The Bussento is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

in southwestern

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 into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Originating from

Cervati Cervati or Monte Cervati is an Italian mountain of the Province of Salerno, Campania. Geography The mountain is located in the north-western side of the municipality of Sanza, close to the forest area of Pruno. It is the source of the river Bus ...

mountain, it flows in the

Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...

n territory of

Cilento Cilento () is an Italian mountain range (part of the Lucan Apennines), which gives its name to a geographical region of Campania in the central and southern part of the province of Salerno. Is an important tourist area of southern Italy. ...

, in the

Province of Salerno The province of Salerno () is a province in the Campania region of Italy. It has 1,054,766 inhabitants as of 2025. Geography The largest towns in the province are: Salerno, the capital, which has a population of 131,950; Cava de' Tirreni, Bat ...

. Its mouth is by the

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (, ; or ) , , , , is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenians, Tyrrhenian people identified with the Etruscans of Italy. Geography The sea is bounded by the islands of C ...

, nearby

Policastro Bussentino Policastro Bussentino (or simply Policastro) is an Italian town and hamlet (''frazione'') of the municipality of Santa Marina (of which it is its seat) in the province of Salerno, Campania region. It is a former bishopric, now titular see, and ...

Geography

After its origin in

, it flows south of

Sanza Sanza may refer to: People * Nick Sanza, Canadian retired ice hockey goaltender * Nicola Di Sanza (born 1990), Italian football player Places * Sanza (Tanzanian ward), Tanzania * Sanza, Campania, Italy * Sanza Pombo, Angola Other * Sanza, als ...

, crosses Sant'Eliano, nearby the artificial

Lake Sabetta A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from t ...

(fed by the river), and

Caselle in Pittari Caselle in Pittari is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. References External links Official website
Cities and towns in Campania Localities of Cilento {{Campania-geo-stub ...

. After Caselle, it flows under the Pannello mountain, and emerges in

Morigerati Morigerati ( Cilentan: ''Murgirati'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. History The village was probably founded by the ancient Italic people of the Morgetes. It was later coloni ...

, next to its municipal borders with

Tortorella Tortorella is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Salerno, Campania, in south-western Italy. Geography Located in southern Cilento, 11 km from the Cilentan Coast, Tortorella is a hill town located in the middle of a large forest area p ...

. After it, the Bussento marks Morigerati's border with Santa Marina, flows south of

Sicilì Sicilì is a southern Italy, Italian village and hamlet (''frazione'') of Morigerati, a municipality in the province of Salerno, Campania. As of 2011, it had a population of 364. History The village was first mentioned in 1521, however, the origi ...

, crosses the municipal borders of

Torre Orsaia Torre Orsaia ( Cilentan: ''La Turri'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. History The settlement, originally named ''Turris Ursajae'', was founded in the 11th century, in the current ...

until its railway station in Calleo and, after, it flows near the localities of Hangar, Santa Lucia and Crocefisso. Its mouth, on the

Gulf of Policastro The Gulf of Policastro is an inlet of the Tyrrhenian Sea which bathes the coasts of three provinces: Salerno in Campania, Potenza in Basilicata and Cosenza in Calabria. The western limit of the gulf is the tip of Infreschi in the municipality of C ...

, by the

, is 700 m west of

, near Torre Oliva, and 2.4 km east of

Scario Scario is an Italian village and hamlet (''frazione''), the largest of the municipality of San Giovanni a Piro in the province of Salerno, Campania region. In 2011, it had a population of 1,124. Geography The village is situated in the western ...

. The main tributary of Bussento is the Bussentino, a creek that flows through

Casaletto Spartano Casaletto Spartano is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. History The town has medieval origins and originated around the settlement of ''Spartoso'', from which it derives the toponym, c ...

, Battaglia,

, and joins the river in Morigerati, near the

Bussento Caves The Bussento is a river in southwestern Italy. Originating from Cervati mountain, it flows in the Campanian territory of Cilento, in the Province of Salerno. Its mouth is by the Tyrrhenian Sea, nearby Policastro Bussentino. Geography After its ...

Natural environment

The Caves of Bussento, located in

, are a WWF Oasis. It is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

that includes gorges and

cave Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's Planetary surface, surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance undergrou ...

s along the river.WWF Oasis of Bussento on Morigerati website
/ref>

Gallery

References

External links

{{commons category-inline, Bussento Rivers of the Province of Salerno Cilento Subterranean rivers Rivers of Italy Drainage basins of the Tyrrhenian Sea