Lepontine Alps

The Lepontine Alps form a broad mountain range between the upper Rhône valley and the lands south of the Alpine crest. Their western peaks rise near Valais, while the eastern part extends from the St Gotthard Pass towards the Splügen Pass. The name comes from the Latin designation of the Leventina valley and was once applied more loosely to the mountains enclosing it. Across these high ridges, snowfields and steep valleys divide the waters flowing north from those descending towards Italy.