Do you want to know the important rivers of Italy?
Italy is made up of one of Europe’s three great peninsulas, with the Apennine Mountains as its backbone and several islands surrounding it. It has 2,784 sq. mi. of water, part of which are about 1,200 rivers.
The rivers of Italy are shorter than other European rivers but they are plenty. This is because rain is relatively abundant in the country with the Apennine Mountains, thus dividing the waters into two opposite sides, and the Alpine chain snowfields and glaciers in the northern part.
The Alpine rivers are prone to flooding during summer and spring as glaciers melt when the weather is hot. The Apennine rivers, on the other hand, are prone to flooding during spring and autumn because of heavy rain.
In Sardinia and Sicily, rivers are torrential – either full of water in winter or almost dry in summer. While in the north of the country you will find the longest ones, thanks to the peninsular part that the Apennine Mountains cut in two.
Italian rivers offer beautiful and scenic views – and of course, waters every tourist will enjoy. Plenty of activities also await by the rivers of Italy.
13 Important Rivers of Italy
Let’s take a look at the most important rivers in Italy.
1. Tiber
Tiber, or Tevere in Italian, is the third longest river in Italy and probably the most famous as it is part of Rome’s history and serves as the main water basin that touches the city.
The river’s ancient name was Albus, meaning “white,” because of the clear-colored yellowish water of the Tiber.
The length of Tiber is 405 km., starting from Monte Fumaiolo and with its mouth at the Tyrrhenian Sea. It runs through the cities of Perugia and Rome.
There are numerous nature parks along the areas of this Italian river. One of them is the Veio Park which has a 99-km. footpath, a wonderful walk while enjoying the scenic view of the ruins.
You can also go on a boat ride or a hop-on hop-off river cruise to experience the best of the precious Tiber.
2. Arno
In terms of importance, the Arno River in Italy is considered next to Tiber.
Located in Tuscany, Arno’s source is from Monte Falterona with its mouth in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Measuring 241 km. in length, it is considered the largest in the region. Some of its tributaries are Sieve, Bisenzio, Ombrone Pistoiese, and Pescia.
Arno crosses Florence through the Ponte Vecchio and Santa Trinita Bridge.
The amount of water that flows from Arno varies. It goes dry, then floods the next days. In fact, in history, the river flooded Florence on a regular basis. The most recent was in 1966. Still, the water in the river is safe for drinking and used for irrigation and firefighting.
You can go to the Canto alla Rana for a swim. It’s a river park in the Tuscan village of Stia, where the emerald waters are so clear and pure you will regret not taking a dip!
3. Po
Being the longest river and the largest river basin in Italy, Po is one of the major Italian rivers, along with Arno and Tiber.
River Po flows from the Cottian Alps near the French border and through a number of important Italian cities such as Turin, Piacenza, Ferrara, and Milan. The opening is into the Adriatic Sea. It is about 405 miles long and 1,650 feet wide, the southern part of which is Comacchio that is known for the abundance of eels.
Po has a vast plain around – both industrial and agricultural areas – called the Po Valley which is Italy’s largest economic region.
The water tourism area is the Po Delta, found at the end of the river. Here visitors can go on boat trips to the river’s main nature reserves. Bike rides and minibus rides are also available, as well as horseback riding, fishing, and canoeing.
4. Adige
The second largest river in Italy is Adige. As it is found in the German-speaking part of Italy, it has a German name – “Etsch.”
Like the River Po, Adige is also from the Alps but borders Italy and Austria, as well as Switzerland. The river measures 410 km. in length, with a basin area of 4,700 sq. mi., and an elevation of 4,990 feet.
The Adige River flows through the Lake Reschen which is famous for the half-submerged Bell Tower of Graun, a 14th-century church in Vinschgau. Graun, or Curon in Italian, is a sunken village in the province of South Tyrol that was abandoned by its residents in 1950.
The Adige Valley or Etschtal is found between Merano and Bolzano. The river’s mouth is at the Adriatic Sea. This Italian iver is home to the marble trout fish.
The Adige River is connected to Lake Garda through the More-Torbole tunnel which is an artificial canal for flood prevention.
5. Tagliamento
The Tagliamento River, although not the largest and the longest river in Italy, is certainly one of the most original in the country as it is deemed the last morphologically intact river of the Alps.
This Italian river has various names like Tajamento in Venetian, Tiliaventum in Latin, and Dülmende in German. It is a braided and gravel-bed river measuring 178 km. long with mouth at the Adriatic Sea.
River Tagliamento is located in Mauria Pass in Friuli, northeast of Italy. It flows through the historical Carnia, serving as the boundary of the provinces of Udine and Pardenone, and also flows to the Gulf of Venice. Before its opening, the small underground river Varmo shares its water to Tagliamento.
Tagliamento is mostly the center of researches of various universities because of its natural and distinct characteristics no river in Europe has.
The WWF is working actively to protect the river, calling it a “panda of rivers” – a river ecosystem of high importance. Their goal is to protect and restore freshwater sources in the Alps for the habitats and species to survive sustainably.
6. Adda
Adda is a 313-km. river in Italy that flows from the Alpisella Valley with its mouth in the Po River, near Cremona. Although Adda is a tributary of the Po, it is considered the fourth longest river in the country.
What is most interesting in Adda is the 21-km. open air eco-museum of Leonardo da Vinci. It is in honor of him who stayed in the area while working as a military engineer for the Duke of Milan. Da Vinci was mandated to study more on how to improve the navigation system of the Adda River.
7. Piave
Piave, a 220-km. river in Italy’s Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions, with its source from the Carnic Alps and mouth in the Adriatic Sea in Jesolo near Venice, is most famous historically.
This Italian river used to be a battleground during the 1809 Napoleonic War and the 1918 World War 1 Battle of the Piave River. The river was then named “The Sacred River of the Homeland” or in Italian “Fiume Sacro alla Patria,” after the Austro-Hungarian last major attack to Italian Front failed.
While along the Piave Valley, in the northern part of Venice, lies the Denominazione de Origine Controllata (DOC) or the Piave Zone where the Veneto wine region is found. Both red and white wines are produced in this grape region of Italy.
8. Alcantara
The Alcantara River is located in Sicily, southern part of Italy. It measures 52 km. in length and flows from the southern part of Monti Nebrodi to the Capo Schiso in Giardini-Naxus area of the Ionian Sea.
The name Alcantara comes from the Arabic word al-Qantarah, meaning “the arc.” It refers to a bridge during the Roman times discovered by the Arabs.
In 425 BC, the river was mentioned by Thucydides during the attack of the Messenians on Naxos.
7,000 years ago, when Mount Etna was overflowing with lava, a part of Alcantara was affected. The area was blocked by lava that later on formed crystalized columns because of the continuous flow of water. The next thousand of years, the river channels were formed and created amazing gorges like the Alcantara Gorge.
The Alcantara River Park is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the area.
9. Tirso
Tirso is the most important and the largest river of Italy’s Sardinia Island. It is 152 km. with source from the Buddusò plateau on the Punta Pianedda. From east to west, it crosses the island to the Gulf of Oristano in the Mediterranean Sea.
This river forms one of the largest artificial lakes in Italy, the 20-km. long and 3-km. wide Lake Omodeo. Tirso River, called Tirsu in Sardinian and Thyrsus in Latin, is used for hydropower and irrigation.
A walk above its embankment, built to constructed the village from winter floods, is warranted when visiting this beautiful Italian river.
10. Ticino
The Ticino, a tributary of the Po River, starts in Switzerland and ends in Italy. It is 248 km. in length and flows from Val Bedretto, Ticino, Switzerland, with its mouth in the Po River near Pavia, Italy.
The famous covered bridge, Ponte Coperto, is an arch bridge made of stone and brick that crosses the Ticino River in Pavia. It was heavily damaged in 1945.
In Switzerland, the river is the source of hydroelectricity. However, in Italy, it serves as an irrigation.
In around 600 BC, it was in Ticino that Bellovesus – the legendary Gallic head of the Bituriges – was said to have defeated the Etruscans. It was also the location of first battle of the Second Punic War, the Battle of Ticinus.
The Ticino belonged to the Duchy of Milan during the late medieval and early modern period.
Like other rivers in Italy, Ticino is also known by other names. It is called Tesin in Lombard, Tessin in French and German, and Ticīnus in Latin.
11. Liri / Garigliano
Liri, otherwise called Garigliano, is a Central Italian river that runs through the regions of Lazio and Abruzzo into the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Liri River may not be as large or long as the others, but it is one of the main rivers of Central Italy. It is 158 km. long and crosses the Isola del Liri, forming the fantastic Liri waterfalls in the middle of the town.
The river’s source is found in Monti Simbruini, and its opening in the Gargliano to the Tyrrhenian Sea. Liri River is rich in history as it known to have been managed by the Ancient Romans. The river’s surroundings were devastated when locals burned bridges in response to Hannibal’s invasion.
At Liri’s mouth near Minturnae lies a sacred groove for Marica, a nymph consecrated based on tradition. In what used to be Lake Fucino, a tunnel was dug by Claudius in his attempt to drain the lake to the Liri.
12. Savio
The source of the Savio River in the Emilia-Romagna region is near Montecoronaro on Mount Castelvecchio in the province of Forlì-Cesena, at an elevation of almost 7,000 feet. Said source is marked by an iron monument that features a wolf and the rings of “caveja” – symbols of Montecoronaro and Romagna, respectively.
The River Savio Natural Park is a tourist attraction in the area, which begins from the two historical bridges of Cesena. Here visitors can enjoy encounters with various species of fauna and flora. Sightings of birds such as raptors, herons, and woodpeckers are common. Foxes, roe deer, hares, and porcupines also thrive in the small but interesting park.
13. Brenta
The Brenta River, located south of the Venetian lagoon in the Veneto region, flows from the province of Trento in Trentino-South Tyrol region to the Adriatic Sea.
The 174-km. long river flows through the Venetian towns of Stra, Fiesso d’Artico, Dolo, Mira, Oriago, Malcontenta, and Fusina, with a branch called Naviglio del Brenta connecting the cities of Venice and Padua.
Massive villas have been built along the shores of Naviglio del Brenta since the 16th century, three of which welcomes visitors today: Villa Pisani in Stra, Villa Widmann-Foscari in Mira, and Villa Foscari or La Malcontenta, also in Mira.
This Italian river was cruised by Venetian boats called burchielli to transport aristocratic passengers and barges known as burci to carry goods.
Brenta River crosses the pontoon-style Ponte degli Alpini (Bridge of the Alpini) in Bassano del Grappa. This covered bridge is entirely built of wood.