The Adda (Latin ''Abdua'', or ''Addua''; in Lombard ''Ada'' or, again, ''Adda'' in local dialects where the double consonants are marked) is a river in North

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, a tributary of the Po. It rises in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

near the border with

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and flows through

Lake Como Lake Como ( it, Lago di Como , ; lmo, label=Western Lombard, Lagh de Còmm , ''Cómm'' or ''Cùmm'' ), also known as Lario (; after the la, Larius Lacus), is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of , making it the thir ...

. The Adda joins the Po a few kilometres upstream of

Cremona Cremona (, also ; ; lmo, label= Cremunés, Cremùna; egl, Carmona) is a city and ''comune'' in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po river in the middle of the ''Pianura Padana'' ( Po Valley). It is the capital of th ...

. It is long. The highest point of the

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where 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, t ...

is the summit of

la Spedla La Spedla (or ''Punta Perrucchetti'') is a minor summit south of Piz Bernina on the border between Italy and Switzerland. With a height of 4,020 metres above sea level, it is the highest summit on the Italian side of the Bernina Range The Ber ...

(a subpeak of

Piz Bernina Piz Bernina ( Romansh, it, Pizzo Bernina, ) is the highest mountain in the Eastern Alps, the highest point of the Bernina Range, and the highest peak in the Rhaetian Alps. It rises and is located south of Pontresina and near the major Alpine r ...

), at . Towns along the river Adda include

Bormio Bormio ( lmo, Bormi, rm, italic=yes, , german: Worms im Veltlintal) is a town and ''comune'' with a population of about 4,100 located in the Province of Sondrio, Lombardy region of the Alps in northern Italy. The centre of the upper Valtellina ...

Tirano Tirano ( lmo, Tiràn, german: Thiran) is a town in Valtellina, located in the province of Sondrio in northern Italy. It has 9,053 inhabitants (2016) and is adjacent to the Switzerland-Italy border. The river Adda flows through the town. Main ...

Sondrio Sondrio (; lmo, Sùndri; rm, Sunder; archaic german: Sünders or ; la, Sundrium) is an Italian city and ''comune'' and Provincial Capital located in the heart of the Valtellina. , Sondrio counts approximately 21,876 inhabitants (2015) and it is ...

Bellagio Bellagio may refer to: * Bellagio, Lombardy, an Italian town * Bellagio (resort), a luxury resort and casino in Las Vegas * Bellagio (Hong Kong), a private housing building * Bellagio declaration, an intellectual copyright resolution * 79271 Bellag ...

and

Lecco Lecco (, , ; lmo, label=Lecchese, Lècch ) is a city of 48,131 inhabitants in Lombardy, northern Italy, north of Milan. It lies at the end of the south-eastern branch of Lake Como (the branch is named ''Branch of Lecco'' / ''Ramo di Lecco''). ...

(both on Lake Como),

Brivio Brivio ( Brianzöö: ; Bergamasque: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Lecco, in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. It is served by Olgiate-Calco-Brivio railway station Olgiate-Calco-Brivio is a railway station in Italy. Located ...

and Lodi.

Course

The Adda's true source is in Alpisella valley near the head of the Fraele

glen A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. Whittow defines it as a "Scottish term for a deep valley in the Highlands" that is "narrower ...

, but its volume is increased by the union with several smaller streams, near the town of

, at the

Rhaetian Alps The Rhaetian Alps ( it, Alpi Retiche; german: Rätische Alpen) are a mountain range of the Eastern Alps. The SOIUSA classification system divides them into the Western and Eastern Rhaetian Alps, while the Alpine Club classification of the Eastern ...

. Thence it flows first southwest, then due west, through the fertile

Valtellina Valtellina or the Valtelline (occasionally spelled as two words in English: Val Telline; rm, Vuclina (); lmo, Valtelina or ; german: Veltlin; it, Valtellina) is a valley in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland. Toda ...

, passing

, where the

Poschiavino Poschiavino is an long river that rises in the Switzerland, Swiss canton of Graubünden and flows into the Italy, Italian province of Sondrio. The majority of the river is in Switzerland, with just in Italy. The source of the river lies at abo ...

falls in on the right bank, and

, where the Mallero joins, also on the right. This first half of the course of the Adda makes it the only big river of northern Italy to flow from east to west. It falls into Lake

Como Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label=Comasco dialect, Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and ...

, at its northern end, and mainly forms that lake. On issuing from its southeastern or Lecco arm, it crosses the plain of Lombardy where it is joined from the left by the

Brembo Brembo S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of automotive brake systems, especially for high-performance cars and motorcycles. Its head office is in Curno, Bergamo, Italy. History Brembo was established in Paladina, Italy on January 11, 1961 ...

, Serio, and finally, after a course of about , joins the Po, above Cremona. The Trezzo sull'Adda Bridge, erected in 1377, holds the world record of for the longest bridge arch built before the introduction of metal into bridge construction. The lower course of the Adda was formerly the border between the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

and the

Duchy of Milan The Duchy of Milan ( it, Ducato di Milano; lmo, Ducaa de Milan) was a state in northern Italy, created in 1395 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, then the lord of Milan, and a member of the important Visconti family, which had been ruling the city sin ...

, after the

Treaty of Lodi The Treaty of Lodi, or Peace of Lodi, was a peace agreement between Duchy of Milan, Milan, Kingdom of Naples, Naples and Republic of Florence, Florence that was signed on 9 April 1454 at Lodi, Lombardy, Lodi in Lombardy, on the banks of the Adda ...

, 1454; and on its banks several important battles have been fought, notably that of Lodi, where

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

defeated the Austrians in 1796; several battles have also taken place at the bridgehead of

Cassano d'Adda Cassano d'Adda (Milanese: ; Bergamasque: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Milan, Lombardy, Italy, located on the right side of the Adda River. It is on the border of the Metropolitan City of Milan and the province of Ber ...

and surrounding countryside.

Tributaries

The Adda has the following

tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage b ...

(R on the right bank, L on the left, from source to mouth): * Frodolfo (L) * Bormina (R) * Roasco (R) * Rezzalasco (L) * Lenasco (L) *

(R) * Mallero (R) * Masino (R) *

Bitto Bitto ( lmo, Bit) is an Italian DOP (''Denominazione di Origine Protetta'') cheese produced in the Valtelline valley in Lombardy. It owes its name to the Bitto river. Bitto is produced only in the summer months when the cows feed on the high alpi ...

(L) *

Tartano Tartano ( Lombard: ''Tarten'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sondrio in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about southwest of Sondrio. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 236 and an ...

(L) * Mera (Lake Como, R) * Livo (Lake Como, R) * Liro (Lake Como, R) * Albano (Lake Como, R) *

Pioverna The Pioverna is a '' torrente'' (a stream whose flow is subject to a high level of seasonal variation) of Lombardy in northern Italy. The stream is born in the Grigna massif and flows north and west through the Valsassina, forming a gorge at Bel ...

(Lake Como, L) *

Breggia Breggia is a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 25 October 2009 the municipalities of Bruzella, Cabbio, Caneggio, Morbio Superiore, Muggio and Sagno merged into the municipality of Bregg ...

(Lake Como, R) *

Cosia The Cosia is a torrent whose springs are on the slopes of Monte Bolletone () in Brianza, Italy. Its course takes it through the communities of Albese con Cassano, Tavernerio and Como, then it enters Lake Como near the war memorial designed by ...

(Lake Como, R) * Fiumelatte (Lake Como, L) *

(L) * Serio (L) File:Leonardo traghetto.jpg, Ferry designed by

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

File:Brivio.Adda.river2.jpg, The Adda river in Brivio File:Ponte sul Adda Paderno.jpg,

San Michele Bridge The San Michele Bridge ( it, Ponte San Michele), also known as the Paderno Bridge ( it, Ponte di Paderno), is a multi-level rail and road truss arch bridge across the Adda River in Lombardy, Italy. The bridge connects Paderno d'Adda, Lecco on t ...

across the Adda at Paderno.

Sources

External links

Kayaking in the Adda river
{{Authority control Adda basin Rivers of Italy Rivers of the Alps Rivers of the Province of Bergamo Rivers of the Province of Como Rivers of the Province of Cremona Rivers of the Province of Lecco Rivers of the Province of Lodi Rivers of the Province of Milan Rivers of the Province of Sondrio

Course

Tributaries

See also

Sources

External links