The Valle Po (literally "Po valley") is a

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

of the

Cottian Alps The Cottian Alps (; ; ) are a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps. They form the border between France (Hautes-Alpes and Savoie) and Italy (Piedmont). The Fréjus Road Tunnel and Fréjus Rail Tunnel between Modane and Susa, Ital ...

in the

province of Cuneo The province of Cuneo (; ) is a province in the Piedmont region of Italy. To the west, it borders the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur ( departments of Alpes-Maritimes, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Hautes-Alpes), to the north 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 ...

Northern Italy Northern Italy (, , ) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four Northwest Italy, northwestern Regions of Italy, regions of Piedmo ...

Geography

The valley gives rise to the longest river in Italy, the Po, before it enters the Pianura Padana (or the Plain of the Po). It has a length of some 32 km, from

Saluzzo Saluzzo (; ) is a town and former principality in the province of Cuneo, in the Piedmont region, Italy. The city of Saluzzo is built on a hill overlooking a vast, well-cultivated plain. Iron, lead, silver, marble, slate etc. are found in the su ...

to Crissolo, and is home to the

Monviso Monte Viso or Monviso (; ; or simply ) is the highest mountain of the Cottian Alps, located in Piedmont, Italy, close to the French border. Monte Viso is well known for its pyramid-like shape. Because it is higher than all its neighbouring peak ...

mountain. It is bounded by the Val Pellice, Valle Varaita and the Valle del Guil. The head of the valley is located at the Traversette pass (''Colle delle Traversette'') (2950 m above sea level). The valley descends through the King's plain (''

Pian del Re Pian may refer to: * Pian (disease), a tropical infection of the skin, bones and joints * Pian-e Olya, a village in Khuzestan Province, Iran * Pian-e Sofla, a village in Khuzestan Province, Iran * Pian Rural District, in Khuzestan Province, Iran * ...

'') (2020 m), where the Po river has its source.

Geography

See also