The river starts as Aterno on the "Monti della Laga" (a mountain range in the central Apennines) flowing mainly through the provinces of L'Aquila and Pescara; it flows also through the Chieti but only for a short distance. In the "comune" of Popoli, the river is joined by the "Pescara" river and then flows into the Adriatic Sea in the city of Pescara.