<Tr> <Th> Basin size </Th> <Td> 17,375 km (6,709 sq mi) </Td> </Tr> <P> The Tiber (/ ˈtaɪbər /, Latin Tiberis, Italian Tevere, Italian pronunciation: (ˈteːvere)) is the third - longest river in Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia - Romagna and flowing 406 kilometres (252 mi) through Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio, where it is joined by the river Aniene, to the Tyrrhenian Sea, between Ostia and Fiumicino . It drains a basin estimated at 17,375 square kilometres (6,709 sq mi). The river has achieved lasting fame as the main watercourse of the city of Rome, founded on its eastern banks . </P> <P> The river rises at Mount Fumaiolo in central Italy and flows in a generally southerly direction past Perugia and Rome to meet the sea at Ostia . Popularly called flavus ("the blond"), in reference to the yellowish colour of its water, the Tiber has heavily advanced at the mouth by about 3 kilometres (2 miles) since Roman times, leaving the ancient port of Ostia Antica 6 kilometres (4 miles) inland . However, it does not form a proportional delta, owing to a strong north - flowing sea current close to the shore, to the steep shelving of the coast, and to slow tectonic subsidence . </P> <P> The source of the Tiber consists of two springs 10 metres (33 ft) away from each other on Mount Fumaiolo . These springs are called "Le Vene". The springs are in a beech forest 1,268 metres (4,160 ft) above sea level . During the 1930s, Benito Mussolini placed an antique marble Roman column at the point where the river arises, inscribed QUI NASCE IL FIUME SACRO AI DESTINI DI ROMA ("Here is born the river / sacred to the destinies of Rome"). There is an eagle on the top of this column . The first miles of the Tiber run through Valtiberina before entering Umbria . </P>

Where does the tiber river start and end