Taro (river)

The Taro is a river Italy 126 km length, which has its source in the Apennin S of north and runs out in the province of Parma (Emilie-Romagna). It is an affluent of Right Bank of the Po.

Its catchment area represents 2.026 km ².

The course of the river

The river is born in the the Apennines from north on the Mont Penna (1 735 Mr.), in the zone which separates the Province from Genoa and the Province of Parma running out at the beginning in an extremely broken course.

It then bathes several urban centres among which Casale, Bedonia and Compiano.

Near the town of Borgo Valley di Taro, the river respectively receives on its right-hand side the torrent Gotra and on its left near the city the torrent Tarodine. It bathes Ostia Parmense increasing dimensions of its bed and running out beside the Autoroute of Cisa.

The river joined Fornovo di Taro where it doubles dimensions via its confluence of left the Ceno, although being its river binocular , it is not its principal confluence. Ceno also comes from the Penna mount.

From this place, the river becomes full reaching in certain points the kilometer of width and being divided into several minor arms.

It joined the center of Ponte Taro, the river is then emjambée initially by the Via Emilia then by the Autoroute Milan Bologna, after which it receives by its left the torrent Recchio. Its bed is tightened and it bathes, by meanders, the urban centres of Viarolo, Trecasali and Sissa.

A last affluent joined the river near Fontanelle: the torrent Stirone after which Taro is thrown by the line in the Po near Gramignazzo.

Mode

It is a river whose mode is typically torrential, with very important variations of the flow according to the seasons. In summer, it frequently happens that it is completely dry, while in period of rising, its flow reaches easily the 1.000 m ³ a second, and even the double for the risings known as centennial, like that of the November 9th 1982.

History

The valley of Taro was a long time an important way of passage through the the Apennines. It was crossed by old the Via Francigena, which borrowed in particular the French merchants and pilgrims going from Rome.

The river also gave its name to the department in 1808 at the time of the French occupation at the conclusion of the Campagne of Italy.

During centuries, the bed of the river underwent several derivations, most important is that near Sissa indeed with the Middle Ages, there exist documents which indicate that Taro was in the east of Palasone and threw itself in the vicinity of Coltaro.

Bridges

Among the bridges which cross Taro, there is the Ponte Taro , built by Marie-Louise of Austria, the " bridge of Diable" , located at Gramignazzo, thus called because it was bombarded several times but resisted and the bridge of San Secondo dedicated to Giovanni Faraboli, inaugurated the April 22nd 2004.

Nature

On part of its course, the 20 kilometers ranging between Fornovo di Taro and Big shot Taro on the Via Æmilia close to Parma, the river crosses the protected area of the regional river Parc of Taro, instituted in 1988. This zone is with the foot of the reliefs of the Apennines, with the entry in the plain of Po, where the bed of Taro widens and is encumbered sand small islands and gravels. It is a band which extends on the alluvial cone, very flat, of Taro, just downstream from its confluence with Ceno. It has a great botanical and ornithological diversity. Beyond, its course is spread out into many Méandre S in the plain of Po.

External bonds

regional river Park of Taro, official site (in Italian)

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