The Chiese, also known in the
Province of Brescia
The province of Brescia (; Brescian: ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Lombardy region of Italy. It has a population of some 1,265,964 (as of January 2019) and its capital is the city of Brescia.With an area of 4,785 km2, it is the ...
as the Clisi, is a
Italian river that is the principal immisary and sole emissary of the
sub-alpine lake
Lago d’Idro (Lake Idro), and is a
left tributary of the
Oglio.
The river rises from the
Adamello in
Trentino
Trentino (), officially the Autonomous Province of Trento (; ; ), is an Autonomous province#Italy, autonomous province of Italy in the Northern Italy, country's far north. Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the Regions of Italy, region of Tren ...
and runs through the Val di Fumo and the Val di Daone, forming the reservoirs of Lago di Malga Bissina and Lago di Malga Boazzo. At
Pieve di Bono it enters the lower valleys of
Giudicarie, receiving the waters of the ''
torrente'' Adanà. Further south it flows through the
Lago d'Idro near
Baitoni before running down into
Lombardy
The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...
and the
Province of Brescia
The province of Brescia (; Brescian: ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Lombardy region of Italy. It has a population of some 1,265,964 (as of January 2019) and its capital is the city of Brescia.With an area of 4,785 km2, it is the ...
.
After leaving the lake, the river runs through the
Val Sabbia as far as
Roè Volciano. Here it enters the
pianura padana, and flows south through
Gavardo,
Calcinato,
Montichiari,
Carpenedolo and
Acquafredda, enters the
Province of Mantua at
Asola, before flowing into the Oglio on its left bank in the valley of
Acquanegra sul Chiese.
Exploitation as a source of hydropower
Like its twin the
Sarca, the river is born of the
glacier
A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...
s of the Parco naturale provinciale dell'Adamello-Brenta and its waters are intensively used for the production of
hydro-electricity. Within the highly restricted area of its drainage basin above Lago d’Idro there are at least four artificial lakes and three hydro-electric power stations. The lower course of the river in Lombardy is also used for this purpose.
{{Authority control
Rivers of Italy
Rivers of Trentino
Rivers of the Province of Brescia
Rivers of the Province of Mantua