The province of Brescia is the largest in the region, boasts three main lakes,
Lake Garda,
Lake Iseo and
Lake Idro, plus several other smaller lakes, three valleys,
Val Camonica,
Val Trompia and
Valle Sabbia, as well as a wide flat area south of the city, known as the
Bassa Bresciana, and several hilly areas surrounding the city landscape and extending eastwards towards
Veneto and west to
Franciacorta. Due to the altitude and morphological variety and the presence of large lakes, the province includes all kinds of biomes in
Europe: from something similar to the
maquis shrubland up to the perennial snow of
Adamello (with the largest
glacier in the
Italian Alps).
Valleys The three main valleys on the territory of Brescia are the
Val Camonica, crossed by the river
Oglio and inserted in the northwestern part of the province from
Adamello to
Lake Iseo;
Val Trompia, the river
Mella basin, between the
comuni (municipalities) of
Concesio and
Collio; and the
Valle Sabbia which includes the
comuni from
Serle to
Bagolino along the course of the river
Chiese. All the three valleys have the point of union the
Croce Domini Pass, which takes the name from the "cross" formed by the union of the three basins.
Lakes Within the province there are eight lakes. The main lake basin, in both dimensional, climatic and cultural terms, is
Lake Garda, shared with the
Veneto and
Trentino regions, which with its 370 km2 of surface is the biggest lake in Italy. Because of its size, the lake has a considerable influence on the climate and the surrounding environment, generating a micro-geographic area in a more mitigated climate both in summer and winter.
Lake Iseo is the second lake of the area, and is situated at about 180 m above sea level, in an area called
Sebino, between
Val Camonica (north) and
Franciacorta (south), which divides the provinces of Bergamo and Brescia.
Lake Idro, the third lake within the provincial territory, is located in
Valle Sabbia, on the border between Brescia and the
province of Trento, and differs from the other two main lakes for its modest size. The waters of the lake are mainly exploited for the irrigation of crops in contiguous territories, as well as for the production of energy through a small power plant located in the
comune of
Vobarno. Other small lakes in the province are:
Lago della Vacca (at an elevation of 2,358 m, in one of the coldest points of the province),
Lago d'Arno,
Lago Aviolo, Lago Baitone,
Lago Moro and Lago di
Valvestino. File:La Rocca di Manerba del Garda con l'isola dei Conigli.jpg|
Lake Garda File:Panorama sul Lago d'Iseo - panoramio.jpg|
Lake Iseo with the isle of
Montisola File:Cima Crench - Aussicht auf den Idrosee2.jpg|
Lake Idro File:Lago di Valvestino 005.JPG|Lake Valvestino File:Lago Moro - Darfo Boario Terme (Foto Luca Giarelli).jpg|Lake Moro and
Darfo Boario Terme File:Lago della Vacca 1.jpg|
Lago della Vacca Rivers There are about 45 watercourses crossing the territory of the province, but almost all of them are torrents. The only watercourses that can be defined as real rivers are just three:
Oglio,
Chiese and
Mella; divided between the three main valleys. File:Pompegnino di Vobarno ex ponte ferroviario sul fiume Chiese 2008.jpg|
Chiese crosses
Valle Sabbia File:Fiume Mella presso Offlaga (2008).jpg|
Mella crosses
Val Trompia then part of the southern countryside File:Nascita del fiume Oglio - Ponte di Legno (ph Luca Giarelli).jpg|Source of the river
Oglio in the upper
Valle Camonica File:Il fiume Gambara.jpg|Typical ditch in Bassa Bresciana File:Passo Tonale summer.jpg|
Tonale Pass in summer
Extreme points • Highest point:
Mount Adamello,
Saviore dell'Adamello (3,539 m) • Highest settlement:
Tonale Pass,
Ponte di Legno (1,883 m) • Northernmost municipality:
Ponte di Legno • Southernmost municipality:
Fiesse • Easternmost municipality:
Limone sul Garda • Westernmost municipality:
Pontoglio ==Demographics==