Dora Baltea () or Doire Baltée () is a river in northwestern

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 ...

. It is a left-hand tributary of the Po and is about long.

Name

The river's

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

name was ''Duria maior'', ''Duria Baltica'' or ''Duria Bautica''.

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...

called it Δουριας (''Dourias'') in Greek. The name "Duria" is from the

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

root *''dubr-'' ("flow"), found in many European river names such as Douro / Duero; it derives from Proto-Indo-European *''dʰew-'' ("flow"). The second part may derive from the Illyrian root *''balta'' ("‘swamp, marsh, white clay"). In the local languages, the river is called , frp, label= Valdôtain, Djouiye;Djouiye - Site web du francoprovençal valdôtain.
/ref> pms, Deura Bàotia.

Geography

It originates by

Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (french: Mont Blanc ; it, Monte Bianco , both meaning "white mountain") is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, rising above sea level. It is the second-most prominent mountain in Europe, after Mount Elbrus, and i ...

as the confluence of the Dora di Ferret, fed by the Pré de Bar Glacier in

Val Ferret Val Ferret is the name shared by two valleys separated by the Col Ferret, a pass on the border between Italy and Switzerland. The valleys lie southeast of Mont Blanc Massif. The Swiss valley drains northeast towards Orsières and on into the Rh ...

, and the

Dora di Veny Dora may stand for: * Dora (given name) Places United States *Dora, Alabama * Dora, Arkansas * Dora, Missouri * Dora, New Mexico * Dora, Oregon * Dora, Pennsylvania * Mount Dora, Florida Other countries * Lake Dora (Tasmania) * Lake Dora (We ...

, fed by the

Miage Glacier The Miage Glacier (french: Glacier du Miage; it, Ghiacciaio del Miage) is a debris-covered glacier in the upper Aosta Valley, in northwestern Italy. Description It is situated on the southwest flank of the Mont Blanc massif, flowing from the ...

and Brenva Glacier in

Val Veny Val Veny (also Val Vény) is a lateral valley of the Mont Blanc massif, lying to the south-west of Courmayeur. The valley head is at the Seigne Pass. Geography Val Veny was formed by two glaciers: the Miage Glacier and the Brenva Glacier. ...

. As it crosses the

Aosta Valley , Valdostan or Valdotainian it, Valdostano (man) it, Valdostana (woman)french: Valdôtain (man)french: Valdôtaine (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = Official languages , population_blank1 = Italian French ...

, the Dora Baltea flows through the city of

Aosta Aosta (, , ; french: Aoste , formerly ; frp, Aoûta , ''Veulla'' or ''Ouhta'' ; lat, Augusta Praetoria Salassorum; wae, Augschtal; pms, Osta) is the principal city of Aosta Valley, a bilingual region in the Italian Alps, north-northwest of ...

(where the

Buthier The Buthier is a mountain torrent in north-west Italy. A left bank tributary of the Dora Baltea, its entire course lies within the Valpelline, a valley in the region of Aosta Valley. Course One branch of the river is formed by the Tsa de Tsa ...

runs into it) and near all the main cities of the lower Aosta Valley: Châtillon, Saint-Vincent,

Verrès Verrès ( Valdôtain: ; Issime wae, Verez) is a town and ''comune'' in the Aosta Valley region of north-western Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It ...

and Pont-Saint-Martin. After it enters

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, it passes through the city of

Ivrea Ivrea (; pms, Ivrèja ; ; lat, Eporedia) is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. Situated on the road leading to the Aosta Valley (part of the medieval Via Francigena), it stradd ...

and a good part of Canavese, gets from its right hand the waters of the

Chiusella The Chiusella ( pms, Ciusèila) is a long river in the Piedmont region of Italy. Geography The Chiusella starts in the Graian Alps near Mount Marzo and Bocchetta delle Oche, a mountain pass connecting its valley with Val Soana. Flowing ini ...

and reaches the Po at

Crescentino Crescentino is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Vercelli in the Italy, Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about southwest of Vercelli. Crescentino borders the following municipalities: Brusasco, Fontane ...

, a little downstream from

Chivasso Chivasso (; pms, Civass) is a comune in the Metropolitan City of Turin, in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin. Chivasso has a population of about 27,000. It is situated on the left bank of the Po river, near the inf ...

Water uses

It is a popular place for whitewater

rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

and

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

. Early in the summer, in May and June, the rivers are usually high with snow melt from the mountains. During July, August and September the water levels are usually lower and the temperature warmer.

References

Rivers of Aosta Valley Rivers of the Province of Turin Rivers of the Province of Vercelli Rivers of Italy Rivers of the Alps {{Italy-river-stub

Name

Geography

Water uses

See also

References