Valtellina

Valtellina or the Valtelline valley (occasionally spelled as two words in English: Val Telline); (Lombard: Valtulina, 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.