Ossola

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Ossola is an area of Italy situated North of the Lago Maggiore. It is part of the Verbano-Cusio-Ossola province.

It is composed of one main valley (the Ossola proper) and seven side valleys: Anzasca, Antrona, Bognanco, Divedro, Antigorio-Formazza, Isorno e Vigezzo. In addition, it also comprises the Val Grande, which is a National Park.

There are many ethymological claims as to the origins of the name Ossola. The most likely is from the Celtic "hoch hill", which means "high lands". The German name for the valley is "Eschental" or "valley of the ash trees".

In 1944, with the Allied forces nearby, the partisan resistance in Italy staged an uprising behind German lines, led by the Committee of National Liberation of Upper Italy. This rebellion led to the establishment of a number of provisional partisan governments throughout northern Italy, of which the republic of Ossola was the most important. It received recognition from Switzerland and from Allied consulates in Switzerland. Within a few months German reinforcements had crushed the uprising, and the area's liberation had to wait until the final offensives of 1945. One of the main centers of the Ossola area is Domodossola.