The Travo River () is a river that crosses the
Corse-du-Sud
Corse-du-Sud (; , or ; ) is (as of 2019) an administrative department of France, consisting of the southern part of the island of Corsica. The corresponding departmental territorial collectivity merged with that of Haute-Corse on 1 January ...
and
Haute-Corse
Haute-Corse (; , or ; ) is a department of France, consisting of the northern part of the island of Corsica. The corresponding departmental territorial collectivity merged with that of Corse-du-Sud on 1 January 2018, forming the single ter ...
departments on the French island of
Corsica
Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...
.
It flows through a relatively undisturbed natural environment, and its watershed has been recognized for its ecological value.
The river contains deep natural swimming pools.
Location
The Travo rises to the southwest of the
Monte Incudine in the Alcudina massif of Corse-du-Sud.
It rises at an elevation of in the southeast of the
Zicavo
Zicavo (; ) is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica.
Population
Notable people
* Jacques Pierre Abbatucci (minister) (1791-1857)
See also
*Communes of the Corse-du-Sud department
The following i ...
commune.
It flows north through
Zicavo
Zicavo (; ) is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica.
Population
Notable people
* Jacques Pierre Abbatucci (minister) (1791-1857)
See also
*Communes of the Corse-du-Sud department
The following i ...
to its border with
Cozzano
Cozzano (; ) is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Corse-du-Sud department
The following is a list of the 124 Communes of France, communes of the department ...
.
It then turns east, enters Haute-Corse, and flows through
Chisa and then between
Ventiseri and
Solaro to enter 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 ...
just south of the
Solenzara Air Base
Air Base 126 Solenzara () is a French Air and Space Force (Armée de l'air et de l'espace) (ALAE) base located in the village of Ventiseri approximately 40 km north-northeast of Porto-Vecchio on Corsica.
It is just north of the mouth of the ...
.
The river is called the "Bassu Rotondu" stream in its upper section, then "Forcinchesi" from Casamintellu to Monte Tignosu, then "Arinella" down to the border with Haute-Corse, and finally "Travo" from Chisa to its mouth at the Marina di Tovasinu.
Hydrology
The river is long.
It drains an area of .
The river wanders through a dense riverine forest, and is joined by many tributaries.
The upstream section in Zicavo, Cozzano and Chisa flows through a deep valley with many steep rock faces, rapids, waterfalls and pools.
In the lower valley, where the river forms the boundary between Ventiseri and Solaro, the bed widens towards its mouth.
It has an average flow of near its mouth.
There is a significant decrease in flow during the summer, while during periods of intense rain it becomes tumultuous and floods.
Ecology
95% of the watershed is covered by natural scrub and forest, while 2.7% is agricultural and 2.3% is used for other purposes.
The
riparian forest
A riparian forest or riparian woodland is a forested or wooded area of land adjacent to a body of water such as a river, stream, pond, lake, marshland, estuary, canal, Sink (geography), sink, or reservoir. Due to the broad nature of the definitio ...
is in good condition and is quite dense.
It is allowed to grow naturally without maintenance.
The stream has not been dammed or diverted, the banks have not been stabilized and there are no hydraulic structures to affect the fish community.
Water quality is good or very good depending on the measures chosen.
The aquatic environment is rich in biodiversity and includes emblematic species such as
Salmo macrostigma
''Salmo macrostigma'' is a species of freshwater trout endemic to Algeria in northwest Africa. It can reach a length of TL.
The name ''Salmo trutta macrostigma'' (or ''Salmo macrostigma'') has previously been used of many populations also in o ...
trout and
eel
Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 20 families, 164 genera, and about 1000 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...
.
79% of the
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land in which 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 recognized as
Regional Nature Park and parts as
Natura 2000
Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...
,
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
and
.
Pools
The Travo is a deep river with magnificent natural pools, some of which are very secluded, in the commune of Chisa.
There is a large and deep natural swimming pool below the Gineparu bridge where the D645 road first crosses the river.
Further up there are three consecutive large and deep pools that can be accessed from the road.
There are other large pools above and below these three.
Yet further upstream there is a large and deep natural swimming pool below the Bura bridge, which is about above the river.
It is possible to hike along the river between the Gineparu and Bura bridges.
Tributaries
The following streams (''ruisseaux'') are tributaries of the Travo:
* Ruvoli (13 km)
** Saltu (3 km)
*** Tassaccio (1 km)
** Castagnolu (2 km)
** Felcia (2 km)
* Luvana (9 km)
** Lama (2 km)
** Teja (2 km)
** Ghialba (1 km)
** Monte Malo (1 km)
** Tafone (1 km)
* Coda Vacca (7 km)
** Macciocu (2 km)
** Chinesa (2 km)
* Cotulu (4 km)
* Juva (4 km)
** Funtana (2 km)
** Larducciu (2 km)
* Aretu (4 km)
** Perelli (2 km)
* Guadellu (4 km)
* Cippisa (3 km)
* Allucia (3 km)
* l'Agnone (3 km)
** l'Usciolu (1 km)
* Castellettu (3 km)
* Lori (3 km)
* Solaro (3 km)
* Acqua d'Acelli (3 km)
** Marraciole (2 km)
* Largiaccia (2 km)
* Sena (2 km)
** Rancichelle (2 km)
* l'Incudine (2 km)
* Arja Vallinca (2 km)
* Cavallareccia (2 km)
* Cavallare (2 km)
* Sapara Albertu (2 km)
* Meta (2 km)
* Albuccellu (2 km)
* Pargolu (2 km)
* Serra di Lucianu (2 km)
* Broncu (1 km)
* Forccia (1 km)
* Capilargu (1 km)
* Murta (1 km)
* Anculavu (1 km)
* Benedettu (1 km)
Gallery
Travo-fleuve-Chisa.JPG, The Travo below the village of Chisa.
Travo - pont du chemin de fer.JPG, The bridge over the Travo of the old eastern coast railway line. Open to car traffic, recently renovated.
Travo-fleuve-inférieur.JPG, The Travo seen from the railway bridge
Travo-fleuve-embouchure1.JPG, The Travo at its mouth, looking upstream
Travo-fleuve-embouchure4.JPG, The sea at the mouth of the Travo.
Notes
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Travo
Rivers of Haute-Corse
Rivers of France
Coastal basins of the Tyrrhenian Sea in Corsica