Sessera Valley (in Italian ''Valle Sessera'') is a valley in north-east of

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

in the Province of Biella,

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 ...

Etymology

The valley takes its name from the river

Sessera The Sessera ( pms, Séssera) is a long torrent in the Piedmont region - NW Italy. Geography The Sessera starts in the Biellese Alps on the south-eastern slopes of Monte Bo. It initially flows from NW to SE and then encircles the Cima dell'As ...

, a right-hand

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

of the

Sesia The Sesia (Latin ''Sesites'' or ''Sessites'') is a river in Piedmont, north-western Italy, tributary to the Po. Geography Its sources are the glaciers of Monte Rosa at the border with Switzerland. It flows through the Alpine valley Valsesia an ...

which flows through the valley.

Geography

The

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

of the lowest part of the valley are Ailoche,

Caprile Caprile is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Biella in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about northeast of Biella. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 221 and an area of .All demographics a ...

, Coggiola,

Crevacuore Crevacuore is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Biella in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about northeast of Biella. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,813 and an area of .All demograp ...

, Guardabosone, Pray and Portula.''Carta Tecnica Regionale''

raster Raster may refer to: * Raster graphics, graphical techniques using arrays of pixel values * Raster graphics editor, a computer program * Raster scan, the pattern of image readout, transmission, storage, and reconstruction in television and compu ...

1:10.000 (vers.3.0) of Regione Piemonte - 2007 Its highest part is used as

pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or swine ...

and administratively is divided in several

exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

s belonging to the municipalities of the central part of the Province of Biella.''Alta Valsessera'', Centro Studi Biellesi (DocBi), on-line
www.docbi.it
, accessed in December 2012

Notable summits

Among the notable summits which surround the valley (al belonging to the Biellese Alps) there are: *

Monte Bo Monte Bo (or ''Cima di Bo)'' is a mountain in the Alpi Biellesi, a sub-range of Pennine Alps. Geography The mountain is located between Sessera and Cervo valleys and is totally included in the province of Biella. It is divided between the ...

- 2.556 m * Testone delle Tre Alpi - 2.081 m * Cima dell'Asnas - 2.039 m *

Monte Barone Monte Barone is a mountain of the Alpi Biellesi, a sub-range of the Pennine Alps. Due to its isolation it offers a noteworthy point of view towards the Po plain and can be seen from quite a long distance away (i.e. from Turin). Etymology The n ...

- 2.044 m * Cima delle Guardie - 2.001 m

Nature conservation

The highest part of the valley and some surrounding areas are included in a SIC ''(

Site of Community Importance A Site of Community Importance (SCI) is defined in the European Commission Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) as a site which, in the biogeographical region or regions to which it belongs, contributes significantly to the maintenance or restoration at ...

)'' of 10,786.73 ha called ''Val Sessera'' (code IT1130002).''Siti di Importanza Comunitaria (SIC)'', Regione Piemonte, list o
gis.csi.it
(accessed on April 2013)

Notes and references

External links

* http://www.cmsesseramossoprealpi.it/on-line/Home.html {{Authority control Valleys of Piedmont Valleys of the Alps Province of Biella Biellese Alps