Arno, Major river in Tuscany, Italy
The Arno begins in the Apennines and runs for 241 kilometers across Tuscany before emptying into the Ligurian Sea near Pisa. Its course passes through Florence and several smaller towns, moving from wooded hills to flatter plains.
The Etruscans settled along the river and used it for trade. In the Middle Ages it became important as a route for Florentine merchants and as a boundary between political territories.
The name of the river may come from an Etruscan root related to flowing water. Locals walk along its banks in several towns and often gather there in the evening.
Several dams regulate the river, which supplies drinking water to communities across the region. Visitors in Florence or Pisa can easily reach riverside paths for walking or resting.
More than 90 percent of fish species in the river originally came from elsewhere. This biological makeup is the result of introduced and settled species from other waters.
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