Tiber

The Tiber flows 242 kilometers from Mount Fumaaiolo to the Tyrrhenian Sea. It runs across Umbria and Lazio and is the city of Rome's principal supply of water. The river's headwaters are two springs that are barely 33 feet apart and are known as Le Vene. Benito Mussolini erected an ancient marble Roman column where the river begins.

Several theories explain the derivation of the name Tiber, the most frequent of which being that it was derived from a mythological monarch named Tiberius. He is supposed to have perished in the river, and his name was afterward given to him. The river was vital in early Roman trade because ships could travel up to 50 miles upstream. In ancient Rome, the river was also used to dispose of executed prisoners. The Tiber River is associated with Rome, and Protestants use the phrase "swimming the Tiber" to describe someone who has converted to Roman Catholicism. The river is noted for its spectacular new bridges as well as a few historic bridges that are currently solely for pedestrians.

Length: 252 miles