Valchiavenna - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Valchiavenna is an alpine

Alps

The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....

region located to the north of Lake Como

Lake Como

Lake Como is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of 146 km², making it the third largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore...

in the northern Italian province of Sondrio

Province of Sondrio

The Province of Sondrio is in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its capital is the town of Sondrio.It has an area of 3,212 km², and a total population of 176,856...

(Lombardy

Lombardy

Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...

). It is traversed by the rivers Mera and Liro

Liro (Sondrio)

The Liro is an Alpine torrente of the north Italian Province of Sondrio which rises near the Splügen Pass and the boundary with Switzerland. It runs the length of the Valle Spluga before joining the Mera from the right at Prata Camportaccio, a little southwest of Chiavenna...

, and can be divided into three parts which branch from the confluence of these rivers near Chiavenna, the principal town of the region.

The lower part, the Bassa Valchiavenna, follows the course of the Mera downstream through the Piano di Chiavenna to Lago di Mezzola

Lago di Mezzola

Lago di Mezzola is a small lake in the Italian region of Lombardy. It lies between the Pian di Spagna to the south, which divides it from Lake Como and is an ecologically important wetland habitat, and the Piano di Chiavenna to the north, which leads up to Chiavenna...

, and continues across the Pian di Spagna to Trivio di Fuentes near Colico

Colico

Colico is a comune in the province of Lecco, Lombardy, Italy. It is situated near the tip of the northern arm of Lake Como, where the river Adda enters the lake...

. Its territitory lies within the communes of Mese

Mese

Mese may refer to:*Mese, Burma, a town in Kayah State of eastern Myanmar*Mese, Lombardy, a comune in the province of Sondrio, Italy* Mese, the Hungarian name for Meşendorf village, Buneşti Commune, Braşov County, Romania...

, Prata Camportaccio

Prata Camportaccio

Prata Camportaccio is a comune in the Province of Sondrio in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 100 km north of Milan and about 40 km northwest of Sondrio...

, Gordona

Gordona

Gordona is a comune in the Province of Sondrio in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 90 km north of Milan and about 40 km northwest of Sondrio, on the border with Switzerland...

, Samolaco

Samolaco

Samolaco is a comune in the Province of Sondrio in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 90 km north of the regional capital Milan and about 40 km northwest of Sondrio...

, Novate Mezzola

Novate Mezzola

Novate Mezzola is a comune in the Province of Sondrio in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 90 km north of Milan and about 35 km west of Sondrio, on the border with Switzerland...

and Verceia

Verceia

Verceia is a comune in the Province of Sondrio in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 80 km northeast of Milan and about 30 km west of Sondrio. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,101 and an area of 11.2 km².Verceia borders the following municipalities: Dubino,...

.

The northern part consists of the Valle Spluga

Valle Spluga

The Valle Spluga, also known as the Val San Giacomo, is an Alpine valley in the north Italian Province of Sondrio , which extends from the Splügen Pass, on the border with Switzerland, south to Chiavenna. It is the valley of the river Liro....

, the valley of the Liro

Liro (Sondrio)

river which leads up to the Splügen Pass

Splügen Pass

The Splügen Pass is a high mountain pass which marks the boundary between the Lepontine and Rhaetian Alps....

on the border with Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

and includes the communes of San Giacomo Filippo

San Giacomo Filippo

San Giacomo Filippo is a comune in the Province of Sondrio in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 100 km north of Milan and about 45 km northwest of Sondrio, on the border with Switzerland...

, Madesimo

Madesimo

Madesimo is a comune in the Province of Sondrio in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 110 km north of Milan and about 50 km northwest of Sondrio, on the border with Switzerland....

, and Campodolcino

Campodolcino

Campodolcino is a comune in the Province of Sondrio in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 100 km north of Milan and about 50 km northwest of Sondrio, on the border with Switzerland...

.

The third subdivision of Valchiavenna is the Italian part (communes of Villa di Chiavenna

Villa di Chiavenna

Villa di Chiavenna is a comune in the Province of Sondrio in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 100 km north of Milan and about 35 km northwest of Sondrio, on the border with Switzerland....

and Piuro

Piuro

Piuro is a comune in the Province of Sondrio in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 100 km north of Milan and about 40 km northwest of Sondrio, on the border with Switzerland...

) of the Val Bregaglia

Val Bregaglia

The Val Bregaglia or Bergell Tal is an alpine valley of Switzerland and Italy at the base of which runs the river Mera River...

, which is the upper valley of the Mera and rises eastward towards the Passo del Maloja.

The Comunità Montana della Valchiavenna, which coincides approximately with the Valchiavenna, includes the thirteen communes of Campodolcino