The Adda (Latin ''Abdua'', or ''Addua''; in
Lombard ''Ada'' or, again, ''Adda'' in local dialects where the double consonants are marked) is a river in North
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 ...
, a tributary of the
Po. It rises in the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...
near the border with
Switzerland and flows through
Lake Como. The Adda joins the Po a few kilometres upstream of
Cremona. It is long. The highest point of the
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
is the summit of
la Spedla
La Spedla (or ''Punta Perrucchetti'') is a minor summit south of Piz Bernina on the border between Italy and Switzerland. With a height of 4,020 metres above sea level, it is the highest summit on the Italian side of the Bernina Range
The Ber ...
(a subpeak of
Piz Bernina
Piz Bernina ( Romansh, it, Pizzo Bernina, ) is the highest mountain in the Eastern Alps, the highest point of the Bernina Range, and the highest peak in the Rhaetian Alps. It rises and is located south of Pontresina and near the major Alpine ...
), at .
Towns along the river Adda include
Bormio
Bormio ( lmo, Bormi, rm, italic=yes, , german: Worms im Veltlintal) is a town and ''comune'' with a population of about 4,100 located in the Province of Sondrio, Lombardy region of the Alps in northern Italy.
The centre of the upper Valtellina ...
,
Tirano
Tirano ( lmo, Tiràn, german: Thiran) is a town in Valtellina, located in the province of Sondrio in northern Italy. It has 9,053 inhabitants (2016) and is adjacent to the Switzerland-Italy border. The river Adda flows through the town.
Main s ...
,
Sondrio,
Bellagio and
Lecco
Lecco (, , ; lmo, label= Lecchese, Lècch ) is a city of 48,131 inhabitants in Lombardy, northern Italy, north of Milan. It lies at the end of the south-eastern branch of Lake Como (the branch is named ''Branch of Lecco'' / ''Ramo di Lecco''). ...
(both on Lake Como),
Brivio and
Lodi.
Course
The Adda's true source is in Alpisella valley near the head of the Fraele
glen, but its volume is increased by the union with several smaller streams, near the town of
Bormio
Bormio ( lmo, Bormi, rm, italic=yes, , german: Worms im Veltlintal) is a town and ''comune'' with a population of about 4,100 located in the Province of Sondrio, Lombardy region of the Alps in northern Italy.
The centre of the upper Valtellina ...
, at the
Rhaetian Alps The Rhaetian Alps ( it, Alpi Retiche; german: Rätische Alpen) are a mountain range of the Eastern Alps. The SOIUSA classification system divides them into the Western and Eastern Rhaetian Alps, while the Alpine Club classification of the Eastern A ...
. Thence it flows first southwest, then due west, through the fertile
Valtellina
Valtellina or the Valtelline (occasionally spelled as two words in English: Val Telline; rm, Vuclina (); lmo, Valtelina or ; german: Veltlin; it, Valtellina) is a valley in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland. Toda ...
, passing
Tirano
Tirano ( lmo, Tiràn, german: Thiran) is a town in Valtellina, located in the province of Sondrio in northern Italy. It has 9,053 inhabitants (2016) and is adjacent to the Switzerland-Italy border. The river Adda flows through the town.
Main s ...
, where the
Poschiavino
Poschiavino is an long river that rises in the Swiss canton of Graubünden and flows into the Italian province of Sondrio. The majority of the river is in Switzerland, with just in Italy.
The source of the river lies at above sea level in the ...
falls in on the right bank, and
Sondrio, where the
Mallero joins, also on the right. This first half of the course of the Adda makes it the only big river of northern Italy to flow from east to west. It falls into Lake
Como
Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label= Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como.
Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps h ...
, at its northern end, and mainly forms that lake. On issuing from its southeastern or Lecco arm, it crosses the plain of Lombardy where it is joined from the left by the
Brembo,
Serio, and finally, after a course of about , joins the
Po, above Cremona.
The
Trezzo sull'Adda Bridge, erected in 1377, holds the world record of for the longest bridge arch built before the introduction of metal into bridge construction.
The lower course of the Adda was formerly the border between the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...
and the
Duchy of Milan, after the
Treaty of Lodi
The Treaty of Lodi, or Peace of Lodi, was a peace agreement between Milan, Naples and Florence that was signed on 9 April 1454 at Lodi in Lombardy, on the banks of the Adda. It put an end to the Wars in Lombardy between expansive Milan, under ...
, 1454; and on its banks several important battles have been fought, notably that of
Lodi, where
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
defeated the Austrians in 1796;
several battles have also taken place at the bridgehead of
Cassano d'Adda
Cassano d'Adda (Milanese: ; Bergamasque: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Milan, Lombardy, Italy, located on the right side of the Adda River. It is on the border of the Metropolitan City of Milan and the province of Ber ...
and surrounding countryside.
Tributaries
The Adda has the following
tributaries
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainag ...
(R on the right bank, L on the left, from source to mouth):
*
Frodolfo (L)
*
Bormina (R)
*
Roasco (R)
*
Rezzalasco (L)
*
Lenasco (L)
*
Poschiavino
Poschiavino is an long river that rises in the Swiss canton of Graubünden and flows into the Italian province of Sondrio. The majority of the river is in Switzerland, with just in Italy.
The source of the river lies at above sea level in the ...
(R)
*
Mallero (R)
*
Masino (R)
*
Bitto
Bitto ( lmo, Bit) is an Italian DOP (''Denominazione di Origine Protetta'') cheese produced in the Valtelline valley in Lombardy. It owes its name to the Bitto river. Bitto is produced only in the summer months when the cows feed on the high al ...
(L)
*
Tartano
Tartano ( Lombard: ''Tarten'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sondrio in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about southwest of Sondrio. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 236 and an ...
(L)
*
Mera (Lake Como, R)
*
Livo (Lake Como, R)
*
Liro (Lake Como, R)
*
Albano (Lake Como, R)
*
Pioverna
The Pioverna is a '' torrente'' (a stream whose flow is subject to a high level of seasonal variation) of Lombardy in northern Italy. The stream is born in the Grigna massif and flows north and west through the Valsassina, forming a gorge at Bel ...
(Lake Como, L)
*
Breggia
Breggia is a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 25 October 2009 the municipalities of Bruzella, Cabbio, Caneggio, Morbio Superiore, Muggio and Sagno merged into the municipality of Bregg ...
(Lake Como, R)
*
Cosia (Lake Como, R)
*
Fiumelatte (Lake Como, L)
*
Brembo (L)
*
Serio (L)
File:Leonardo traghetto.jpg, Ferry designed by Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...
File:Brivio.Adda.river2.jpg, The Adda river in Brivio
File:Ponte sul Adda Paderno.jpg, San Michele Bridge
The San Michele Bridge ( it, Ponte San Michele), also known as the Paderno Bridge ( it, Ponte di Paderno), is a multi-level rail and road truss arch bridge across the Adda River in Lombardy, Italy. The bridge connects Paderno d'Adda, Lecco on t ...
across the Adda at Paderno.
See also
*
Val Pola landslide
*
Battle of the Adda River, fought in 490 CE
Sources
External links
Kayaking in the Adda river
{{Authority control
Adda basin
Rivers of Italy
Rivers of the Alps
Rivers of the Province of Bergamo
Rivers of the Province of Como
Rivers of the Province of Cremona
Rivers of the Province of Lecco
Rivers of the Province of Lodi
Rivers of the Province of Milan
Rivers of the Province of Sondrio