Tagliamento

The Tagliamento (Italian: [taʎʎaˈmento]; Friulian: Tiliment; Venetian: Tajamento) is a braided river in north-east Italy, flowing from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea at a point between Trieste and Venice. The Tagliamento river is considered as the last morphologically intact river in the Alps; its course has not been altered by human intervention. For this reason, it has been the subject of many scientific investigations into its peculiar characteristics: these include its 150 km long corridor which connects the Alps and the Adriatic Sea, its unconstrained floodplain, which hosts several aquatic and terrestrial habitats, and its over 600 islands. The source is in the Mauria Pass, on the border between the regions of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. In the upper section, it flows through the historic Carnia region, in the northern part of the province of Udine. In the middle and lower sections, it first sets the boundary between the provinces of Udine and Pordenone and later between the former and the Province of Venice. Finally, it flows into the Gulf of Venice between Lignano Sabbiadoro and Bibione. The watershed covers an area of 2,916 square kilometres (1,126 mi2) with a population of approximately 165,000. The watershed lies almost entirely in Carnia and the other mountain valleys of Friuli. 86.5% of the watershed is in the Province of Udine. The main towns along its banks are Latisana and San Michele al Tagliamento. In the vicinity of the river are the following towns: Tolmezzo, Gemona del Friuli, San Daniele del Friuli, Spilimbergo, Casarsa della Delizia, Codroipo, San Vito al Tagliamento, Pinzano al Tagliamento.