The river source is located east of the Kartitsch Saddle and the Puster Valley in the Tyrolean municipality of Obertilliach . It flows from west to east through the Southern Limestone Alps , between the Gailtal Alps in the north and the Carnic Alps in the south . The river reaches the state of Carinthia in Lesachtal and from Kötschach-Mauthen runs down the broader Gail Valley ( ) with its steep slopes , parallel to the borders with Italy and Slovenia . Beyond its confluence with the Slizza ( '' Gailitz '' ) tributary in Arnoldstein , the Gail joins the Drava River beneath the western Karawanks mountain range near the village of Maria Gail , part of the city of Villach . Following the 1348 Friuli earthquake , the river 's course near Villach was buried by a major landslide , causing extensive flooding . The rockslide region ( '' Schütt '' ) along a length of is still discernible on the steep slopes of Mt. Dobratsch north of Arnoldstein
1348 Friuli earthquake
1348 Friuli earthquake
Gail (river)