The Marecchia () is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...

in eastern

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 ...

. In ancient times it was known as the ''Ariminus'' which was from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

''Aríminos'' (, which is also the ancient name of

Rimini Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Ariminu ...

). The source of the river is near

Monte dei Frati Monte dei Frati is a mountain in the Italian province of Arezzo near the border with Pesaro e Urbino and Perugia. Geography The mountain is in height. It is on the border between the Umbrian Apennines and the Umbrian-Marchean Apennines. I ...

which is east of

Pieve Santo Stefano Pieve Santo Stefano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Arezzo in the Italian region Tuscany, located about east of Florence and about northeast of Arezzo. Pieve Santo Stefano borders the following municipalities: Anghiari, Badia ...

and southwest of

Badia Tedalda Badia Tedalda is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Arezzo in the Italian region Tuscany, located about east of Florence and about northeast of Arezzo. Two of its ''frazioni'', Santa Sofia Marecchia and Cicognaia, form an exclave of ...

in the

province of Arezzo The province of Arezzo ( it, provincia di Arezzo) is the easternmost province in the Tuscany region of central Italy. Its capital is the city of Arezzo. The province is bordered by the regions of Marche, Emilia-Romagna, Umbria, and the provinces ...

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

. It flows northeast into the

province of Pesaro and Urbino The Province of Pesaro and Urbino ( it, Provincia di Pesaro e Urbino, ) is a province in the Marche region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Pesaro. It also borders the state of San Marino. The province is surrounded by San Marino and E ...

in the

Marche Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

and is the only river that runs through

Montefeltro Montefeltro is a historical and geographical region in Marche, which was historically part of Romagna. It gave its name to the Montefeltro family, who ruled in the area during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Regions of Italy Overview Monte ...

. While flowing through Montefeltro, the river flows through the exclave Santa Sofia Marecchia, which belongs to Badia Tedalda. The river then flows past

Sant'Agata Feltria Sant'Agata Feltria ( rgn, Sant'Êgta) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about south of Rimini. Overview It is home to a large fortress (''Fortil ...

and

Novafeltria Novafeltria is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna. Geography The town is located about southeast of Bologna and about south of Rimini. It is the main center of the Montefeltro tradition ...

before crossing into the

province of Rimini The province of Rimini ( it, provincia di Rimini) is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The provincial capital is the eponymous city of Rimini. The province borders the independent Republic of San Marino. As of 2019, the prov ...

Emilia–Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...

. At Torello, part of the commune of

San Leo San Leo ( rgn, San Lé) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about southwest of Rimini. Geography San Leo borders the following municipalities: ...

, it flows 1 km west of the Sammarinese territory Acquaviva and the San Marino River flows into it, but the Marecchia does not touch the

San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...

border. Finally, the river flows past

Verucchio Verucchio ( rgn, Vròcc) is a '' comune ''in the province of Rimini, region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. It has a population of about 9,300 and is from Rimini, on a spur overlooking the valley of the Marecchia river. History Traces of a 12th-9t ...

and

Santarcangelo di Romagna Santarcangelo di Romagna ( rgn, Santarcànzul) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Rimini, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, on the Via Emilia. As of 2009, it had a population of some 21,300. It is crossed by two rivers, the Uso and the Marecchia ...

before flowing into the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to th ...

near

History

While on his way to fight the Gothic army, the Byzantine general

Narses , image=Narses.jpg , image_size=250 , caption=Man traditionally identified as Narses, from the mosaic depicting Justinian and his entourage in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna , birth_date=478 or 480 , death_date=566 or 573 (aged 86/95) , allegi ...

crossed the Marecchia on a pontoon after the leader of the Goths contesting his passage of the river was killed in a skirmish. The mouth of the Marecchia is also the legendary site where

Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua ( it, Antonio di Padova) or Anthony of Lisbon ( pt, António/Antônio de Lisboa; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. He was bo ...

allegedly preached to the fish.

References

Adriatic Italian coast basins Rivers of the Province of Arezzo Rivers of the Province of Pesaro and Urbino Rivers of the Province of Rimini Rivers of Italy {{Italy-river-stub