Dear Luisma,

I have previously referred to the River Hamble in Hampshire, which was Hamele 901, and connected the name with Basque amil "ravine".

Another probable British example of this stem is Ambleside, Cumbria. This was Amelsate 1275. The second element is Nordic, but the first is much older. Ambleside is in fact built on either side of a ravine, so amil is most appropriate. (The Roman fort of Galavum was about half a mile to the south of the town at the head of Lake Windermere.)

An Italian example is Amalfi, south of Naples. This was known to the Romans as Civitas Amalfitanum. The first element is clearly amil. The second may be -be "below", the b having softened to f due to Etruscan influence. The whole would mean "at the base of the ravine", which is precisely where Amalfi is.

With best wishes,

Angus J Huck