The Ofanto (), known in ancient times as Aufidus or Canna, is a river in southern Italy that flows through the regions of

Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...

, Basilicata, and Apulia, into the

Gulf of Manfredonia The Gulf of Manfredonia (Italian: ''Golfo di Manfredonia'') is a gulf on the east coast of Italy.''The Times'' (2003), ''Comprehensive Atlas of the World'' Eleventh Edition, Times Books, Plate 77 (Q4). It is part of the Adriatic Sea. The Monte Garg ...

near

Barletta Barletta () is a city, '' comune'' of Apulia, in south eastern Italy. Barletta is the capoluogo, together with Andria and Trani, of the Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani. It has a population of around 94,700 citizens. The city's territory be ...

Geography

The river's source is on the Irpinia Plateau, at above sea level, near

Nusco Nusco (Irpino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino (Campania region) in the south of Italy, east of Naples, with c. 4,100 inhabitants. It is situated in the mountains between the valleys of the Calore Irpino and Ofanto River ...

and

Torella dei Lombardi Torella dei Lombardi is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy. History The town was firstly mentioned in the 9th century as ''Turella''. In 1980, along with many other settlements in the province and the neigh ...

, in the province of Avellino. From there it runs southeast near Lioni before flowing into Lago di Conza, an

artificial lake A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

. The river then forms the border between the province of Avellino and the province of Potenza except for a small extension of the province of Avellino near

Calitri Calitri ( la, Caletrium or ; Irpino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, Italy. Overview Calitri is in Campania near the borders of the regions of Apulia and Basilicata. It is approximately above sea level so on ...

. The Atella flows into the Ofanto near this point as a right tributary of the river. The river curves north and flows near

Monteverde Monteverde is the twelfth canton of the Puntarenas province of Costa Rica. It is located in the Cordillera de Tilarán mountain range. Roughly a four-hour drive from the Central Valley, Monteverde is one of the country's major ecotourism des ...

before forming the border between the

province of Foggia The Province of Foggia ( it, Provincia di Foggia ; Foggiano: ) is a province in the Apulia (Puglia) region of southern Italy. This province is also known as Daunia, after the Daunians, an Iapygian pre-Roman tribe living in Tavoliere plain, an ...

and the province of Potenza. It then curves east for a distance and a right tributary, the Olivento, flows into it in this area. The river curves northeast and then forms the border between the province of Foggia and the

province of Barletta-Andria-Trani The Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani is a province of Italy in the Apulia region. The establishment of the province took effect in June 2009, and Andria was appointed as its seat of government on 21 May 2010. It was created from 10 municipalit ...

. The river flows near Posta Piana,

Canosa di Puglia Canosa di Puglia, generally known simply as Canosa ( nap, label= Canosino, Canaus), is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, Apulia, southern Italy. It is located between Bari and Foggia, on the northwestern edge of the ...

, San Ferdinando di Puglia, and Cannae before entering the

between Margherita di Savoia and

. The

Locone The Locone is a river in the Apulia and Basilicata regions of southern Italy. The source of the river is near Spinazzola in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani. From there, the river flows north and forms the border between the province of Barle ...

enters the Ofanto south of

Cerignola Cerignola (; nap, label= Cerignolano, Ceregnòule ) is a town and ''comune'' of Apulia, Italy, in the province of Foggia, southeast from the town of Foggia. It has the third-largest land area of any ''comune'' in Italy, at , after Rome and Ra ...

as a right tributary of the river. At the end of its journey to the sea, the river ends in a delta and an estuary. The River Ofanto can have a torrential flow at times, with major floods along its course in the autumn and winter, thanks to heavy rainfall, but in the summer its flow can be remarkably slight. Despite its considerable length and the extent of its basin, the average flow of water at the river mouth is fairly low, less than .

Gallery

File:PONTE OFANTO.png, Roman bridge of

File:Ponte Romano Monteverde.jpg, An ancient Roman bridge near Monteverde, Campania File:Ofanto fiume.jpg, Through Cairano File:Lungo L'ofanto (1870) - De Nittis.JPG, Oil painting Lungo l'Ofanto (1870) by Giuseppe de Nittis (1848–1884), ,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

File:Peutingeriana Aufidus.JPG,

Tabula Peutingeriana ' (Latin for "The Peutinger Map"), also referred to as Peutinger's Tabula or Peutinger Table, is an illustrated ' (ancient Roman road map) showing the layout of the '' cursus publicus'', the road network of the Roman Empire. The map is a 13th-ce ...

showing ancient Aufidus and

Via Appia The Appian Way (Latin and Italian: ''Via Appia'') is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is indicated by its common name, ...

References

Adriatic Italian coast basins Rivers of the Province of Avellino Rivers of the Province of Potenza Rivers of the Province of Foggia Rivers of the Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani Rivers of Italy {{Italy-river-stub