The Verzasca is a long Swiss Alpine

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

originating at

Pizzo Barone Pizzo Barone (2,864 m) is a mountain of the Lepontine Alps in Switzerland. It is located south of Pizzo Campo Tencia and is the highest summit of the Valle Verzasca in the canton of Ticino. From Sonogno Sonogno is a former municipality in th ...

and flowing into

Lake 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 ...

. It is known for its clear

turquoise Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula . It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gemstone and ornamental stone for thousands of yea ...

water and vibrant colored

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

s, as well as its treacherous currents. The

Verzasca Dam Verzasca may refer to: * Valle Verzasca, valley in Switzerland * Verzasca, river in Switzerland * Verzasca, municipality in Switzerland {{geodis ...

is a few kilometers upriver from Lake Maggiore.

Geography

The Verzasca River valley (

Valle Verzasca The Valle Verzasca is a valley in the Locarno district of the Canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It comprises the municipalities of Mergoscia, Vogorno, Corippo, Lavertezzo, Brione, Gerra, Frasco, and Sonogno. As of 2004, the total population ...

) is in

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 . ...

, the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

-speaking region of Switzerland. Chestnut trees thrive at the bottom of the valley. The river's water is crystal clear, and the depth does not exceed . Its average temperature is .

Recreation

The river is a popular

scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...

location and the valley is used for bungee jumping. The diving conditions are usually best from late spring to early autumn.

External links

References

{{Authority control Rivers of Switzerland Rivers of Ticino