Valle Maggia (Italian, "Maggia Valley") is an alpine valley in the Vallemaggia district of canton of Ticino, the Italian-spoken canton of Switzerland. The valley is formed by the river Maggia and is situated between the Centovalli and Lago Maggiore as well as the Valle Verzasca in the East. Geography The Maggia valley has a spatial extension of , equal to one-fifth of the canton of Ticino. It’s the largest valley of the canton and one of the widest within the Alps’ south side. The valley is formed by the river Maggia, whose source is the Cristallina peak in Val Sambuco (Lavizzara). The river runs through the valley down to Ascona, where it pours into the Lake Maggiore. The Maggia is fed by the rivers Melezza, Rovana (river) and Bavona, as well as other mountain streams, and can swell up to a current after torrential rains, even though its force has been regulated by numerous upstream dams and reservoirs. Over time, the river has flooded and eroded valuable areas of cultivation, partly due to extensive woodcutting, so the lower Maggia valley is broad, but it is flanked by steep granite walls. The Maggia valley in its strict sense extends from Ponte Brolla in the South to Bignasco in the North. Going North the first side valley is Northeast of the village of Maggia, the Valle del Salto. The next side valley is the short Valle di Lodano. The next tributary to the Maggia from the West is the Rovana which joins in Cevio. Upstream it forms the Val Rovana, which at Cerentino leads up into Valle di Bosco/Gurin and Valle di Campo. The upper Maggia valley beyond Bignasco splits into two dead ends, the two major glacial troughs of Val Bavona in the West and Val Lavizzara in the East. The latter is, in turn, divided in the side valleys of Valle di Peccia in the West, Val di Prato in the East as cul-de sacs, and Val Sambuco. The side valley West of Val Bavona is the Val Canegia. To the Southwest of the Maggia Valley are Valle Onsernone and Centovalli. Parallelling the Maggia Valley in the East is the Valle Verzasca. The geographical configuration of the Maggia valley’s territory goes from above sea level of Ponte Brolla to above s.l. of the Basòdino peak, with a height difference equal to in just as the crow flies. Climate Because of