San Bernardino (torrent)
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| San Bernardino | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Val Grande |
| Mouth | Lago Maggiore at Verbania |
| Basin countries | Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Piedmont, Italy |
| Source elevation | 2301 m |
| Mouth elevation | 194 m |
| Basin area | 132,35 km² [1] |
The San Bernardino is a torrent which flows through the Italian Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola and into Lake Maggiore at Verbania on the Piedmontese (western) shore of the lake.
The origins of its name lie with the Franciscan convent of San Bernardino which was established in 1483 near the mouth of the river, between Intra and Pallanza. The buildings are no longer extant.
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[edit] Course
The torrent is formed by the confluence of two smaller streams, the Rio Valgrande and the Rio Pogallo, at Ponte Casletto in Val Grande. Its drainage basin comprises the areas of Val Grande and Val Pogallo; its course, and its tributaries are characterised by deep ravines and gorges.
The San Bernardino passes through the communes of San Bernardino Verbano (which takes its name from the river), Cossogno and finally Verbania, where it separates the population centres of Pallanza and Intra and falls into Lake Maggiore.
[edit] Industrial exploitation
Il fiume è stato utilizzato, fino agli inizi del '900 per il trasporto, tramite log driving, del timber felled in Val Grande and Val Pogallo, attività praticata intensamente nei secoli passati.
Le sue acque servirono anche per il procedimento di sbiancamento delle tele prodotte dalle vicine textile industry.
Il San Bernardino fu utilizzato in passato sfruttando l'hydropower per le fabbriche che sorgevano lungo il suo corso.
Nel 1892 a Cossogno fu costruita, su iniziativa di Carlo Sutermeister, industriale verbanese, la prima hydroelectric power station d'Italia con distribuzione d'energia[1], che serviva, oltre alle fabbriche della zona, anche gli abitati di Intra, Pallanza ed altre località limitrofe. In seguito fu costruita la centrale di Rovegro; attualmente sono tre gli impianti idroelettrici in funzione sul fiume.
[edit] Recreational uses
Kayaking can be enjoyed in certain tracts of this Alpine torrent river and, despite the chilly water, swimming is a popular pastime, especially at the locality Santino. Fishing is allowed, although only for brown trout (Salmo trutta fario), and only outside the protected reserves which form part of the national park.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ a b Valsesia, Teresio (1985), Val Grande, ultimo paradiso, Verbania: Alberti Editore, ISBN 8872450047
[edit] Notes
- This article originated as a translation of this version of its counterpart in the Italian Wikipedia.
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