Water Myths and Legends of our Land

Questo video è stato realizzato da Giorgia Spinali, della classe I A r, dopo aver rielaborato in un lavoro di gruppo, guidato dalla prof.ssa Lipari Zaira,  i miti e le leggende sull’acqua della nostra tradizione legate al nostro territorio.

Italian hydrography: CLIL lesson

Introduction to morphology of the Italian peninsula

 1. Position and shape

The diverse and exquisite nature of the Geography of Italy accounts for its attractiveness which has made the country a popular travelers’ destination.

The country is basically a peninsula with a unique boot shape, extending into the blue waters of the Mediterranean. Surrounded by seas on all three sides, Italy possesses a distinct beauty of its own.

 2. Seas

The geographical features of Italy are varied; the south-western corner of the country is enveloped by Tyrrhenian Sea, while Adriatic Sea takes care of its north-eastern parts. The south-eastern Ionian Sea and the Ligurian Sea located in north-west Italy encircle the country from al possible sides and act as a shield of safety for Italy.

 3. Mountains

The geography of Italy has two mountain ranges, namely the Alps and the Apennines. The Apennine mountain range is the literal backbone of the country, surrounding the north-western parts, from where it goes to join the Alps.

The natural position of both these mountain ranges acquires the shape of an arc and this semicircular topography strengthens the northern boundaries of Italy which in the past made difficult any possible foreign invasions.

Mont Blanc, popularly known as Monte Bianco, 4810 meters above sea levels, is the highest Italian mountain summit.

 4. Volcanoes

The land also has two reputed volcanoes, among which Mount Vesuvius (1,281 m) close to Naples is presently in a dormant state. The other volcanic peak in Sicily, Mount Etna (3,326 m) is still very active, that seldom poses threat to the inhabitants of Italy.

Next to the mountains and the seas, come the valleys and the plain lands in the Geography of Italy

 5. Rivers

Italian rivers consist of a diversity of fluvial ecosystem ranging from Alpine glaciers-fed brooks and artificial canals. They all flow through densely populated areas.

Italian rivers are shorter than most other European rivers because of the shape of the Italian peninsula and of the Appennines that separate runoff along two opposites slopes in peninsular Italy.

In continental Italy, streams generally have relatively high discharge because of abundant rainfall and runoff from Alpine snowfields and glaciers.

The different geographic, morphological and climatic settings of the area determine only different stream types, but also different kinds of land use, and the degree of urbanization, pollution and impacts on water resources.

Although Italy is rich in water resources, the distribution is uneven, with the majority occurring in north 65%, 15% in the center, 12% in the south, and 8% in the main islands.

6. Po and Alpine rivers

Because of this variability, our primary focus is the Po river, the longest river of Italy (652 km) which forms the largest Italian plain and covers 24% of Italy.

Padan Plain is drained by the Po and its numerous tributaries and distributaries, mostly flowing down from the Alps and Apennines to join it. Some of the tributaries of Po River like Mincio, Dora Baltea, Trebbia and Secchia bring in extensive alluvial deposits on the plain, increasing its fertility and making it appropriate for cultivation.

Italy currently has a population of about  60.000.000 inhabitants with density of  200 inhabitans per km². Over 16 million people live within the Po river basin encompasses 3188 municipalities.

Other Alpine rivers include the Adige, the 2^nd longest Italian river and the Tagliamento because of its relatively pristine condition.

The Brenta river also was included because of its historical role in the region and as an example of a river with a mix  of natural and artificially regulated reaches.

7. Peninsular rivers

The two slopes of the central Appennines east towards the Adriatic sea and west towards the Tirrenian sea are strongly asymmetrical.

The western rivers are longer, more branched and flow in meandring valleys, whereas Eastern rivers that flow into the Adriatic sea have steep slopes, almost linear courses, few tributaries and are shorter than 100 km.

The chief peninsular rivers are the Arno and the Tiber. From its sources in the Apennines

The Arno flows west for about 240 km (about 150 mi), through a well-cultivated valley and the cities of Florence and Pisa.

The Tiber rises not far from the sources of the Arno and runs through the city of Rome

The Tiber and Arno rivers, two major Italian rivers, are good examples of central Appenine rivers that flow to the Tirrenian sea.

The Sangro in Campania was include as an example of a river flowing from the Adriatic Appennine slope.

Some other notable Italian rivers include:

Piave

Reno

Volturno

Isonzo

From the many interesting streams in the southern appennines, the Amendolea in Calabria was included as a typical ephemeral stream called “fiumara”.

Last, representative rivers from the two main Mediterrenean island are also presented: the Flumendosa in  Sardinia, and the Alcantara and Simeto in Sicily.

The rivers of the Italian Peninsula are shallow, often dry during the summer season, and consequently of little importance for navigation or industry

These rivers illustrate the complex array of Italian river ecosystems, although we are aware that several minor typologies tha we have omitted.

8. Lakes

Italy is also a land of lakes. The largest lake in Italy – Lake Garda covers a land area of 370 km². Mention may be made of some other lakes in the country too like:

Northern Italy

    Lake Como

    Lake Iseo

    Lake Maggiore

Central Italy

    Lake Bolsena

    Lake Bracciano

    Lake Trasimeno

All these fresh water lakes add to the scenic beauty of the land, making it more and more alluring to international tourists

Sicilian rivers

Sicilian RiverCloud

Sicilian rivers and lakes

The Sicilian island is drained by several rivers, most of which flow through the central area and enter the sea at the south of the island.

The Sicilian rivers are all limited in scope and extent. They are called north Apennine rivers, originating from the most important Sicilian mountain ranges, Nebrodi, Madonie and  Peloritani.

The rivers of Sicily are mostly torrential rivers because in summer they are almost  perpetually dry. They have a brief course and are called “fiumare”. They are very similar to those of Calabria.

The main rivers are the Alcantara, the Simeto and its tributary Gornalunga, the Anapo (leading to the Ionian coast); the Torto, or Northern Imera and the Oreto (that flow on the Tyrrhenian); the Dirillo, the Gela, the Salso or southern Imera, the Belice and the Platani (south coast).

The only rivers that reach appreciable size are Salso or southern Imera, the longest in the island, and Simeto, the one with the widest watershed.

The longest and with the more capacious course of water, are Simeto and Alcantara that flow in Ionian Sea.

Regarding the lakes, very few are of natural origin. One of the few remaining is the lake Pergusa. More numerous are the coastal lakes such as “Biviere  Gela” (LIPU nature reserve), the marshes of Pachino, Tindari and Messina.

The most important rivers have been barred by creating reservoirs exploited for  domestic  use and irrigation. Among the most important dams are Lake dell’Ancipa, Pozzillo (the largest in the  island), Lake Dirillo Disueri, all of a minimum flow.

In our area the Lake of Lentini, or “Biviere, was dried up during the Fascist government, because of the malaria, but now it has been artificially recreated and now it’s a very important area for birdwatching.

In our area, among the numerous important wildlife natural reserves and protected areas we chose to focus our attention to the river Anapo, the Cyane, a minor river of Syracusa, the enchanted lakelets of Pantalika and the salt ponds of Augusta.