The Toce (; ; ) is a river in
Piedmont
Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...
,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, which stretches the length of the
Val d'Ossola from the
Swiss
Swiss most commonly refers to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Swiss may also refer to: Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
* Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
* Swiss Café, an old café located ...
border to
Lake Maggiore
Lake Maggiore (, ; ; ; ; literally 'greater lake') or Verbano (; ) is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the second largest lake in Italy and the largest in southern Switzerland. The lake and its shoreline are divided be ...
into which it debouches near
Fondotoce in the
commune of
Verbania
Verbania (, , ) is the most populous ''comune'' (municipality) and the capital city of the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. It is situated on the shore of Lake Maggiore, about north-west of Milan and ab ...
. The river is long
and is formed in the upper
Val Formazza by the confluence of a number of torrents in the plain of Riale.
Geography
The source of one of these, the Gries, is situated on the Italian southern side of the
Gries Pass; another forms beneath the
Passo di San Giacomo, others flow from little
Alpine lakes such as Lago Castel and Lago di Sabbione.
South of
La Frua the water of the river plummets over the
Cascata del Toce into the
Formazza Valley, through which it flows before transversing
Valle Antigorio after another series of cascades. Near
Crevola d'Ossola the river
Diveria flows into the Toce. At this point, the valley gets wider and is known as
Val d'Ossola. The Toce flows next to the capital of the valley,
Domodossola
Domodossola (; ) is a city and (municipality) 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 (due to it ...
, and then
Villadossola
Villadossola (Piedmontese ''Vila d'Òssola'') is a town and ''comune'' of the Val d’Ossola in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Piedmont, northern Italy, some northeast of Turin. It stands just south of Domodossola, to the west of the Toc ...
and
Ornavasso. After a total of the Toce then flows into Lake Maggiore.
The major tributaries are the
Diveria,
Bogna,
Melezzo Occidentale (joining it near
Domodossola
Domodossola (; ) is a city and (municipality) 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 (due to it ...
),
Ovesca,
Anza (near
Piedimulera), and the
Strona (near
Gravellona Toce
Gravellona Toce () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about west of Verbania.
Main sights
*Gallo-Roman necropolis
*Parish church of St. Pet ...
).
History
In ancient times the Toce river was called ''Athisone'' or ''Atisone'', whence the current name is derived. Old alternative forms in Italian include ''Toccia'' and ''Tosa''.
Notes
{{Authority control
Rivers of the Alps