Po River is the largest waterway in Italy. It is important for the volume of water it carries from the mountains to the sea and for the fertile valley it has created along its course. The Po begins near Mount Viso, in the Cottian Alps, and flows east about 405 miles (652 kilometers) to a large delta in the Adriatic Sea. Almost every river in northern Italy is a branch of the Po. Lakes Maggiore, Como, Lecco, Iseo, and Garda also empty their waters into the Po. The river is rapid in its upper courses but becomes a sluggish stream long before it reaches the sea. See also Italy (The land) .
The Po River has often caused disastrous floods. About 300 B.C. the Etruscans built artificial embankments in an effort to control the waters. The river’s continual deposits of silt raise the level of the water. From time to time, the embankments have been raised to heights above the river.
Some of Italy’s large cities lie on the banks of the Po, including Turin, Piacenza, and Cremona. Large electric power plants operate along the upper sections of the river. Large ships can sail up the Po as far as Turin, and much freight is carried along this section of the river.
