Chiesa in Valmalenco is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Sondrio in the Italian region Lombardy , located about 100 kilometres (62 mi) northeast of Milan and about 11 kilometres (7 mi) north of Sondrio, on the border with Switzerland. The English for "Chiesa in Valmalenco" is "Church in Valmalenco": it is the most important village of the Valmalenco valley (a lateral valley of Valtellina ). "Valmalenco" is a name of unsure origin. Local culture believes it originates from Celtic and Pre-Roman civilisations which share similar meanings: Celtic "Mal en ga", meaning “head pressed by water” and Pre-Roman "Mall-anko" which translates to Mountain river. The area near Chiesa in Valmalenco is famous for alpine skiing and the particular geology of the surrounding mountains. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,714 and an area of 114.8 square kilometres (44.3 sq mi).