River
Fluvius Aventia
Avenza (Hülsen) · Carrione (Barrington) · Serchio (Miller)
Listen to the story
A winding river line that rises in the Apennines and runs down to the Tyrrhenian Sea carries the label Fluvius Aventia, a name found in no other ancient source. It is usually taken for the Avenza, a small stream from the Apuan Alps that reaches the sea at Marina di Carrara. Yet the map puts its mouth south of Pisa, whereas the real Avenza flows out north of it. Scholars suspect the river names here slipped two places, so the line drawn is probably the Arno. The humble stream earned its place through marble: its valley crossed the famous Apuan quarries, and the stone was dragged down it to the beach for shipping.