The Merse is an Italian river, a right tributary of 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 t ...

. It runs through

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

for a distance of about 70 km and is the river of the

Val di Merse Val di Merse is one of the regions of the province of Siena, in Tuscany, on the border with the Upper Maremma. The territory comprises the area between the rivers Farma and Merse. Notable monuments in the area include the Abbey of San Galgano ...

. Its sources are near Poggio Croce di Prata and Poggio di Montieri in the range of hills known as the

Colline Metallifere The Colline Metallifere (), or the Metalliferous Hills ("Metal-bearing Hills"), are a mountain-hill group in the Tuscan Antiapennine, in central Italy. They occupy the central-western part of Tuscany, divided between the provinces of Livorno, ...

. From here it takes a north-easterly direction for the first half of its course before turning sharply to the south-east. At Pontiella it receives from the right the waters of the

Farma ''The Farm'' is a reality competition television franchise created by the Swedish producer Strix. Sold to more than 40 countries, ''The Farm'' is one of their most popular formats, including ''Survivor'', '' The Bar'' or '' Fame Factory''. In som ...

, a torrent born at Torniella, again in the Colline Metallifere). After a few kilometres the Merse enters the

at Pian di Rocca which lies half-way between the

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneothe ...

of Bagni di Petriolo to the west and Castiglione del Bosco to the east. The river has recently suffered from sulphurous

pollutants A pollutant or novel entity is a substance or energy introduced into the environment that has undesired effects, or adversely affects the usefulness of a resource. These can be both naturally forming (i.e. minerals or extracted compounds like o ...

deriving from the old and neglected mine-workings in the upper part of its course. Fish are far less plentiful than in the past, which may be put down to the exploitation of its waters for irrigation during the summer months; nevertheless there are many cyprinids, and pike are also found. The white mill which gives its name to the Mulino Bianco biscuit manufacturers is located on the upper course of the river: it was constructed in the early 13th century by monks from the nearby abbey of Serena.

External links

L'inquinamento del Merse

Rivers of the Province of Grosseto Rivers of the Province of Siena Rivers of Italy {{Italy-river-stub