| Margorabbia | |
|---|---|
 The Margorabbia in Mesenzana | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Italy |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Valganna |
| Mouth | |
• location | The riverTresa, just before it entersLake Maggiore atLuino |
• coordinates | 45°59′34″N8°43′56″E / 45.9929°N 8.73231°E /45.9929; 8.73231 |
• elevation | about 193 m (633 ft) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Tresa→Lake Maggiore→Ticino→Po→Adriatic Sea |
TheMargorabbia is the river (intermittent stream) ofValtravaglia, a valley in theprovince of Varese,Lombardy,Italy. It is a tributary of theTresa which it joins a few hundred metres upstream ofLake Maggiore.
The source is nearValganna. After forming a number of small lakes, includingLago di Ganna andLago di Ghirla, its course continues through thePrealps of Varese until nearCunardo it is swallowed up by a system of caves:Pont Niv,Antro dei Morti,Grotte di Villa Radaelli andGrotte del Traforo.
It emerges from underground nearFerrera di Varese and runs through theValtravaglia [it] crossing the valley’scommunes ofGrantola,Mesenzana andGermignaga. A cycle path has recently been constructed along this part of the river.
The torrent has manyaffluents. The most important left side tributaries are the Rancina, the Boesio and the Gesone; from the right it receives the waters of the Boggione, the Lisascora and the Grantorella.
Thanks to the wet andkarstic areas it traverses, the Margorabbia has a generally highdischarge and dries up far less frequently than many torrents. These feature made it a useful source of power for themills and factories which grew up along its banks. Thepower hammers of Ghirla in the commune of Valganna are particularly well known.
The river is subject to sudden and dramatic increases in its flow, becoming truly ‘torrential’. Very often bridges have been destroyed, or it has broken its banks and caused severe flooding in the Valtraviglia. Today many artificialembankments have been constructed along the Margorabbia for the purposes of flood protection.
The river was mentioned by the writerPiero Chiara, who was born inLuino on Lake Maggiore, in his storyQuando cominciò il mercato di Luino.
