The Orco Valley () is a valley in the

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 ...

region of northern

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 ...

located in the

Graian Alps The Graian Alps (Latin language, Latin:: ''Alpes Graiæ'' ; ; ) are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps, and the name of an Roman province, Antic Rome province. Etymology The name ''Graie'' comes from the ''Graioceli'' Celts, Celt ...

, in the territory of the

Metropolitan City of Turin The Metropolitan City of Turin (; Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ''sità metropolitan-a 'd Turin'') is a Metropolitan cities of Italy, metropolitan city in the Piedmont region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Turin. It replaced the prov ...

. The valley takes its name from the

Orco The Orco (, that is lit. ''Water of gold''; ) is an Italian river. It originates in the Piedmontese slopes of Gran Paradiso and after about reaches the Po river near Chivasso, in the Metropolitan City of Turin. Its drainage basin is home to th ...

river, which flows through the valley. The valley connects

Pont Canavese Pont Canavese is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italy, Italian region Piedmont, located about north of Turin. It occupies a small fluvial plain between the rivers Orco River, Orco and Soana (stream), Soana: i ...

to the Nivolet Pass. It is the site of a series of

hydroelectric power plants Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also mo ...

, including that of the

Lake of Ceresole Lago di Ceresole is an artificial lake in the Province of Turin, 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 Lombard ...

. The main municipalities in the Orco Valley are

Locana Locana is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northwest of Turin in the Orco Valley. In the early 1900s the town had about 7,000 residents. As of 2019 the population declined ...

, Noasca and

Ceresole Reale Ceresole Reale is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about northwest of Turin in the Orco Valley, on the border with France. Ceresole Reale borders the following municipalitie ...

Summits

Summits in the valley include: *

Gran Paradiso The Gran Paradiso () or Grand Paradis ( ) is a mountain in the Graian Alps in Italy, located between the Aosta Valley and Piedmont regions. It is located in Gran Paradiso National Park. Etymology The Italian toponym ''Gran Paradiso'' deriv ...

(4,061 m) * Torre del Gran San Pietro (3,692 m) * Ciarforon (3,642 m) *

Levanna Centrale The Levanne (singular: Levanna) is a group of mountains in Savoie (France) and the Metropolitan City of Turin (Italy). It lies in the Graian Alps The Graian Alps (Latin language, Latin:: ''Alpes Graiæ'' ; ; ) are a mountain range in the w ...

(3,619 m) *

Punta di Galisia Punta is an Afro-Indigenous dance and cultural music deeply rooted in the cultural traditions of the Garifuna of Honduras. It heavily incorporates West African/Central African drumming, the dance primarily of Angola and Congo origins. The musi ...

(3,345 m) * Torre di Lavina (3,308 m) * Punta Leynir (3,238 m) * Punta Bes (3,177 m)

Nature protection

A large part of the north side of the valley belongs to the Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso.Carta dei sentieri e dei rifugi scala 1:50.000 n. 3 ''Il Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso'',

Istituto Geografico Centrale The Istituto Geografico Centrale (IGC, in English ‘’Central Geographic Institute’’) is a privately owned Italian company based in Turin (Piedmont), known for its guide books and hiking maps mainly concerning the Western Alps and their cont ...

- Torino

Notes

Valleys of Piedmont Valleys of the Alps {{Piedmont-geo-stub