River Tiber
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By Dion Protani
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Latest update: 21 January 2024
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With a total length of 406 kilometres, the River Tiber (or Fiume Tevere in Italian) is Italy's third longest river, just a few kilometres shorter than the River Adige, the second longest; both rivers trailing in the wake of the River Po's 652 kilometres.
The Tiber starts on a mountain in Emilia Romagna and ends its journey on the Tyrrhenian coast, close to Rome. |
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The flow of the River Tiber
Most people will have heard of or seen the River Tiber in the context of Rome, the city it famously flows through. Its source is some way to the north however, on Monte Fumaiolo (1,407 metres above sea level) in the Emilia Romagna region. From there it snakes south and across the nearby border into Tuscany, flowing through the town of Pieve Santo Stefano in the Arezzo Province.
Around ten kilometres south of Pieve Santo Stefano, the Tiber reaches an artificial lake, the Lago di Montedoglio, from where it emerges to take a south-westerly trajectory, into Umbria and the historic town of Città di Castello. It flows west of Città di Castello's medieval walls, continuing south towards the small town of Umbertide, full of medieval touches and worth a visit if you're in the area.
It continues south to reach another of Umbria's historic towns, Deruta, famous for its ceramics, before arriving west of the beautiful hill town of Todi. Just to the west of Todi there's a bridge across the River Tiber which provides one of the best rural vantage points to take a photo of it.
Around ten kilometres south of Pieve Santo Stefano, the Tiber reaches an artificial lake, the Lago di Montedoglio, from where it emerges to take a south-westerly trajectory, into Umbria and the historic town of Città di Castello. It flows west of Città di Castello's medieval walls, continuing south towards the small town of Umbertide, full of medieval touches and worth a visit if you're in the area.
It continues south to reach another of Umbria's historic towns, Deruta, famous for its ceramics, before arriving west of the beautiful hill town of Todi. Just to the west of Todi there's a bridge across the River Tiber which provides one of the best rural vantage points to take a photo of it.
Umbria and Lazio
From Todi, the river bears west before entering Lake Corbara and exiting to the south of the lake. At this point, the Tevere passes close to a number of towns and villages that mark the river's name such as Castiglione in Teverina, Lugnano in Teverina and Bassano in Teverina, straddling the east-west border between Umbria and Lazio.
The southward progress reaches the evocative town of Orte soon after that, a hill town that remains unspoilt despite its proximity to the main E45 Austostrada, also called the A1. In fact the sight of Orte is one of the highlights when driving the north-south route from Florence to Rome.
The Tiber continues its relentless march south of Orte, eventually reaching the Nazzano Tevere-Farfa Nature Reserve just north of Rome and this is one of the best places to view and enjoy the river with various water sports available and some fascinating wildlife to spot.
The southward progress reaches the evocative town of Orte soon after that, a hill town that remains unspoilt despite its proximity to the main E45 Austostrada, also called the A1. In fact the sight of Orte is one of the highlights when driving the north-south route from Florence to Rome.
The Tiber continues its relentless march south of Orte, eventually reaching the Nazzano Tevere-Farfa Nature Reserve just north of Rome and this is one of the best places to view and enjoy the river with various water sports available and some fascinating wildlife to spot.
Into Rome
It's around 40 kilometres south from the Nazzano Nature Reserve to the centre of Rome where a number of landmark bridges cross the river. One of the most famous is the Ponte Milvio, the Milvian Bridge which was the scene of a momentous battle in 312 AD, imaginatively-titled The Battle of the Milvian Bridge. Beyond the Ponte Milvio is the evocative Ponte Matteotti before the more famous bridges of the city centre arrive.
The Ponte Sant'Angelo is one of the most beautiful and leads up to the magnificent fortress of Castel Sant'Angelo, while the next bridge along, the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II provides access for vehicles towards the Vatican City.
South of the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele is the historic Ponte Sisto which comes just before the Isola Teverina, an island that sits in the middle of the river and has its own community, including a cathedral. Isola Teverina is connected to the east bank of Rome by the Ponte Fabricio: the oldest bridge in Rome, but in 62 BC and still being used today.
From Rome, The Tiber threads its way south and then west, away from the capital and towards the coast. It reaches the Tyrrhenian Sea at Ostia, just north of the Porto di Roma complex and south of the town of Fiumicino (translates as "little river"), which is most famous for its airport: officially Rome Leonardo Da Vinci Airport. The big attraction in this area is the Ostia Antica archaeological site, one of the most impressive of its kind in Italy.
The Ponte Sant'Angelo is one of the most beautiful and leads up to the magnificent fortress of Castel Sant'Angelo, while the next bridge along, the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II provides access for vehicles towards the Vatican City.
South of the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele is the historic Ponte Sisto which comes just before the Isola Teverina, an island that sits in the middle of the river and has its own community, including a cathedral. Isola Teverina is connected to the east bank of Rome by the Ponte Fabricio: the oldest bridge in Rome, but in 62 BC and still being used today.
From Rome, The Tiber threads its way south and then west, away from the capital and towards the coast. It reaches the Tyrrhenian Sea at Ostia, just north of the Porto di Roma complex and south of the town of Fiumicino (translates as "little river"), which is most famous for its airport: officially Rome Leonardo Da Vinci Airport. The big attraction in this area is the Ostia Antica archaeological site, one of the most impressive of its kind in Italy.
Fiume Tevere
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Length: 406 km (third longest in Italy)
Regions: Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio Notable locations: Rome, Ostia, Fiumicino, Città di Castello, Todi Source: Monte Fumaiolo Mouth: Tyrrhenian Sea (between Ostia and Fiumicino) |
