The Ticino arises from the many torrents that drain the mountain flanks on the eastern side ofNufenen Pass in the upperVal Bedretto. From here, the river flows to the north-east through the Val Bedretto toAirolo (1,127 metres (3,698 ft)) where the south ramp of theSt Gotthard Pass and south portals of both theGotthard Railway Tunnel and theGotthard Road Tunnel are located. Then it turns slowly to the southeast while entering theValle Leventina. In the Leventina, the Ticino flows through three terrain steps separated by two narrow gorges (Gola di Monte Piottino andBiaschina) and finally reaches the canton's floor nearBodio at around 320 metres (1,050 feet). Shortly after, atBiasca (286 metres (938 feet)), the river is joined by its first major tributary, theBrenno which flows fromPasso del Lucomagno through theValle di Blenio.
Before the Ticino passes west of the canton's capital,Bellinzona, the river converges with its second larger left tributary, theMoesa, originating below thePasso del San Bernardino and flowing through theValle Mesolcina. The Valle Mesolcina (and theVal Calanca) belongs geographically and culturally to the Ticino, but politically it is part of thecanton of the Grisons. This part of the river valley between Biasca and Bellinzona is called theRiviera. The river isdammed after Bellinzona. Now the Ticino turns almost westwards and flows through the perfectly flatPiano di Magadino, an important cultivation and nature reserve area the river generated itself by its own sediments over ten thousands of years, before it enters theLago Maggiore at the lowest point of Switzerland at 193 metres (633 ft).
Only about the first sixth of the lake lies in Switzerland. Four major tributaries join the Ticino in Lago Maggiore. TheVerzasca and theMaggia enter the lake in Switzerland inTenero and in Locarno/Ascona, respectively. TheTresa drains theLago di Lugano and flows inLuino into Lago Maggiore. TheToce drains many valleys to the northwest of Lago Maggiore and joins the lake nearFeriolo. It surpasses the Ticino in average discharge volume and contains the highest peak of the catchment area of the Ticino river system, theGrenzgipfel (4,617 metres (15,148 feet)) in theMonte Rosa massif.
InSesto Calende the river, now called Fiume Ticino, exits Lake Maggiore and meanders southwards, passing theMilan Malpensa Airport in the east. Now slowly turning to the southeast, the river circumventsMilan at a distance of about 20 kilometres (12 mi) in the east. Shortly before it converges with the Po in the south of Milan, it passesPavia on its northern shore.
In the Middle AgesPavia (first capital of theKingdom of the Lombards and then of thekingdom of Italy) was, thanks to the waters of the Ticino, a fundamental hub for communications and trade betweenVenice and thePo valley. Furthermore, still in Pavia, there was the only brick bridge (ponte Coperto) which until the 19th century crossed the Ticino from Lake Maggiore to the Po.[6]
A wooden bridge was built by theVisconti inVigevano in the early fourteenth century, but it was set on fire by thePavia fleet in 1315, rebuilt byLuchino Visconti, it was destroyed again by the Pavia in 1356 and never rebuilt.[7]
Val Bedretto, a narrow alpine valley named after the village ofBedretto, culminates inNufenen Pass, (Italian:Passo della Novena,German:Nufenen Pass), at 2,478 m (8,130 ft) located betweenPizzo Gallina (north, 3,060 m (10,040 ft)) andNufenenstock (south, 2,865 m (9,400 ft)). The road up the valley is fairly straight until it approaches the pass, where the ninehairpin turns start.
The Ticino originates on both sides, north and south, of the Nufenenstock: A smaller tributary originates from a small mountain lake south of the Nufenenstock and north of thePiccolo Corno Gries (2,928 m (9,606 ft)) below thePasso del Corno at 2,484 m (8,150 ft) in the short valley of the same name. Until the beginning of the 20th century the ValaisinneGries Glacier was still flowing over the Corno Pass into the Val Corno!
Both spring areas converges about where the hairpins of the eastern pass road begins to circumvent about 700 m (2,300 ft) in altitude. Through the passes and over the Nufenenstock runs the border between thecantons ofValais andTicino.
A paved road constructed in 1964 goes over the Passo della Novena and after some ten hairpins down about 500 m (1,600 ft) in altitude on its western side and then through theÄgenental in northeasten direction ultimately leading to theObergoms, the upper half of the valley of the uppermost part theRhône course. While the lower part of the Valais speaksFrench, the upper part speaks its particularHighest Alemannic dialect, theWalliser German, the population of Ticino speaksItalian.
Subsequently, the Ticino becomes a mountain brook flowing straight down the valley to the hamlet of All'Acqua or All'Acqua Ospizio at 1,614 m (5,295 ft), named for thehospice for travellers located there near the previous end of a drivable road in former centuries. Currently, it is a base for skiing and hiking. Further down eastwards the small villages of Ronco at 1,476 m (4,843 ft) and finally Bedretto (1,402 m (4,600 ft)) and Villa Bedretto appear.[8]Below Bedretto the Ri di Cristallina, "Cristallina stream", a right tributary from the Val Torta, joins the Ticino at Ossasco, and further down the valley, Fontana is the lowest village in Val Bedretto. The entire area is laced with hiking trails and mountain huts. The valley is subject to avalanches and snow can remain on the ground as late as September.
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