Arda River (Italy)
Encyclopedia
The Arda is a torrent of Emilia-Romagna
, Italy
, nearly all of its course being within the province of Piacenza
. It is a right tributary of the Po River
.
It rises at an elevation of 1200 m in the Ligurian Apennines
on the north-west slopes of Monte Lama (near Monte Menegosa), within the commune
of Morfasso
. After about 15 km, at an elevation of 341 m, it is dammed to form the Lago di Mignano reservoir which covers about 2 km² and provides both a water supply and hydro-electric power.
The stream then flows through Lugagnano Val d'Arda
and Castell'Arquato
before entering the plain where it passes through Fiorenzuola d'Arda
and Cortemaggiore
. Before entering the Po, near Polesine Parmense
, it is joined on the right by another torrent, the Ongina, whose source is in the Piacenza hills, between Alseno
and Castell'Arquato.
The Arda follows the typical pattern of an Apennine torrent with maximum discharges during the spring and autumn rains and a minimal flow during the summer.
Emilia-Romagna
Emilia–Romagna is an administrative region of Northern Italy comprising the two historic regions of Emilia and Romagna. The capital is Bologna; it has an area of and about 4.4 million inhabitants....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, nearly all of its course being within the province of Piacenza
Province of Piacenza
The Province of Piacenza is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Piacenza.The province has 273,689 inhabitants . Its total area is 2,589 km². There are 48 comuni in the province, see Comuni of the Province of Piacenza...
. It is a right tributary of the Po River
Po River
The Po |Ligurian]]: Bodincus or Bodencus) is a river that flows either or – considering the length of the Maira, a right bank tributary – eastward across northern Italy, from a spring seeping from a stony hillside at Pian del Re, a flat place at the head of the Val Po under the northwest face...
.
It rises at an elevation of 1200 m in the Ligurian Apennines
Apennine mountains
The Apennines or Apennine Mountains or Greek oros but just as often used alone as a noun. The ancient Greeks and Romans typically but not always used "mountain" in the singular to mean one or a range; thus, "the Apennine mountain" refers to the entire chain and is translated "the Apennine...
on the north-west slopes of Monte Lama (near Monte Menegosa), within the commune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
of Morfasso
Morfasso
Morfasso is a comune in the Province of Piacenza in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 130 km west of Bologna and about 35 km south of Piacenza...
. After about 15 km, at an elevation of 341 m, it is dammed to form the Lago di Mignano reservoir which covers about 2 km² and provides both a water supply and hydro-electric power.
The stream then flows through Lugagnano Val d'Arda
Lugagnano Val d'Arda
Lugagnano Val d'Arda is a comune in the Province of Piacenza in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 130 km northwest of Bologna and about 30 km southeast of Piacenza, on the Arda stream....
and Castell'Arquato
Castell'Arquato
Castell'Arquato is an Italian town located on the first hills of Val D’Arda in the province of Piacenza, in Emilia-Romagna, approximately 30 km from Piacenza and 35 km from Parma...
before entering the plain where it passes through Fiorenzuola d'Arda
Fiorenzuola d'Arda
Fiorenzuola d'Arda is a city and comune in Italy in the province of Piacenza, of the Emilia-Romagna region. Its name derives from Florentia . The "d'Arda" portion refers to the River Arda which flows from the Apennines into the valley where Fiorenzuola is situated...
and Cortemaggiore
Cortemaggiore
Cortemaggiore is an Italian comune located in the Province of Piacenza.Founded in the 1479 by the Pallavicino family, over an old roman site, it was the capital of the ancient Stato Pallavicino....
. Before entering the Po, near Polesine Parmense
Polesine Parmense
Polesine Parmense is a comune in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 120 km northwest of Bologna and about 30 km northwest of Parma....
, it is joined on the right by another torrent, the Ongina, whose source is in the Piacenza hills, between Alseno
Alseno
Alseno is a comune in the Province of Piacenza in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 120 km northwest of Bologna and about 25 km southeast of Piacenza...
and Castell'Arquato.
The Arda follows the typical pattern of an Apennine torrent with maximum discharges during the spring and autumn rains and a minimal flow during the summer.