The river Soča (Italian Isonzo) is a river in West Slovenia and North Italy. An Alpine river in character, Soča has its source 1,100 m high in the Julian Alps, west from the mountain Triglav (2683m) in the Trenta valley. Flowing south past Bovec , Kobarid, Tolmin, Nova Gorica and Gorizia, it enters after 140 km the Adriatic Sea near Monfalcone in Italy.
The valley of Soča (Isonzo) was the stage of major military operations - 12 battles on (The Isonzo Front) in the First World War between May 1915 and November 1917 - which took over 2.000,000 human lives on both Austrian and Italian side.
Famous and unique is the Soča trout (Slovenian Soška postrv), Salmo trutta marmoratus , also named the Marble trout, who lives in the upper stream of crystal-clear river. It is the endemic fish species of the river basin of the Adriatic Sea and endangered due to introduction of non-autochthonous trouts between both world wars.
Some people call the river "the emerald beauty" because of its emerald green color of water.
The Soča inspired a Slovenian poet Simon Gregorčič to write the poem Soči (To the Soča ), one of masterpieces of Slovenian poetry.
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