This marks the beginning of a tribute to the scenic and natural, artistic and cultural, food-and-wine and artisanal heritage with which the province of Sondrio is extraordinarily rich. We have selected a series of truly distinctive itineraries — real hidden gems, outside the most popular tourist routes — that offer a broader view of one of the oldest Alpine valleys, a direct witness to, and at times a protagonist in, numerous moments of great historical significance. The desire for discovery and knowledge lies in the hands — or rather, in the legs — of those who choose to immerse themselves in the stories told here.
As early as 1493, Leonardo da Vinci gave voice to his impressions while travelling through Valtellina in his Codex Atlanticus:
“At the head of Valtolina lies the mountain of Bormi. Terrible peaks always covered with snow; here ermines are born. In Bormi there are the baths. Valtolina, as said, a valley surrounded by high and fearsome mountains. It produces very strong wines and in great quantity, and so much livestock that the locals conclude more milk than wine is born here. This is the valley through which the Adda flows, which runs for more than 40 miles through Magna.”
Chiuro, together with Ponte in Valtellina, is one of the most beautiful and ancient villages of mid-Valtellina.
Worth visiting are the ancient Castle of Stefano Quadrio, the parish church of Saints James and Andrew of medieval origin, flanked by the sixteenth-century portico of the Disciplini and the adjoining chapel frescoed by Cipriano Valorsa. Numerous noble residences line Via Rusca and Borgo Francone.
On the outskirts of the village stand the churches of Madonna della Neve and San Carlo, built in the Baroque period. Not to be missed is the upper district of Castionetto di Chiuro, with its tower built between the 13th and 15th centuries, as well as the charming little church of San Bartolomeo, from which there is a breathtaking view over the entire alluvial cone cultivated with apple orchards.
Churches, castles, towers, noble palaces, convents, ancient courtyards… even an astronomical observatory dedicated to Giuseppe Piazzi, who discovered the first minor planet: Ceres.
Ponte is one of the oldest villages in mid-Valtellina.
Set within a natural landscape where the colours and scents of vineyards and apple orchards — crossed by paths and ancient cobbled lanes — contrast with those of the Rhaetian and Orobie peaks, Ponte is a fundamental stop for understanding the history of Valtellina.
It is still a lively town, a destination for visitors who can enjoy accessible trekking routes and, at the end of a day spent discovering nature, art and culture, taste the finest cheeses of the local tradition, a good glass of Nebbiolo, as well as a plate of authentic pizzoccheri or a genuine artisanal ice cream.
An ancient and small jewel, a village offering breathtaking views over mid-Valtellina. The medieval tower known as “De li beli miri” is all that remains of the castle, Castrum Tilii, built on Roman ruins of an earlier settlement.
It is in Teglio that Valtellina owes its name. A history whose roots reach back to the 3rd century BC. Churches and beautiful noble palaces — foremost among them Palazzo Besta — make it a must-see destination for anyone who truly wishes to know and savour the natural, artistic, cultural, food-and-wine and agricultural heritage of one of the most evocative Alpine valleys in northern Italy.
Suffice it to think of the buckwheat fields, as well as rye fields — revived in recent times — now an integral part of the local landscape. Their changing shapes and colours across the seasons offer a rare and unmissable spectacle.
Montagna in Valtellina, just a few kilometres from Sondrio, has very ancient origins. This is confirmed not only by numerous archaeological finds but also by place names. The itinerary we propose starts from Sondrio and, passing through vineyards, reaches Castel Grumello.
Thanks to its strategic position — a natural corridor in the heart of Europe — Valtellina was a land of castles and fortresses. Among these, the Castle of Grumello deserves special mention, built between the late 13th and early 14th centuries by the Ghibelline Corrado de Piro, from whom it takes its name. Castel Grumello is a fine example of a “twin” castle, composed of a military structure and a residential one. Donated to FAI in 1990, it was restored and reopened to the public in 2001.
Grosio and the Bronze Age — indeed, it was from this time that the area began to be inhabited. This is demonstrated by the large number of rock engravings still well preserved and visible on the Rupe Magna, among other evidence.
A visit to the Rock Engravings Park is therefore a must; it also includes the Castle of San Faustino, also known as the Old Castle, and the Visconti Venosta Castle, also called the New Castle. Equally fascinating is the centrally located Visconti Venosta villa-museum, with its beautiful halls and airy gardens, which today houses the Civic Library and the Museum.
Do not miss the traditional costume of Grosio which, according to legends not supported by official documents, derives from those of Circassian, Balkan or Ottoman slaves, purchased and later married in the 17th century by the inhabitants of Grosio, who at the time maintained frequent commercial contacts with the Republic of Venice.
In Castello dell’Acqua, on the Orobie side of Valtellina and just a few kilometres from Sondrio, a wonderful ethnographic trail begins, lasting approximately three hours. This itinerary allows visitors to discover legends and traditions of Valtellina’s rural economy.
Along the way, one encounters old forges once used to shape agricultural tools. The scenery feels enchanted: chestnut, lime, ash, elder, birch and poplar woods lead to a clearing where the 17th-century church of San Giuseppe stands, in the hamlet of Cortivo.
Inside is a stucco mask representing envy — a figure halfway between the grotesque and the grotesque, with scales instead of ears and an open mouth showing its tongue towards Castello Centro, the shaded side of the valley which tradition describes as “jealous” of the sun that shines on Cortivo. A beautiful story to be discovered while walking immersed in nature.
Rifugio Malghera is located in the western part of Val Grosina (Grosio) and takes its name from the nearby rural settlement. It can be reached by car and is part of the Via Alpina, the route connecting the Principality of Monaco to Trieste. In Malghera, visitors can also admire the Sanctuary of Madonna del Muschio.
The refuge is still managed today by the Fabbriceria, an association of volunteers appointed by the local population and the parish priest of Grosio. A strong sense of local identity is reflected in the festivities held in Malghera: the devotional pilgrimage on the last Sunday of May, the opening of the alpine pasture in early June, the solemn feast of the Assumption on 15 August, and the closing of the alpine pasture on the second Sunday of October.
Rifugio Schiazzera, in the municipality of Vervio, was formerly a Guardia di Finanza barracks and was renovated in 1997. The presence of a barracks in this area is unsurprising, as the upper Val Saiento allows relatively easy passage to the Poschiavo Valley and the nearby Valle Piana, a lateral branch of western Val Grosina, from which one can again easily reach the Poschiavo Valley.
In the past, this was a heavily used route for the spalloni, the smugglers. Rifugio Schiazzera is managed by volunteers who help raise funds to support the missions of Operazione Mato Grosso in Latin America.
Sernio, just a few kilometres from Tirano, is a small town in mid-Valtellina well worth a visit. Here you can find the ancient baitei, dry-stone buildings, usually circular in plan and covered with a false dome roof. There are two accessible clusters.
The earliest written evidence of these ancient structures — used by shepherds as shelters, food storage or tool sheds — dates back to 1681. The Municipality of Sernio, long committed to enhancing its territory, has recently completed restoration works on the baitei in the area known as Pergul, along with a broader intervention to restore dry-stone walls in vineyards and olive groves.
Over the years, these structures have been the subject of research by scholars of ancient history. Walking through the woods, one can fully appreciate their evocative atmosphere and distinctive architectural character.
At the western entrance to the provincial capital stands the charming Sanctuary of Sassella. A small jewel offering many points of interest both inside and out. Not to be missed are the frescoes depicting episodes from the life of Mary, as well as the central scene of the Annunciation by the painter Andrea De Passeris (1511).
Surrounding the 15th-century religious building is the Rhaetian slope cultivated with vineyards. From these vineyards, supported by ancient dry-stone walls and planted with Nebbiolo grapes, the Sassella wine — Valtellina Superiore DOCG — is produced. Sondrio can be reached on foot via a well-maintained mule track that runs along the foot of the mountain.
In the footsteps of the smugglers — the spalloni — who roamed between Italy and Switzerland, pursued by customs officers. A story of men and women that naturally begins in the hamlet of Baruffini, part of Tirano: a small and evocative settlement just a stone’s throw from the Swiss border.
It was precisely its border position, combined with limited employment opportunities, that between the 1950s and late 1970s led to the development of extensive smuggling activities, whose proceeds profoundly altered the valley’s economy. Along the traces of this twenty-year “war” between smugglers and customs officers run paths and itineraries of rare beauty.
Walking these routes is not only evocative from a scenic and natural point of view, but also from a historical one. Understanding the reasons behind a phenomenon that involved many local communities helps provide a broader view of Valtellina’s recent history.
The provincial capital, with over 21,000 inhabitants, Sondrio was designated Alpine Town of the Year in 2007. It lies in mid-Valtellina at the confluence of the Mallero stream, descending from nearby Valmalenco, and the Adda River.
In this town of Lombard origin, prehistoric and Roman remains have been discovered. A small Alpine city with a historic centre rich in evocative corners and historic residences, today home to museums and exhibition spaces: Castel Masegra, Palazzo Muzio, Palazzo Sassi de Lavizzari and Villa Quadrio.
Here one breathes the air of a border town, and therefore of historical, artistic, cultural and linguistic cross-pollination. Just minutes from the Swiss border, Tirano is famous for its sanctuary dedicated to the Madonna and for being the terminus of the scenic Bernina railway line with its iconic Red Train.
Already inhabited in prehistoric times, as shown by archaeological finds, the original nucleus of the town — at the foot of the Roncaiola slope — dates back to Roman times. A strategic crossroads, Tirano attracted the attention of the powers dominating the European political landscape during the 17th century, a period marked by religious tensions between Catholics and Protestants, culminating in 1620 when the so-called Sacro Macello of Valtellina began precisely in Tirano.
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