The river

The Panaro (Panèra, in Modenese), a tributary of the Po, draws its origins, in the Modenese portion of the northern Apennines, from a vast and complex range of rivers and streams. The course of the Panaro, properly so called, starts from the confluence of two branches called Scotenna and Leo. The regime is markedly torrential.The Park protects a short stretch of the river (about 3 kilometres), south of the Casona di Marano bridge, but it represents an evocative example of the river ecosystem, subject to protection by the Park, given the fragility of this environment and the high anthropic pressure to which it is subjected.
Historically the river has marked the border between the Byzantine territories (Guiglia) and the Langobardic (Marano sul Panaro). In the VII century, the Langobardic from the Parma Apennines settled west of the Panaro. To the east, however, there were the Byzantines, whose border (exarchate limes) passed from Pavullo, along the Panaro and before Marano, rose towards Bologna territory.