The Tiber River in Italy

The rivers in Italy are incredibly beautiful and picturesque, along their banks are colorful towns, each of which has its own characteristics, unique culture, history and traditions. The Tiber River is one of the most important waterways of the Italian capital - Rome.

Geography of the Tiber

In ancient times people always tried to settle near water sources. The river on the Roman hills, too, was no exception. It was quite a convenient and reasonable place to build settlements. The Tiber River, about 405 kilometers in length, takes its origins in the Apennines. Its path lies along numerous gorges. The lower channel passes along the plain of Maremma. As smooth descent, the powerful mountain stream is transformed into a full-flowing river, into which many tributaries and small streams flow.

The main part flows along the ancient Roman canal through the territory of Umbria and Lazio, and then carries its water element directly to the Tyrrhenian Sea. The vast delta is about 250 square kilometers. The river Tiber is fed mainly by rainfall, floods are frequent, it sometimes comes to serious floods. Tiber is the river on which the capital of Italy Rome was founded.

Bridges

The river is crossed not only by modern buildings, but also by a number of ancient bridges, among them the Saint Angel Bridge and the Mulviev Bridge are partially preserved, and the Fabricius Bridge is entirely in its place. Among the new - bridges, named after Queen Margarita, Pietro Nenni and Umberto I.

Why is the Tiber River so called?

The name can have an Old Russian or Italian origin. According to legend, the river was named in honor of the legendary ruler Tiberin Sylvia, drowned in the river with the name of Albula, which after that was named in memory of the great king.

According to myths, he became a river spirit-patron of thanks to Jupiter, who gave the ruler a divine power. Therefore, traditionally the river began to be portrayed in the image of a muscular male god in a half-lying position, the streams of water flowing from the hair and beard of which the horn of plenty is in hand . The scientific version of the name is not so romantic. According to him, the root of the word "tibre" is translated from the Celtic as "water".

A short digression from the history

After the river was clogged and chipped in the 1st century BC, movement along it was hampered, which also had a negative impact on the development of trade relations. In the 7th-8th centuries of our era, numerous attempts were made to improve the river navigation system. It was directly influenced by the popes of Rome from the Vatican.

Already in the XIX century, we approached seriously the problem of clearing the clogged bottom, and the trade routes were renewed. However, with a decrease in the commercial value of the river, as compared with the ancient times in the twentieth century, the purity of steel became less and less important.

The Tiber is famous for its floods, as it often leaves the coast. The plains lowland of the Champ de Mars, where the Tiber River regularly left the banks, was especially affected by this. In 1876, it was decided to build up embankments that were elevated to a decent distance from the water, which would not be able to flood the mighty Tiber.

River Park

The 50 km long Tiber River is located in the attractive tourist area of the country - Umbria, the so-called green heart of Italy. This amazing place is visited not only by tourists and travelers, scientists and researchers have repeatedly come here to explore the secrets of the forgotten past while carrying out archaeological excavations and to study the geological features of this locality.

In the river park there are beautiful places, among which is an incredibly charming canyon of trout, over which hawks and vultures circulate, hills in the Prodo and Titignano, and an artificial reservoir in Corbara. In addition to trout, due to the construction of the dam, they are engaged in breeding carps and eels.

On the coastal territory of the park and to this day find traces of life of ancient peoples - the Etruscans and Romans. Most archaeological sites are located in this attractive tourist region. And now it is not just the river Tiber (photo below), which is used for trade, it is an integral part of the cultural heritage of the resort areas of Umbria.

Magnificent view from the river to the Tiber Island

One legend says that initially there was no island on this place, but it was formed from an inverted ship. To save the city from the pest in 293, the townspeople went to Greece, to the ancient city of Epidaurus, to send their prayers to the god of health Esculapus. Upon returning home, a large snake crawled out of the ship and disappeared into the mighty waters. The boat turned over and became an islet.

The Tiburan island is located in the middle of the river, in the heart of Rome, and for a long time served as a place for wading, and later on this place a bridge was built. Previously, this was the natural boundary between the possessions of the Etruscans, Sabines and Roman lands. In ancient Rome, it was a profitable shipping way, and during the military conflicts of the III century BC. E. Here the strategically important military objects of the Romans were based.

River view of Rome's sights

On the sides of the river are pedestrian paths. On the right you can see the building of the Marcellus Theater, which looks like a Greek Colosseum. From the embankment there is a wonderful view of St. Paul's Cathedral, more precisely on its dome. In the distance, you can see the Palace of Justice with an elegant addition in the form of the bridge Ponte Umberto.

The most famous Roman sights are also concentrated on the embankment, including the Mausoleum of Hadrian (it is also called the castle of Saint Angel). They say that the remains of the Roman rulers rested here. Quite near is the interesting building from the architectural point of view of the Palace of Justice. And after going a little further, you can see an unusual church in the style of the neo-Gothic.

Walking along the Tiber River

The Tiber was built many berths, where ships stretched with goods collected from the numerous Roman colonies in the Mediterranean. Already later he was included in the sewage system of the city. There was an opportunity to send the river to the city center. Tiber, therefore, has economic significance.

Walking along the Tiber River promenade, you can even get to the stadium "Olympic". But this place will attract football fans, who want to watch matches of local teams. Thirsty tourists are better to visit other interesting places. For example, the same embankment, only at night. There is some special charm, with the light of numerous lanterns and searchlights it acquires a completely different appearance, it becomes even more mysterious and attractive.

Now the Tiber River in Italy is a worthy landmark of the Italian capital and is actively used for tourist purposes. She is fond of local anglers, as well as rowers. On the spot where the Tiber River is located, time seemed to be frozen. Especially if you observe the following picture: early in the morning, when there is practically no wind, the sky is covered with a transparent haze of clouds, and ancient bridges and palaces are located around. Very similar to the beginning of an ancient Roman fairy tale. One of the brightest memories of Rome, which tourists and guests of the city take with them, is the picturesque embankment of the river.