Serchio
| Serchio | |
|---|---|
 the Serchio near Lucca | |
| Location | |
| Country | Italy |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Monte Sillano |
| • elevation | about 1,500 m (4,900 ft) |
| Mouth | Tyrrhenian Sea |
• coordinates | 43°47′N10°16′E/ 43.783°N 10.267°E |
| Length | 126 km (78 mi) |
| Basin size | 1,525 km2(589 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 46 m3/s (1,600 cu ft/s) |
TheSerchio(Italian:[ˈsɛrkjo];Latin:Auser) is the third longest river in the Italian region ofTuscanyat 126 kilometres (78 mi), coming after theArnoat 242 kilometres (150 mi) and theOmbrone,161 kilometres (100 mi). By mean rate of flow, it is the second largest, smaller than Arno but larger than Ombrone.
The principal source forms on the slopes of Monte Sillano, elevation 1,864 metres (6,115 ft) and is joined by a secondary branch, the Serchio di Gramolazzo, atPiazza al Serchio.
The river then crossesGarfagnanafrom north to south, fromSillanoto a location beyondCastelnuovo di Garfagnana;from here it continues through the Media Valle touching the municipal borders of theComuneofBargaand crossing the territory ofBorgo a Mozzano.In this section of the river, which is dammed in a number of places, it receives from the right the waters of the Edron, Tùrrite Secca, Tùrrite di Gallicano, Turrite Cava and the Pedogna; and from the left those of the Fiume, the Castiglione, the Sillico, and its most important tributary theLima.This last, which is born at the Passo dell'Abetone and collects the waters of theModeneseandPistoiesehigh Apennines, forms a sub-basin in its own right and achieves a mean discharge of more than 20 cubic metres per second (710 cu ft/s).
Having reached the plain ofLucca,where it is joined by the torrentFreddana,the Serchio turns westwards, crosses the “straits” ofFilettole,and enters theProvince of Pisa.Here it runs throughSan Giuliano TermeandVecchianobefore entering theTyrrhenian Seain the area of theParco di San Rossore,a few kilometres to the north ofPisa.
The national road SS 12 (Abetone–Brennero) follows the course of the Serchio already to a Lucca's valley, after going up untilBagni di Lucca; from here until the origins, from street to Capanne di Sillano and the step ofPradarena.
The localities that the river crosses are, in Garfagnana: Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, Barga, Bagni di Lucca; and inLucchesia:Borgo a Mozzano and Lucca.
