Alto Adige is the Italian name of an area around the Alps from where it is originated the second main river in northern Italy: the "Adige". The history of the name indicates that the etymology comes from the river Adige, with "alto" meaning upper, because the upper part of the river flows through the province. The name was first created by the Napoleonic French to distinguish (point out difference) this Italian-speaking area from the Austrian empire's Tyrol, directly north.