Panorama showing a view of Florence from the southern banks of the Arno River near to Pescaia Di San Niccolo weir.

Arno River and Pescaia Di San Niccolo - Florence visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Arno River and Pescaia Di San Niccolo' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Tuscany.

The Arno River is one of the most important rivers in Tuscany after the Tiber. Rising on Mount Falterona in the Casentino, the Arno initially flows south before turning west finally entering the Ligurian Sea of the Mediterranean at Marina di Pisa in Pisa.

River Arno and Florence

The Arno flows through Florence from east to west, passing first under Ponte Vecchio and the Santa Trìnita bridge. From the 14th century the river provided an important source of both energy, water for the population and transport. The Wool Merchants' Guild ran several mills along the river and there two weirs were built to moderate the flow. The first is Pescaia Di San Niccolo and the second is Santa Rosa near Ponte Amerigo Vespucci.

Historically, Florence has suffered several devastating floods from the Arno. A flood in 1844 a flood washed out the San Ferdinando Bridge. A devastating flood in 1966 washed away part of the embankment, killing 40 people and damaging or destroying millions of works of art and rare books. Some of these works have since been restored, but countless others were damaged beyond repair or still await restoration.

The Arno can rise from near-dry to flood levels in a matter of days as water quickly runs off the mountains and hills.

Bus: Lupo - Il Chiosco Potenza (12, 23, 71, D)