The Alento is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

in southwestern

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 ...

. Originating from Le Corne mountain, nearby the village of Gorga, it flows in the

Campania Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...

n territory of

Cilento Cilento is an Italian geographical region of Campania in the central and southern part of the Province of Salerno and an important Tourism, tourist area of southern Italy. Cilento is known as one of the centers of Mediterranean diet. Geograph ...

, in the

Province of Salerno The Province of Salerno ( it, Provincia di Salerno) is a province in the Campania region of Italy. __TOC__ Geography The largest towns in the province are: Salerno, the capital, which has a population of 131,950; Cava de' Tirreni, Battipagli ...

. Its mouth is on the

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (; it, Mar Tirreno , french: Mer Tyrrhénienne , sc, Mare Tirrenu, co, Mari Tirrenu, scn, Mari Tirrenu, nap, Mare Tirreno) is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenian pe ...

, close to the Ancient Greek town of

Velia , alternate_name = Hyele, Ele, Elea , image = Velia Excavation and Tower.jpg , alt = , caption = View of the excavations and the tower at Velia , map_type = Italy , map_alt = , map_size = , relief = , coordinates = , location = Ve ...

, at the borders between the municipalities of

Casal Velino Casal Velino, also spelled ''Casalvelino'', is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. History The village, first mentioned in the 11th century, was named ''Casalicchio'' until 1893. It was ...

and

Ascea Ascea is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of southwestern Italy. In the communal territory are the Greek ruins of Velia. It is part of the Cilento traditional area; the maritime touristic part of the municip ...

History

Originally named ''Alentum'', the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

word ''Cis Alentum'' (i.e.: "On this side of the Alento") is the origin of the toponym "Cilento". The river was mentioned by

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...

, into the ''

Geographica The ''Geographica'' (Ancient Greek: Γεωγραφικά ''Geōgraphiká''), or ''Geography'', is an encyclopedia of geographical knowledge, consisting of 17 'books', written in Ancient Greek, Greek and attributed to Strabo, an educated citizen ...

'', and by

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the estab ...

, who defined it ''noble''.

Geography

After its origin in Gorga (a ''frazione'' of

Stio Stio is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. As of 2016, its population was 872. History The village was founded in the beginnings of the 11th century. The origin of the name is debated, ...

), the river flows in a large valley crossing the municipal territories of

Magliano Vetere Magliano Vetere is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. As of 2011 its population was 739. History The town, anciently named ''Malleanum'' or ''Mallianum'', was first mentioned in a docum ...

and

Monteforte Cilento Monteforte Cilento is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-west Italy. History Monteforte was originally a Roman ''castrum'', which expanded in the High Middle Ages after immigration due to the Saracen ...

. After it, between the territories of

Cicerale Cicerale is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. Geography The municipality is located in Cilento and borders with Agropoli, Capaccio-Paestum, Giungano, Monteforte Cilento, Ogliastro Cil ...

Prignano Cilento Prignano Cilento is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. As of 2017 its population was of 1,035. Geography Location Prignano is located in northern Cilento and borders with the municipa ...

and

Perito Perito ( Cilentan: ''Prito'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. As of 2011 its population was of 1,007. History In the Middle Ages Perito had an important role as fortified town in ...

(at

Ostigliano Ostigliano is a southern Italian village and the only hamlet (''frazione'') of Perito, a municipality in the province of Salerno, Campania. As of 2011, its population was 431. History The village, whose toponym comes from the Latin word ''Hostili ...

) the river forms a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

serving a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

. After the dam and a nature park it crosses the municipalities of

Rutino Rutino is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of southwestern Italy. It is in the geographic region Cilento. Politic geography The comune is divided into Rutino, the principal city, and the "frazione" of Rutin ...

Lustra Lustra may refer to: *Lustrum (plural "Lustra"), a period of five years. *Lustra, poetry, by Ezra Pound. *Lustra, Campania Lustra is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno, in the Campania region of south-western Italy. Geography The m ...

Omignano Omignano is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. Geography The municipality borders with Casal Velino, Lustra, Salento, Sessa Cilento and Stella Cilento. See also *Cilento Cilen ...

(at Omignano Scalo),

Salento Salento ( Salentino: ''Salentu'', Salentino Griko: ''Σαλέντο'') is a cultural, historical and geographic region at the southern end of the administrative region of Apulia in Southern Italy. It is a sub-peninsula of the Italian Peninsula ...

Castelnuovo Cilento Castelnuovo Cilento ( Cilentan: ''Castiedde Nuove'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. History The medieval village of Castelnuovo was part of the fief of the Agnello family from Se ...

(through the villages of Vallo Scalo and Velina),

and

. The mouth is located between

Marina di Casalvelino Marina di Casalvelino, also spelled ''Casalvelino Marina'', is a southern Italian village and hamlet (''frazione'') of Casal Velino, a municipality in the province of Salerno, Campania. With a population of 1,263 (2009), it is the most populated ...

and

. The Alento has 3

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 ...

: Palistro river and Badolato creek originate from the Mount Gelbison, Fiumicello creek originates from the Mount Stella.

Natural environment

The river, partly included in the territory of the Cilento National Park, counts a nature park named ''Oasi Fiume Alento'' ("Alento River Oasis") nearby the dam. Due to the integrity of its natural environment, the river is home to some rare species of animals, as the

European otter The Eurasian otter (''Lutra lutra''), also known as the European otter, Eurasian river otter, common otter, and Old World otter, is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia. The most widely distributed member of the otter subfamily (Lutrinae) of th ...

(''Lutra lutra'', rare in

) and the Italian bleak (''Alburnus albidus'').

References

External links

{{commons category-inline, Alento (Campania), Alento Rivers of the Province of Salerno Cilento Rivers of Italy Drainage basins of the Tyrrhenian Sea