Po River (Padus River in ancient times) flows 652 kilometers from west to east across northern Italy, from Mount Monviso (in the Cottian Alps) to the Adriatic Sea near Venice. It has a drainage area of 71,000 square kilometers.
It is the longest Italian river and goes through many important Italian towns, including Turin and (indirectly) Milan. In Milan it enters the town as a net of channels called navigli, creating a very characteristic area. Near the end of its course, it creates a wide delta (with hundreds of small channels and 5 main ones called Po di Maestra, Po della Pila, Po delle Tolle, Po di Gnocca and Po di Goro), at the southern part of which is Comacchio , an area famous for eels.
The vast valley around the Po is called Pianura Padana and is so efficiently connected by the river that the whole valley became the main industrial area of the country.
This river is subject to the authority of a special magistrate (Magistrato delle Acque).
Tributaries include:
- Varaita (from the right side)
- Maira (right side)
- Pellice (left side)
- Dora Riparia (left side)
- Stura di Lanzo
- Orco
- Dora Baltea
- Sesia
- Tanaro (right side)
- Scrivia (right side)
- Agogna (left side)
- Ticino (left side)
- Lambro (left side)
- Trebbia (right side)
- Adda (left side)
- Nure (right side)
- Arda river (left side)
- Taro river (left side)
- Parma river (left side)
- Enza (left side)
- Oglio (left side)
- Mincio (left side)
- Secchia (right side)
- Panaro (right side)