The Cenischia is a mountain torrent which straddles the south-west French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 department of Savoie

Savoie

Savoie is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes region in the French Alps.Together with the Haute-Savoie, Savoie is one of the two departments of the historic region of Savoy that was annexed by France on June 14, 1860, following the signature of the Treaty of Turin on March 24, 1860...

 and the north-west Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 Province of Turin

Province of Turin

The Province of Turin is a province in the Piedmont region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Turin.It has an area of 6,830 km², and a total population of 2,277,686 . There are 315 comuni in the province – the most of any province in Italy...

. Part of the Po basin, it is a left tributary of the Dora Riparia

Dora Riparia

The Dora Riparia is an Italian river, a left-hand tributary of the Po. It is 125 km long, with a 1,231 km² drainage basin. It originates in the Cottian Alps, close to the Col de Montgenèvre in France, where it is called the Piccola Dora...

 and forms the valley called the Val Cenischia which marks the boundary between the Graian Alps

Graian Alps

The Graian Alps are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in France , Italy , and Switzerland...

 to the north and the Cottian Alps

Cottian Alps

The Cottian Alps are a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps. They form the border between France and Italy...

 to the south.

The sources are in France near the Col du Mont Cenis (Italian: Colle del Moncenisio). Before crossing into Italy, the river is dammed to form the Lac du Montcenis which receives the water of a number of other torrents and is employed as a source of hydropower

Hydropower

Hydropower, hydraulic power, hydrokinetic power or water power is power that is derived from the force or energy of falling water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. Since ancient times, hydropower has been used for irrigation and the operation of various mechanical devices, such as...

.

The Cenischia flows out of the reservoir near Grand-Croix and, having crossed into Italy, passes through the settlements of Moncenisio, Novalesa

Novalesa

Novalesa is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 60 km west of Turin, on the border with France.As of 31 December 2004, Novalesa had a population of 560 and an area of 28.3 km²....

 and Venaus

Venaus

Venaus is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 50 km west of Turin, on the border with France...

 before meeting the Dora Riparia

Dora Riparia

The Dora Riparia is an Italian river, a left-hand tributary of the Po. It is 125 km long, with a 1,231 km² drainage basin. It originates in the Cottian Alps, close to the Col de Montgenèvre in France, where it is called the Piccola Dora...

 at Susa

Susa, Italy

Susa is a city and comune in Piedmont, Italy. It is situated on at the confluence of the Cenischia with the Dora Riparia, a tributary of the Po River, at the foot of the Cottian Alps, 51 km west of Turin.-History:...

.