You might say Italy owes its existence to the Po River. More than 3000 years ago, the cattle-herders who named the territory surrounding the Po as “Italy” (meaning, “the places where calves are reared”), used the river to move northward.  Later, the Etruscans used the river as a natural division for their kingdom, separating it from the wild Celtic tribes on its northern bank. When the Romans later conquered both the Etruscans and Celts, they strung a series of fine cities along the river’s pretty loops and curves.

The Po River begins from a spring in the Alps, on Monte Viso, near Italy’s modern border with France. The river, the longest in Italy, flows eastward across the country, and empties into the Adriatic Sea near Venice.

The Po flows through many important cities in Italy including Ferrara and Torino. Leonardo da Vinci helped design a system of channels–still in use–that connect the Po to Milan.

I have the good fortune this summer to be living in one of the cities founded by the Romans, Torino.  The Po impresses itself upon you immediately upon arriving in this gracious city. There are many beautiful bridges that span the river.  I’ll be posting many pictures of the handsome river over the next weeks.  Still then, stay cool…if you can!