DESE

The mythological river

Dese stems from resurgent rivers, not far from the sources of the Sile, Marzenego, Draganziolo and Zero. It immediately reaches a noticeable capacity thanks to the contributions of the various reclamation canals deriving from the so-called hydraulic node of Castelfranco Veneto. It also presents slow, murky waters which traverse the provinces of Padua, Treviso and Venice, and it meets the sea in the Venetian Lagoon near the swamp of Cona. Its course was channelled almost immediately at its sources; in addition, the natural flow of the waters was altered by about fifteen levees at the height of as many windmills The most ancient historians identify the Dese with Eridesium and, according to Greek mythology, Phaethon fell into this river.