Sesia

The Sesia River drops steeply off the flanks of Monte Rosa into the Valsesia of Piedmont, and its cold, fast alpine water has made the valley one of Italy's premier whitewater destinations. Snowmelt from the second-highest massif in the Alps feeds a river of exceptional gradient and clarity.

The whitewater is classic alpine, ranging from accessible Class III on the popular rafting sections to demanding Class IV–V in the upper gorges favored by kayakers. Fast, technical wave trains, boulder gardens and tight rock slots give the river a lively, continuous character, and the granite and gneiss bedrock keeps the water clear and cold. Rafting, kayaking, canyoning and hydrospeed all thrive here.

The Valsesia setting is a green, steep-walled valley of stone villages, chestnut forest and Walser mountain culture, crowned by the glaciers of Monte Rosa. The town of Varallo and villages such as Balmuccia and Scopello form the hub of the local paddling scene, one of the oldest in Italy. Balmuccia and Scopello serve as put-ins, and the valley's outfitters also run canyoning in the side streams; the cold snowmelt demands full wetsuits even as summer warms the surrounding air.

The prime season is spring into early summer, roughly April through June, when Alpine snowmelt swells the river to its best rafting and kayaking levels; flows taper through the warmer months. Outfitters run guided rafting trips and instruction across the valley. Steep, clear and reliably exciting, the Sesia offers alpine whitewater of real quality within easy reach of Milan and Turin.