Acquafraggia (also Acqua Fraggia) is a short and frequently steep '' torrente'', or seasonal stream, of the

province of Sondrio The Province of Sondrio ( it, provincia di Sondrio) is in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. Its provincial capital is the city of Sondrio. As of 2017, it has a population of 181,403. History The Province was established in 1815, within ...

Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

, north

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Its source is on Pizzo del Lago, at an elevation of , on the north side of the

Val Bregaglia The Val Bregaglia ( lmo, Val Bregaja; german: Bergell, ; rm, ) is an alpine valley of Switzerland and Italy at the base of which runs the river Mera ( lmo, Maira in Switzerland). Most of the valley falls within the Swiss district of Maloja i ...

and close to the

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

border which here marks the limit of the Po

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...

. From here it flows in a southwesterly direction within the territory of the

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

Piuro Piuro (''Piür'' in the Chiavenna, local dialect) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sondrio in the Italy, Italian region Lombardy, located about north of Milan and about northwest of Sondrio, on the border with Switzerland. As of ...

until it joins the Mera as a right tributary at the locality of Borgonuovo, a little upstream from

Chiavenna Chiavenna ( lmo, Ciavèna ; la, Clavenna; rm, Clavenna or ''Claven''; archaic german: Cläven or ''Kleven'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sondrio in the northern Italian region of Lombardy. It is the centre of the Alpine ...

and the mouth of the Val Bregaglia. At an early point of its course the stream forms the lake of Acqua Fraggia at an elevation of {{convert, 2043, m, ft; it then runs through two

hanging valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...

s of

glacial A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betw ...

origins, emerging from each in a series of waterfalls, which were noted by

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

in the

Codex Atlanticus The Codex Atlanticus (Atlantic Codex) is a 12-volume, bound set of drawings and writings (in Italian) by Leonardo da Vinci, the largest single set. Its name indicates the large paper used to preserve original Leonardo notebook pages, which was us ...

. This has been a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

since 1983. File:Cascade Acquafraggia 2015 07 - with surroundings.jpg, Waterfall called Cascade Acquafraggia. From 2015-07. With surrounding File:Cascade Acquafraggia 2015 07.jpg, Waterfall called Cascade Acquafraggia. From 2015-07. Closeup File:Acquafraggia waterfall.jpg, Acquafraggia waterfall view from the top

References

Monumento Naturale Cascate dell'Acquafraggia
Rivers of the Province of Sondrio Val Bregaglia Waterfalls of Lombardy Rivers of Italy