River
Fluvius Varusa
Stura di Demonte-Tanaro? [1] · Varva [3]
Listen to the story
No ancient writer mentions the Fluvius Varusa. The river is known only from the Tabula, where it rises in the mountains, winds past the drawing of Turin and flows straight into the Po. Where it really ran is disputed. Suggestions range from a small stream coming off Monte Viso to the Stura near Casale Monferrato, but the likeliest candidate is the Stura di Demonte together with the Tanaro, into which it runs, since the map often merges a tributary with its main river. A Roman road followed that valley up to the Maddalena pass. The name probably goes back to an old root meaning water, and it echoes the river Var, which rises on the far side of the same mountains.