The Rhine, not that of Bologna but the one that runs through Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands for about 1000 km and ends in the North Sea, is not born in Switzerland as they usually say!
Instead, the Rhine of Lei starts from a small Italian valley in northern Lombardy and goes to join with the largest river.
The Italian valley is located in the municipality of Piuro, in the province of Sondrio at 2000 meters high and is 15 kilometers long. Since 1863 it has been part of Italy and is the only Italian valley that belongs to the river basin of the Rhine.
Looking at a geographical map you immediately notice a strangeness: a rectangle on the position of the dam at the bottom of the lake indicating a piece of Swiss territory in the middle of Italian territory.
Let me explain: after World War II there was a company that wanted to use the water from the river to obtain electricity. The Swiss opposed because a breakdown to the dam in that position would cause enormous damage to Val Ferrera and Val Schons, both Swiss.
In short, they didn't trust the Italians. Finally, the governments drew up an agreement and Italy left a small piece of half a km2 to Switzerland for the construction of the dam.
And so the lake and the river are Italian while only the dam is Swiss.
The Val di Lei is uninhabited and is used only for cattle grazing in summer and for beautiful skiing from Groppera to Madesimo in winter.
It is not reachable by car from Italy, you can go on foot!
In Madesimo, take the Groppera cable car and then follow the mule track towards the valley. A walk of about an hour to admire the unspoiled nature of the area and then you arrive at Lake Lei. The show presented to you is really beautiful. The crystal clear water stretches for 10 kilometers and is a true paradise for fishing.
Bring your binoculars because looking around you can see, with a little luck, chamois and ibex!