Italy's longest river, watering the fertile northern plain that feeds much of the country.
Length
652 km
Source
Cottian Alps, Italy
Mouth
Adriatic Sea
Continent
Europe
Countries
Italy
Did you know?
The Po valley is Italy's agricultural and industrial heartland, producing its rice, Parmesan and much more.
Little-known fact
The river is slowly sinking its delta and the land around it, so cities like Venice nearby face ever-higher seas.
Highlights
- Italy's longest river
- Waters Italy's richest farmland
- Builds a slowly sinking delta
Life in the Po
The fish and animals, waterbirds and water plants — including some of the rarest — that this water supports.
Animals & fish
Wels catfish
A monstrous European catfish that can top 2.5 m and has learned to beach itself to catch pigeons.
Eurasian otter
A sleek, playful hunter whose return to a river is a sign the water has run clean again.
Waterbirds
Common kingfisher
A dazzling blue-and-orange dart that plunges from a perch to spear fish in an instant.
Grey heron
A patient, statue-still angler that stalks the shallows of rivers and lakes across the Old World.
Mute swan
The great white swan of European waters, gliding in pairs that often mate for life.
Water plants & reeds
Common reed
The tall, feathery grass that forms the vast reedbeds fringing rivers and lakes, sheltering countless birds.
Interactive · 3D journey
Journey of a river · source → sea
Every river runs the same great journey — from an icy mountain spring, down through gorges and looping meanders, to a wide delta where it meets the sea. Tap a stage to follow the water downstream.
Tip: hover to tilt the valley · tap a stage to float downstream
The Source
Every river begins high up — in a mountain spring, a melting glacier or a boggy upland. The water is cold, clear and fast, tumbling down the steepest ground of its whole journey.
Landforms here