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A view of Valtellina

The church of Tresivio

Valtellina or the Valtelline valley; (Italian: Valtellina, German: Veltlin, Romansh: Vuclina) is a valley in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland. Today it is known for its skiing, its hot spring spas, its cheeses (in particular Bitto, named after the torrent Bitto) and its wines. In past centuries it was a key alpine pass between northern Italy and Germany and control of the Valtelline was much sought after, particularly during the Thirty Years' War.

The most important commune of the valley is Sondrio; others include Aprica, Morbegno, Tirano, and Bormio. Livigno, although on the northern side of the alpine watershed, can also be considered to be part of Valtellina as it falls within the province of Sondrio.

During the 16th, 17th and 18th century the Valtellina was part of Graubünden, which was then a country independent of Switzerland, but is now the easternmost canton of Switzerland. Graubünden is the area in which German, Romansch and Italian are spoken and hence during 16th century rule by Graubünden, the region was known varyingly as Veltlin, Westtirol (West Tyrol), and as the Welsche Vogteien ("Foreign Bailiwicks").

In 1797 the growing power of the First French Republic created the Cisalpine republic in Northern Italy. On 10 October 1797, the French supported a revolt in the Valtellina against the Graubünden (the "Grey Leagues"; Grisons in French, now a Swiss Canton) and joined the Cisalpine Republic.

In the region north of Morbegno in the Costiera dei Cech live a cultural group believed to descend from an 8th century Frankish invasion of Italy.

The area was originally a mix of Romansch and Italian languages but now Italian is the dominant language.

See also: Lombardia (wine)

In Valtellina the wines are produced mainly by Chiavennasca (the local name of Nebbiolo grape variety). Generally the quality of the wine is high, and most wines have the appellation DOC and DOCG. The most well-known red wines are: Inferno, Grumello, Sassella and Sforzato (Sfurzat).

In the lower part of Valposchiavo, in Switzerland some wines are also produced, similar to the Italian wines, but with differing regulations (i.e. appellation and allowance of sugar addition, or chaptalization).

Further reading: F Pieth: Bündnergeschichte, 1982, ISBN 3-85894-002-X

Panorama of the Valtellina from Alpe Piazzola in the commune of Castello dell'Acqua.

• An extensive history of the Valtelline area
• Tourist information

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