Adige
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| Adige | |
|---|---|
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| Origin | Lake Resia, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol |
| Mouth | Adriatic Sea |
| Basin countries | Italy |
| Length | 410 km |
| Source elevation | 1,550 |
| Basin area | 12,100 km² |
The Adige (Italian Adige; German: Etsch) is a river with its source in the Alpine region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol near the Italian border to Austria and Switzerland. At 410 km in length, 220 located in South Tyrol, it is the second longest river in Italy, after the Po River with 652 km.
The river flows out of the artificial Alpine Lake Resia, located at the Resia Pass (1504 m) close to the borders with Austria and Switzerland above the Inn valley. The lake is known for the church tower that marks the site of the former village of Alt-Graun that was abandoned and flooded in 1953 when the dam was finished. Near Glurns, the Rom River from the Swiss Val Müstair joins.
The Adige then runs eastbound through the Vinschgau to Merano where it is met by the Passeier river from the north. South of Bolzano, the Eisack joins the river that is now heading south through a valley that always has been one of the major routes through the Alps, leading to and from the Resia Pass and the Brenner Pass, at 1370 m considered the easiest of the main Alpine passes.
The Salurner Klause narrows at Salorno mark the southern-most part of the German-speaking area. Thus, the Etsch was mentioned in the Lied der Deutschen of 1841 as the southern border of the German speaking area and a yet-to-unite Germany. This song was made the national anthem of Germany in 1922, after the Etsch (and also all three other borders mentioned) were lost.
Near Trento, the Noce, Avisio and Fersina rivers join. The Adige then crosses Trentino and later Veneto, flowing past the city of Verona and the towns of Rovereto and Adria through the Lagarina valley and the north-eastern part of the Po plain into the Adriatic sea. Both the Adige and the Po run parallel in the river delta without properly joining.
As a river in the mountains, it is subject to sudden swellings and overflowings. It is also connected through artificial underground canals to Lake Garda for flood prevention.
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