The Orco Valley ( it, Valle dell'Orco) is a valley in the

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

region of 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 re ...

located in the

Graian Alps The Graian Alps (french: Alpes grées ; it, Alpi Graie ) are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. Etymology The name ''Graie'' comes from the ''Graioceli'' Celtic tribe, which dwelled in the area surrounding the Mont Cenis pass and t ...

, in the territory of the

Metropolitan City of Turin The Metropolitan City of Turin ( it, Città metropolitana di Torino, Piedmontese: ''Sità metropolitan-a 'd Turin'') is a metropolitan city in the Piedmont region, Italy. Its capital is the city of Turin. It replaced the Province of Turin and co ...

. The valley takes its name from the

Orco The Orco ( pms, Eva d'òr, that is lit. ''Water of gold''; la, Orgus) is an Italian river. It originates in the Piedmontese slopes of Gran Paradiso and after about reaches the Po river near Chivasso, in the Metropolitan City of Turin. Its drain ...

river, which flows through the valley. The valley connects

Pont Canavese Pont Canavese is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about north of Turin. It occupies a small fluvial plain between the rivers Orco and Soana: its names (''Pont'', derived from t ...

to the

Nivolet Pass The Nivolet Pass ( it, Colle del Nivolet or french: Col du Nivolet) is a mountain pass in the Eastern group of the Graian Alps in northern Italy. It is located at the top of the Orco Valley on the road from Turin to Ceresole Reale, in the Gran ...

. It is the site of a series of

hydroelectric power plants Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

, including that of the

Lake of Ceresole Lago di Ceresole is an artificial lake in the Province of Turin, Piedmont, northern Italy. The lake was created in 1925-1931 when A.E.M. (now Iren), Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultura ...

. The main municipalities in the Orco Valley are

Locana Locana is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northwest of Turin in the Orco Valley. In the early 1900s the town had about 7,000 residents. As of 2019 the population declined ...

Noasca Noasca is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northwest of Turin, in the Orco Valley. Noasca borders the following municipalities: Cogne, Valsavarenche, Locana, Ceresole Real ...

and

Ceresole Reale Ceresole Reale is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about northwest of Turin in the Orco Valley, on the border with France. Ceresole Reale borders the following municipalitie ...

Summits

Summits in the valley include: *

Gran Paradiso , photo = Gran_Paradiso.jpg , photo_caption = The Gran Paradiso , elevation_m = 4061 , elevation_ref =Geoportale IGM owww.pcn.minambiente.it/ref> , prominence_m = 1879 , prominence_ref = , range = Graian Alps , parent_peak = , listing = ...

(4,061 m) *

Torre del Gran San Pietro Torre del Gran San Pietro (french: Tour du Grand-Saint-Pierre) is a mountain in the Gran Paradiso massif, a sub-group of the Graian Alps, with an elevation of 3,692 m. It is located between Piedmont and Aosta Valley, in northern Italy, nea ...

(3,692 m) *

Ciarforon Ciarforon or Charforon (3,642m), is a mountain in the Gran Paradiso Massif of the Graian Alps on the border of Aosta Valley and Piedmont, Italy. Location It lies south of Gran Paradiso, on the watershed between Valsavarenche and the Orco Vall ...

(3,642 m) *

Levanna Centrale The Levanne (singular: Levanna) is a group of mountains of Savoie, France and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, Italy. It lies in the Graian Alps The Graian Alps (french: Alpes grées ; it, Alpi Graie ) are a mountain range in the western pa ...

(3,619 m) *

Punta di Galisia Punta is an Afro-indigenous dance and cultural music originating in the Caribbean Island of Saint Vincent And The Grenadines by the Garifuna people before being exiled from the island. Which is also known as Yurumei. It has African and Araw ...

(3,345 m) *

Torre di Lavina Punta Lavina (French: Tour de Lavina - sometimes referred to as ''Torre di Lavina'' in Italian) (3,308m) is a mountain of the Graian Alps located on the border of Aosta Valley and Piedmont, Italy. It is located between the Aostan Cogne Valley in ...

(3,308 m) *

Punta Leynir The Punta Leynir (Pointe du Leynir in French) is a 3,238 metres high mountain belonging to the Italian side of Graian Alps. Toponymy The name ''Leynir'' should come from ''Lago Nero'' (''Black Lake''), referring to the color of a small lake l ...

(3,238 m) *

Punta Bes The Punta Bes is a 3,177 metres high mountain belonging to the Italian side of Graian Alps. Geography The mountain is located on the border between Piedmont and Aosta Valley, on the watershed dividing Valle dell'Orco from Valsavarenche, the l ...

(3,177 m)

Nature protection

A large part of the north side of the valley belongs to the

Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso Gran Paradiso National Park (Italian: ''Parco nazionale del Gran Paradiso''; ), is an Italian national park in the Graian Alps, between the Aosta Valley and Piedmont regions. The park is named after Gran Paradiso mountain, which is located in th ...

.Carta dei sentieri e dei rifugi scala 1:50.000 n. 3 ''Il Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso'',

Istituto Geografico Centrale The Istituto Geografico Centrale (IGC, in English ‘’Central Geographic Institute’’) is a privately owned Italian company based in Turin (Piedmont), known for its guide books and hiking maps mainly concerning the Western Alps and their cont ...

- Torino

Notes

Valleys of Piedmont Valleys of the Alps {{Piedmont-geo-stub