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The province of Sondrio: a mountainous place rich in valleys
Hello everyone! Today I want to talk to you about the province of Sondrio, a beautiful mountainous area located in Lombardy, northern Italy. Around 178,481 people live in the province of Sondrio and the territory is mostly formed by mountains crossed by numerous valleys, the main ones being the Valtellina and Valchiavenna. These magnificent areas, which extend longitudinally through the province, are among the most popular and loved in northern Italy. The province of Sondrio is also home to some of the highest mountains in the Rhaetian Alps, including the famous Livigno.
The borders of the province of Sondrio
If you are interested in visiting the province of Sondrio, it's useful to know that it borders to the north and west with Switzerland, to the west with the provinces of Como and Lecco, to the south with the province of Bergamo, and to the east with the provinces of Brescia and Trentino-Alto Adige (autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano). These varied borders are one of the reasons why the province of Sondrio presents great cultural and landscape diversity.
Physical geography: where do the main rivers flow?
Among other things, the province of Sondrio is known for being the only Italian province located in three different main alpine river basins. One of these basins is the Val di Lei, where the Reno di Lei flows, a river that discharges its water into the North Sea, in the Netherlands (near Rotterdam) through the Posterior Rhine and then into the Rhine itself. The main river of the province of Sondrio is the Adda, which forms the Valtellina and discharges its water into the Adriatic Sea through the Po. The Aqua Granda stream, along with other minor streams, flows into the artificial Lake of Livigno, which is located on Swiss territory and then joins the Danube in northern Austria.
The history of the province of Sondrio
The province of Sondrio is a very important area from a historical point of view. Before the arrival of the Romans, the area was inhabited by Celtic-Ligurian (Leponzi) and Rhaetian (Camuni) populations. After the Roman domination, the province passed under the domination of the Lombards and then the Franks. The emperors then assigned the provincial territory to the bishops of the Diocese of Como, to whom it still belongs. In the 14th century, the western territory was under the dominion of the Visconti and then the Sforza of the duchy of Milan, while the eastern one constituted the extreme limit of the Republic of Venice. In 1512, the province of Sondrio came under the dominion of the Canton of Grisons, where there were important events such as the Holy Massacre in 1620 in which 400 Protestants were killed.
If you visit the province of Sondrio, you can discover an area rich in history and traditions. The beauty of its landscapes and its unique geographical position make it an ideal holiday destination. I hope that this summary has been useful and enjoyable to read!
