Chisone
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Chisone Chison, Cleson, Cluson |
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 The Chisone River near the town of Pragelato . Even here - after a fifth of its run - it carries large amounts of rubble with it. |
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| Data | ||
| location | Cottian Alps , Piedmont , Italy | |
| River system | Po | |
| Drain over | Pellice → Po → Adria | |
| River basin district | Padano | |
| source | between the Punta Rognosa , the bric Ghinivert and the Monte Barifreddo 44 ° 56 '36 " N , 6 ° 57' 15" O |
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| Source height | approx. 2500 m slm | |
| muzzle | in the Pellice coordinates: 44 ° 49 ′ 11 " N , 7 ° 25 ′ 4" E 44 ° 49 ′ 11 " N , 7 ° 25 ′ 4" E
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| length | 70 km | |
 At the village of Usseaux , about 10 km down the valley, the river deposits wide gravel banks on a flat spot . |
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The Chisone (French. Cluson , Piedmontese Chison or Cleson ) is a high mountain river in the Cottian Alps in the Italian region of Piedmont , near the border with France. The Val Chisone is named after him.
The river has a length of about 70 km and in the upper reaches the character of a torrent . It rises at about 2500 m above sea level between the Punta Rognosa (3280 m), the Bric Ghinivert (3037 m) and the Monte Barifreddo . A few kilometers west of its sources, at an altitude of 2040 m between the Chisone and Susa valleys, lies the pass of Sestriere , a well-known winter sports resort ( Olympic Winter Games 2006 ).
First the Chisone flows in a northerly direction, after about 15 km it turns east at Pragelato and south-east at Fenestrelle (1215 m). From Perosa Argentina , where there used to be a silver mine and the large tributary Germanasca flows from the right , the valley begins to widen. After the villages of Pinasca and Villar Perosa , the river reaches the town of Pinerolo (375 m) and after another 10 km flows into the Pellice , a tributary of the Po on the left . In its lower reaches the Chisone deposits huge amounts of river gravel , which are clearly visible in the satellite image (see web link).
The valley and its surroundings are part of the so-called Waldensian valleys , a retreat for the Calvinist Waldensians . As a border area it was also of military importance with large fortresses at Fenestrelle and Pinerolo. Winter sports and several long-distance hiking trails (including Sentiero Italia and Via Alpina ), as well as the Parco naturale della Val Troncea reserve, are important for tourism .
