The name of the river has the same etymology as the name of the Rhine, as both derive from the same Celtic hydronym Rēnos, the Reno basin being situated within Gallia Cisalpina, in what was the territory of the Boii before the Roman conquest of 220 BC.

The river is mentioned by Dante Alighieri in Canto XVIII of his Inferno where he defines the Bolognesi as those "living between the Savena and the Reno".

[1] The river rises at the north side of the Apennine Mountains at about 1,010 m (3,310 ft) above sea level near the village Prunetta in the province of Pistoia (Tuscany).

The Reno was a tributary of the Po near Ferrara until the second half of the 18th century when its course was diverted to lessen the risk of devastating floods.

[2] The most important tributaries include the Limentra orientale, Silla, Setta, Samoggia, Idice, Sillaro, Santerno and Senio.