La Nigoglia is a stream with somewhat peculiar characteristics of which the local people are particularly proud. The stream links Lake Orta and the River Strona and is claimed to be the only stream in Italy to be flowing the wrong way, flowing as it does towards the Alps. It is a strange phenomenon as the majority of streams flow away from the mountains rather than towards them. The well-known saying in these parts is ‘La Nigoglia goes up and we make the laws’.
