| Adige | |
|---|---|
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| Origin | Reschensee, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol |
| Mouth | Adriatic Sea |
| Basin countries | Italy, Switzerland |
| Length | 410 km (250 mi) |
| Source elevation | 1,550 m (5,100 ft) |
| Basin area | 12,100 km2 (4,700 sq mi) |
The Adige (Italian: Adige Italian pronunciation: [ˈa(ː)didʒe]; Venetian: Àdexe; Trentin: Ades; Friulian: Adis; German: Etsch; Ladin: Adesc, or Adiç; Latin: Athesis) is a river with its source in the Alpine region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol near the Italian border with Austria and Switzerland. At 410 kilometres (250 mi) in length, it is the second longest river in Italy, after the Po River with 652 kilometres (405 mi).
The river flows out of the artificial Alpine Reschensee, located at the Reschen Pass (1,504 metres (4,930 ft)) close to the borders with Austria and Switzerland above the Inn valley. The lake is known for the church tower that marks the site of the former village of Alt Graun ("Old Graun") that was abandoned and flooded in 1953 when the dam enclosing the headwaters was finished. Near Glurns, the Rom River from the Swiss Val Müstair joins.
The Adige then runs eastbound through the Vinschgau to Meran (this section is called Etschtal) where it is met by the Passer river from the north. South of Bolzano, the Eisack joins the river that is now heading south through a valley that always has been one of the major routes through the Alps, leading to and from the Reschen Pass and the Brenner Pass, at 1,370 metres (4,500 ft) considered the easiest of the main Alpine passes.
The Salurner Klause/Chiusa di Salorno narrows at Salorno marks the southern-most part of the German-speaking area. Thus, the Adige was mentioned in the Lied der Deutschen of 1841 as the southern border of the German language area of the time. This song was made the national anthem of Germany in 1922, after Italy took control of all of the Adige.
Near Trento, the Avisio, Noce, and Fersina rivers join. The Adige then crosses Trentino and later Veneto, flowing past the city of Verona and the towns of Rovereto and Adria through the Lagarina valley and the north-eastern part of the Po plain into the Adriatic sea. Both the Adige and the Po run parallel in the river delta without properly joining.
As a river in the mountains, it is subject to sudden swellings and overflows. It is also connected through artificial underground canals to Lake Garda for flood prevention.
ADIGE (Ger. Etsch, anc. Athesis), a considerable river in North Italy. The true source of the Adige is in some small lakes on the summit of the Reschen Scheideck Pass (4902 ft.), and it is swollen by several other streams, near Glurns, where the roads over the Ofen and the Stelvio Passes fall in. It thence flows east to Meran, and then south-east to Botzen, where it receives the Eisak (6 ft.), and becomes navigable. It then turns south-west, and, after receiving the Noce (right) and the Avisio (left), leaves Tirol, and enters Lombardy, 13 m. south of Rovereto. After traversing North Italy, in a direction first southerly and then easterly, it falls into the Adriatic at Porto Fossone, a few miles north of the mouth of the Po. The most considerable towns on its banks (south of Botzen) are Trent and Rovereto, in Tirol, and Verona and Legnago, in Italy. It is a very rapid river, and subject to sudden swellings and overflowings, which cause great damage to the surrounding country. It is navigable from the heart of Tirol to the sea. In Lombardy it has a breadth of 200 yds., and a depth of 10 to 16 ft., but the strength of the current renders its navigation very difficult, and lessens its value as a means of transit between Germany and Italy. The Adige has a course of about 220 m., and, after the Po, is the most important river in Italy. In Roman times it flowed, in its lower course, much farther north than at present, along the base of the Euganean hills, and entered the sea at Brondolo. In A.D. 587 the river broke its banks, and the main stream took its present course, but new streams opened repeatedly to the south, until now the Adige and the Po form conjointly one delta. (W. A. B. C.)
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