The Melezza,The Eastern Melezzo, so called to distinguish it from the Melezzo Occidentale which traverses the western part of the Val Vigezzo to enter the

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 long and is formed in the upper V ...

Domodossola Domodossola (; Lombard: Dòm) is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, in the region of Piedmont, northern Italy. It was also known as Oscela, Oscella, Oscella dei Leponzi, Ossolo, Ossola Lepontiorum, and Domo d'Ossola ...

. in Italy the Melezzo Orientale, is a 42 km

Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...

torrent Torrent or torrents may refer to: * A fast flowing stream Animals * Torrent duck, a species of the family Anatidae * Torrent fish * Torrent frog, various unrelated frogs * Torrent robin, a bird species * Torrent salamander, a family of s ...

which runs through the eastern part of the

Val Vigezzo Valle Vigezzo (Vigezzo Valley) is a valley in the Lepontine Alps in northwestern Italy on the border with Canton Ticino of Switzerland. It forms the eastern branch of the Ossola valley. It is also called the Valle dei Pittori (Valley of the Pai ...

, in the Province of Verbano Cusio Ossola, northern

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 ...

; and through the

Centovalli Centovalli (literally: hundred valleys) is a valley and a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. It is composed of 19 villages or hamlets "frazioni". The municipality was formed on 25 October 2009 throu ...

Canton Ticino Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino,, informally ''Canton Ticino'' ; lmo, Canton Tesin ; german: Kanton Tessin ; french: Canton du Tessin ; rm, Chantun dal Tessin . ...

, Switzerland. Belonging to the Po basin, it is a tributary of the Maggia which in its turn flows into

Lago Maggiore Lake Maggiore (, ; it, Lago Maggiore ; lmo, label=Western Lombard, Lagh Maggior; pms, Lagh Magior; literally 'Greater Lake') or Verbano (; la, Lacus Verbanus) is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the second largest la ...

. The springs are on the eastern slopes of

Pioda di Crana Pioda may refer to: * Giovanni Battista Pioda, Swiss politician * Punta Pioda, mountain in the Bregaglia Range of the Alps See also * Piode Piode (Piedmontese: ''Piòvi'') is a '' comune'' (municipality) and village of Valsesia in the Province o ...

. To begin with the river runs south forming the deep valley of Arvogno (a locality within 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 ...

Toceno Toceno is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about north of Verbania. Toceno borders the following municipalities: Craveggia, Santa Maria Magg ...

); near

Santa Maria Maggiore (VB) Santa Maria Maggiore ( Ossolano: ''Santa Marìa'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Italian region Piedmont, in Valle Vigezzo, located about northeast of Turin and about north of Verbania, on the bo ...

the course turns east and takes it through the gentler slopes of the high plain which forms the central section of the Val Vigezzo; at

Malesco Malesco is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about north of Verbania, the provincial capital. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population o ...

it is joined by the Loana. Having passed through Re the valley narrows and the torrent begins to run through restricted gorges, entering in this manner Swiss territory, where it is known simply as the Melezza. Its course then runs through the

and the municipalities of

Borgnone Borgnone is a hamlet part of the municipality of Centovalli in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. Not to be confused with much bigger Camedo or with Lionza or Costa. It is serviced by the train station of Cadanza-Borg ...

, Palagnedra and Intragna. Having been joined by its most important tributary, the

Isorno Isorno is a former municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 10 April 2016 the former municipalities of Vergeletto, Gresso, Mosogno and Isorno merged into the municipality of Onsernone. The former mu ...

, it flows into the Maggia at

Losone Losone is a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. History The peat bogs of Arcegno, the rock shelters of Quarigo and the rock carvings in soapstone and gneiss appear to confirm that Losone has been inhab ...

, just before the Maggia enters

. A little after the Italian-Swiss border, near Palagnedra, a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

was built across the river in the years 1951–52 to create the Lago di Palagnedra, a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

which provides

hydropower Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of a w ...

Notes

''This article includes text translated from '' :it:Melezzo Orientale'', its counterpart in the ''

Italian Wikipedia The Italian Wikipedia ( it, Wikipedia in italiano) is the Italian-language edition of Wikipedia. This edition was created on May 11, 2001 and first edited on June 11, 2001. As of , , it has articles and more than registered accounts. It is t ...

''.'' {{reflist Rivers of the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola Rivers of Ticino International rivers of Europe Rivers of Switzerland Rivers of the Alps Rivers of Italy