The Serchio (; la, Auser) is the third longest river in the Italian region of
Tuscany
it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman)
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at , coming after the
Arno
The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber.
Source and route
The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a so ...
at and the
Ombrone
The Ombrone (Latin: ''Umbro'') is a long river in Tuscany, central Italy.
The Ombrone's source is at San Gusmè, near Castelnuovo Berardenga, on the south-eastern side of the Monti del Chianti. After a twisting route, it receives the waters of ...
, . By mean rate of flow, it is the second largest, smaller than Arno but larger than Ombrone.
The principal source forms on the slopes of Monte Sillano, elevation and is joined by a secondary branch, the Serchio di Gramolazzo, at
Piazza al Serchio.
The river then crosses
Garfagnana
The Garfagnana () is a historical and geographical region of central Italy, today part of the province of Lucca, in Tuscany. It is the upper valley or basin of the river Serchio, and thus lies between the main ridge of the Northern Apennines to ...
from north to south, from
Sillano to a location beyond
Castelnuovo di Garfagnana
Castelnuovo di Garfagnana is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Lucca, Toscana, central Italy. It is located at the confluence of the Serchio and the Turrite Secca rivers, close to the intersection of roads passing through the Apennine Mount ...
; from here it continues through the Media Valle touching the municipal borders of the
Comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions (''Regions of Italy, regioni'') and provinces (''Provinces ...
of
Barga and crossing the territory of
Borgo a Mozzano. In this section of the river, which is dammed in a number of places, it receives from the right the waters of the Edron, Tùrrite Secca, Tùrrite di Gallicano, Turrite Cava and the Pedogna; and from the left those of the Fiume, the Castiglione, the Sillico, and its most important tributary the
Lima
Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...
. This last, which is born at the Passo dell'Abetone and collects the waters of the
Modenese and
Pistoiese
Unione Sportiva Pistoiese 1921 is an Italian association football club, based in Pistoia, Tuscany. Currently, Pistoiese plays in Serie D. Originally founded on 21 April 1921 and later restored after bankruptcy, the team plays their home games ...
high Apennines, forms a sub-basin in its own right and achieves a mean discharge of more than .
Having reached the plain of
Lucca
Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957.
Lucca is known as one ...
, where it is joined by the torrent
Freddana, the Serchio turns westwards, crosses the “straits” of
Filettole, and enters the
Province of Pisa. Here it runs through
San Giuliano Terme
San Giuliano Terme is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pisa in the Italian region Tuscany, located about west of Florence and about northeast of Pisa.
Main sights
The area of the Pisa hills was already an attraction for enl ...
and
Vecchiano before entering 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 p ...
in the area of the
Parco di San Rossore, a few kilometres to the north of
Pisa
Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the c ...
.
The national road SS 12 (
Abetone –
Brennero) follows the course of the Serchio already to a Lucca's valley, after going up until
Bagni di Lucca;
from here until the origins, from street to Capanne di Sillano and the step of
Pradarena.
The localities that the river crosses are, in Garfagnana: Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, Barga, Bagni di Lucca; and in
Lucchesia: Borgo a Mozzano and Lucca.
See also
*
Ponte della Maddalena
External links
Authority of river basinTourism
{{Authority control
Drainage basins of the Tyrrhenian Sea
Rivers of Italy
Rivers of Tuscany
Rivers of the Province of Lucca
Rivers of the Province of Pisa