__NOTOC__ The Bacchiglione (, "Little Medoacus") is a river that flows in

Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...

northern Italy Northern Italy (, , ) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four Northwest Italy, northwestern Regions of Italy, regions of Piedmo ...

. It rises in the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

and empties about later into the

Brenta River The Brenta is an Italian river that runs from Trentino to the Adriatic Sea just south of the Venetian lagoon in the Veneto region, in the north-east of Italy. During the Roman era, it was called Medoacus (Ancient Greek: ''Mediochos'', ''Μηδ ...

near

Chioggia Chioggia (; , ; ) is a coastal town and (municipality) of the Metropolitan City of Venice in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Geography The town is located on a small island at the southern entrance to the Venetian Lagoon about sou ...

. It flows through and past a number of cities, including

Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; or , archaically ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, where it straddles the Bacchiglione, River Bacchiglione. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and e ...

and

Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

. It acted for many centuries as a significant waterway up to

, above which it ceases to be navigable. It was connected in the 19th century to the

Adige The Adige is the second-longest river in Italy, after the Po. It rises near the Reschen Pass in the Vinschgau in the province of South Tyrol, near the Italian border with Austria and Switzerland, and flows through most of northeastern Italy ...

by a canal.

Course

The river starts in some springs in the towns of

Dueville Dueville () is a town and ''comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also ...

and

Villaverla Villaverla is a town in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy. It is west of SP349 and south of A31. Origins From Roman times, the original name of the nearby village that eventually became Villaverla was "Roveredum." The center of that first vi ...

, in the

province of Vicenza The province of Vicenza (; ) is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital city is Vicenza. The province has an area of 2,722.53 km2, and a total population of 865,082 (as of 2017). There are 113 ''comuni'' (municipalities) in th ...

. Here it is called "Bacchiglioncello". Just upstream of the city of

receives water from the Leogra Timonchio (which descends from Mount Pasubio). At this junction, the river becomes the Bacchiglione. At Ponte del Bo, above

, it joins with the Orolo. In Vicenza, the Bacchiglione is joined by the rivers

Tesina The Tesina is an Italian river that runs in the Veneto region, in the north-east of Italy. Its source is at Cibalde, a locality in the commune of Sandrigo. It flows in the Bacchiglione river near San Pietro Intrigogna, in the territory of Vicenz ...

, Retrone and Astichello. The river is about long and has a basin of . The average flow of the Bacchiglione in Padua is about 30 m³/s and flows through the summer dry season. Mappa fiume Brenta e Bacchiglione 1789

Bisatto Canal

Longare Longare is a town in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends int ...

, the Bisatto (or "Bisato") Canal was built in the twelfth century.

Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...

and

built it to divert water away from

during the many political struggles of the time, as told in the ninth canto of Dante's " Paradiso". The channel goes to Lozzo Atestino and

Este Este may refer to: Geography * Este (woreda), a district in Ethiopia * Este, Veneto, a town in Italy * Este (Málaga), a district in Spain * Este (river), a river in Germany * Este (São Pedro), a parish in Portugal * Este (São Mamede), a p ...

; then continues to Monselice ("Este - Montelice Canal"). Then into the Battaglia Terme ("Battle Canal" or "Monselice Canal"), where it meets the Battaglia Canal from Padua. Through the Vigenzone Canal ("Cagnola Canal ") waters are reunited with the river Bacchiglione ("Channel Pontelongo"), allowing Vicenza to arrive in Chioggia without having to pass through Padua.

Brentella Canal

The Brentella Canal originates from the

Limena Limena is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Padua in the Italian region Veneto, located about west of Venice and about north of Padua. Limena borders the following municipalities: Curtarolo, Padua, Piazzola sul Brenta, Vigodar ...

, where the flow is regulated by a hydraulic barrier (the "Colmelloni"), and joins the Bacchiglione just before Padua's airport. The Brentella Canal was built in 1314 Padua to prevent the city of Vicenza from stopping the river when it created the Bisatto Canal.

Battaglia Canal

On the southern outskirts of Padua, the Battaglia Canal begins. Built in the 12th century, it heads south towards Battaglia Spa. This is connection from the Canal Bisatto, which separated from the Bacchiglione River at Vicenza. Through the Channel Vigenzone and then "Channel Cagnola", to flow again in the final stretch of the Bacchiglione ("Pontelongo Canal").

Scaricatore Canal

To prevent flood damage in the second half of the nineteenth century the Scaricatore Canal was built. It starts from Bassanello and carries the excess water from the Padua River (Channel Roncajette), near the town of Voltabarozzo.

Bridges

The

Ponte San Lorenzo The Ponte San Lorenzo is a Roman bridge over the river Bacchiglione in Padua, Italy. Constructed between 47 and 30 BC, it is one of the very earliest segmental arched bridges in the world. It is also notable for the slenderness of its piers, ...

, a

Roman bridge The ancient Romans were the first civilization to build large, permanent bridges. Early Roman bridges used techniques introduced by Etruscan immigrants, but the Romans improved those skills, developing and enhancing methods such as arches and k ...

largely underground, along with the ancient Ponte Molino, Ponte Altinate,

Ponte Corvo Pontecorvo is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, Italy. Its population is . History The village lies under Rocca Guglielma, a medieval fortification perched on an inaccessible spur. Its name derives from the ''pons curvu ...

and Ponte S. Matteo. *

, one of the earliest Roman segmental arch bridges * Ponte Molino, Padua, another segmental arch bridge of Roman origin

References

Sources

* . {{Authority control Rivers of Italy Rivers of the Province of Padua Rivers of the Province of Vicenza Waterways of Italy