Lago di Mergozzo
Encyclopedia
Lago di Mergozzo is a small sub-alpine lake
in northern Italy
just to the west of Lago Maggiore and north of Lago d'Orta, at the mouth of the Val d’Ossola in the province of Verbano Cusio Ossola, Piedmont
.
In ancient times it was the extreme point of the short northwestern arm of Lago Maggiore, formed by glaciation. However repeated flooding of Maggiore’s tributary the Toce
deposited sediment which gradually formed a stretch of land which cut off Mergozzo from the larger expanse of water, and from the Toce itself. Today the settlement of Fondotoce (a frazione
of Verbania
) stands on this alluvial plain
. The small town Mergozzo
, which lies at the other end of the lake, gives it its name. The greater part of the lake falls within the commune
of Mergozzo, the rest within Verbania.
Monte Orfano (790 m) rises from the south-west shore of the lake; the limestone
rocks of which it is composed are heavily quarried. On the opposite side of the lake the mountains form the beginning of the Corni di Nibbio chain which divides the Val d’Ossola from the Valgrande and its National Park.
The lake is fed by the waters of a number of clean mountain streams, the two most important being the Rio Bracchio and the Rio Rescina. Its sole outlet is the 1.7 km canal which links it to Lago Maggiore near Fondotoce. The difference in levels between the two lakes is slight, and when Maggiore is in flood, the flow of water in the canal goes into reverse. This opens up the possibility of pollutants entering Lago Mergozzo. Nevertheless, today the lake, where the use of motor boats has long been forbidden, is one of the least polluted in Italy; it has become a tourist destination particularly popular with people from Germany
.
Species found in the lake include, pikeperch
, common whitefish
, brown trout
, Arctic char
, bleak
, chub
, Danube roach
(Rutilus pigus), common carp
, rudd
, tench
, triotto (Rutilus aula
), savetta, or Italian nase
(Chondrostoma soetta), twait shad
, northern pike
, perch
, black bass
, pumpkinseed
(Lepomis gibbosus), eel
and burbot
.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in northern Italy
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...
just to the west of Lago Maggiore and north of Lago d'Orta, at the mouth of the Val d’Ossola in the province of Verbano Cusio Ossola, Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
.
In ancient times it was the extreme point of the short northwestern arm of Lago Maggiore, formed by glaciation. However repeated flooding of Maggiore’s tributary the Toce
Toce
The Toce is a river in Piedmont, Italy, which stretches the length of the Val d'Ossola from the Swiss border to Lake Maggiore into which it debouches near Fondotoce in the Commune of Verbania. The river is c. 76 kilometres in length and is formed in the upper Val Formazza by the confluence of a...
deposited sediment which gradually formed a stretch of land which cut off Mergozzo from the larger expanse of water, and from the Toce itself. Today the settlement of Fondotoce (a frazione
Frazione
A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
of Verbania
Verbania
Verbania is a city and comune on the shore of Lake Maggiore, Piedmont, in northwest Italy, about north-west of Milan and about from Locarno in Switzerland.-Overview:...
) stands on this alluvial plain
Alluvial plain
An alluvial plain is a relatively flat landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms...
. The small town Mergozzo
Mergozzo
Mergozzo is a comune in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 120 km northeast of Turin and about 9 km northwest of Verbania....
, which lies at the other end of the lake, gives it its name. The greater part of the lake falls within the commune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
of Mergozzo, the rest within Verbania.
Monte Orfano (790 m) rises from the south-west shore of the lake; the limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
rocks of which it is composed are heavily quarried. On the opposite side of the lake the mountains form the beginning of the Corni di Nibbio chain which divides the Val d’Ossola from the Valgrande and its National Park.
The lake is fed by the waters of a number of clean mountain streams, the two most important being the Rio Bracchio and the Rio Rescina. Its sole outlet is the 1.7 km canal which links it to Lago Maggiore near Fondotoce. The difference in levels between the two lakes is slight, and when Maggiore is in flood, the flow of water in the canal goes into reverse. This opens up the possibility of pollutants entering Lago Mergozzo. Nevertheless, today the lake, where the use of motor boats has long been forbidden, is one of the least polluted in Italy; it has become a tourist destination particularly popular with people from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Fish
Zander
Zander is a species of fish. The scientific name is Sander lucioperca , and it is closely allied to perch. Zander are often called pike-perch as they resemble the pike with their elongated body and head, and the perch with their spiny dorsal fin. Zander are not, as is commonly believed, a pike and...
, common whitefish
Common whitefish
Coregonus lavaretus is a species of freshwater whitefish, in the family Salmonidae. It is the type species of its genus Coregonus.There are widely different concepts about the number of species in the genus Coregonus and the delimitation of the species Coregonus lavaretus.-Lavaret:In a narrow...
, brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
, Arctic char
Arctic char
Arctic char or Arctic charr is both a freshwater and saltwater fish in the Salmonidae family, native to Arctic, sub-Arctic and alpine lakes and coastal waters. No other freshwater fish is found as far north. It is the only species of fish in Lake Hazen, on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic...
, bleak
Bleak
The common bleak is a small pelagic fish of the Cyprinid family. It is often referred to simply as a "bleak", though this term can refer to any species of Alburnus.-Description:...
, chub
European chub
The European chub , sometimes called the round chub, fat chub, chevin, pollard or simply "the" chub, is a freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae...
, Danube roach
Danube Roach
The Danube Roach is a species of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family.It is found in Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ukraine.-Source:...
(Rutilus pigus), common carp
Common carp
The Common carp is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia. The wild populations are considered vulnerable to extinction, but the species has also been domesticated and introduced into environments worldwide, and is often considered an invasive...
, rudd
Rudd
The common rudd Scardinius erythropthalmus is a bentho-pelagic freshwater fish, widely spread in Europe and middle Asia, around the basins of the North, Baltic, Black, Caspian and Aral seas.-Artificially introduced:...
, tench
Tench
The tench or doctor fish is a freshwater and brackish water fish of the cyprinid family found throughout Eurasia from Western Europe including the British Isles east into Asia as far as the Ob and Yenisei Rivers. It is also found in Lake Baikal...
, triotto (Rutilus aula
Rutilus aula
Rutilus aula is a species of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family.It is found in Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, and Switzerland.Its natural habitats are rivers and freshwater lakes.-References:* Crivelli, A.J. 2005. . Downloaded on 19 July 2007....
), savetta, or Italian nase
Italian Nase
The Italian Nase is a species of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family. It is found in Italy, Slovenia, and Switzerland. Its natural habitats are rivers and freshwater lakes. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
(Chondrostoma soetta), twait shad
Twait shad
The twait shad or twaite shad is a species of fish in the Clupeidae family.-Location:It is found in Albania, Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malta,...
, northern pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
, perch
European perch
The European perch, Perca fluviatilis, is a predatory species of perch found in Europe and Asia. In some areas it is known as the redfin perch or English perch, and it is often known simply as perch. The species is a popular quarry for anglers and has been widely introduced beyond its native area,...
, black bass
Black bass
Micropterus , is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is M. dolomieu, the smallmouth bass...
, pumpkinseed
Pumpkinseed
The pumpkinseed sunfish is a freshwater fish of the sunfish family of order Perciformes. It is also referred to as "pond perch", "common sunfish", "punkys", and "sunny".-Range and distribution:...
(Lepomis gibbosus), eel
European eel
The European eel, Anguilla anguilla, is a species of eel, a snake-like, catadromous fish. They can reach in exceptional cases a length of 1½ m, but are normally much smaller, about 60–80 cm, and rarely more than 1 m....
and burbot
Burbot
The burbot is the only gadiform fish inhabiting freshwaters. It is also known as mariah, the lawyer, and eelpout. It is closely related to the marine common ling and the cusk...
.
Further reading
- Comune di Mergozzo – Lago e montagna , as cited above.