Piave

Piave (pyä`vā), river, c.137 mi (220 km) long, rising in the Carnic Alps, Venetia, NE Italy, and flowing generally S, past Belluno, to the Gulf of Venice. The upper Piave basin is subject to severe seasonal flooding (see Vaiont Dam). Hydroelectric power is produced along the upper Piave; the lower river is used for irrigation. In World War I, after their defeat at Caporetto (1917), the Italians withdrew to the Piave. Despite fierce onslaughts by the Austrians, the line was held until Oct., 1918, when the Austrians were routed by a combined Allied attack.

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Piave

a river in NE Italy, rising near the border with Austria and flowing south and southeast to the Adriatic: the main line of Italian defence during World War I. Length: 220 km (137 miles)

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Piave 

a river in northern Italy. It is 220 km long and drains an area of 4,100 sq km. The Piave originates in the Carnic Alps; its upper and middle courses flow in deep mountain valleys. The lower reaches emerge onto a plain, flow in a canal stream, and empty into the Gulf of Venice of the Adriatic Sea. The river is fed by snow and rain; there are flash floods in spring, summer, and fall. The mean flow rate in the lower course is 120 cu m per sec. The Sovérzene and Fadalto hydroelectric power plants are situated on the Piave and its tributaries. The river is navigable for small vessels for 34 km from the mouth. The cities of Belluno and San Donà di Piave are on the Piave.