ξ̔ιφωνίας ἀκρωτήριο). Diodorus Siculus mentions that the Carthaginian fleet (263 B.C.) touched at Xiphonia on its way to Syracuse, Sicily. Stephanus of Byzantium wrote about a town there which was called Xiphonia (Ξιφωνία),^[2] but most probably he made a mistake, since no other known ancient author mentioned it.^[3]

It is the location of the Augusta Bay Port Facility which supports the Sixth Fleet of the US Navy. The facility is distributed among Porto Megarese, Porto Xifonio and Seno del Priolo.^[1]

See also

• Augusta-Priolo