The Aterno-Pescara (ancient ''Aternus'' from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

''Aternos'', ''Άτερνος'') 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 ...

system in

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...

, eastern central

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 ...

. The river is known as the Aterno near its source in the mountains, but takes the name Pescara, actually a tributary, nearer the city of

Pescara Pescara (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Pescàrë; nap, label= Pescarese, Piscàrë) is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 119,217 (2018) residents (and approxim ...

and the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...

. Having the greatest discharge basin of the rivers flowing into the Adriatic Sea south of the

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the c ...

, the Aterno has its origin in the

Monti della Laga Monti della Laga is a mountain range in the central Apennines of Italy. Their ruggedness and inaccessibility makes them one of the lesser known areas of the Italian peninsula. Geography The mountains run for a length of about between the Italia ...

, near Montereale and

Lago di Campotosto Lago di Campotosto ("Toughfield Lake") is an artificial lake in Abruzzo, Italy. The reservoir is located at an elevation of 1,313 m and comprises an area of 14 square kilometres. It is located in the natural park known as the "Gran Sasso e Mo ...

in the

province of L'Aquila The Province of L'Aquila ( it, Provincia dell'Aquila) is the largest, most mountainous and least densely populated province of the Abruzzo region of Central Italy. It comprises about half the landmass of Abruzzo and occupies the western part o ...

. The river flows in a southeastern direction past Pizzoli,

L'Aquila L'Aquila ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy. It is the capital city of both the Abruzzo region and of the Province of L'Aquila. , it has a population of 70,967 inhabitants. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valle ...

Paganica Paganica is a hillside town in the province of L'Aquila, in the Abruzzo region of southern Italy. located at 669 meters above sea level, at the foot of the Gran Sasso d'Italia, about 7 kilometers east of the historic center, along the state road ...

San Demetrio ne' Vestini San Demetrio ne'Vestini is a ''comune'' and town in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy In the 18th century, San Demetrio ne' Vestini was ruled by Duke Filippo Arcamone. His son Vincenzo later became the last duke of the town ...

, and

Castelvecchio Subequo Castelvecchio Subequo (also Subrequo and Subrego; la, Superaequum, ) is a ''comune'' and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region, central Italy, at the feet on Mount Sirente. History Ancient Superaequum was a town of the Paelig ...

through the Appennino Abruzzese mountains. It subsequently flows until the

Valle Peligna The Valle Peligna, also known as ''Conca di Sulmona'', is a plateau in central Abruzzo, southern Italy, included in the province of L'Aquila. It has a surface of some 100 km². The valley takes its name from the Paeligni. In prehistoric ...

(or

Sulmona Sulmona ( nap, label= Abruzzese, Sulmóne; la, Sulmo; grc, Σουλμῶν, Soulmôn) is a city and ''comune'' of the province of L'Aquila in Abruzzo, Italy. It is located in the Valle Peligna, a plain once occupied by a lake that disappeared in ...

plateau) near

Raiano Raiano (locally ''Raianë'') is a town and ''comune'' of the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Geography Raiano is located at above sea level, on the western side of the Peligna Valley. In his Naturalis Historia, Pliny the ...

, where it curves northward and receives its main tributary, the Sagittario. Later, near

Popoli Popoli is a '' comune'' and town in the province of Pescara in the Abruzzo region of Italy. History Though the site has not revealed significant Roman presence it appears in a ninth-century document as ''borgo di Pagus Fabianus''. Its name in m ...

, it crosses the border into the

province of Pescara The province of Pescara ( it, provincia di Pescara; Abruzzese: ') is a province in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Its provincial capital is the city Pescara, which has a population of 119,483 inhabitants. As of 2017, it has a total population of ...

and joins with the short, but large volumed, Pescara, by which name it is thenceforth usually known. The river flows in a northeast direction past

Tocco da Casauria Tocco da Casauria is a ''comune'' and town in the Province of Pescara in the Abruzzo region of Central Italy. The centre was known for centuries as simply Tocco, and the name "da Casauria" was added only after 1861. It rises on a hill between the ...

and Torre de' Passeri before forming the border between the province of Pescara and the

province of Chieti The province of Chieti ( it, provincia di Chieti; Abruzzese: ') is a province in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Its provincial capital is the city Chieti, which has a population of 50,770 inhabitants. The province has a total population of 387,649 ...

for a short distance. It flows into the Adriatic Sea at the city of Pescara.

References

Adriatic Italian coast basins Rivers of the Province of L'Aquila Rivers of the Province of Chieti Rivers of the Province of Pescara Rivers of Italy {{Italy-river-stub