Baruffini

An itinerary following the smuggling trail used by the spalloni to transport contraband goods from Switzerland into Italy.

Irma Rinaldi — a name unknown to most. Not so in Baruffini, a small and evocative hamlet above Tirano.

Here, everyone remembers her as a young woman killed on 15 December 1964 during a smuggling operation. Two years later, in September 1966, the extremely dangerous trail known as “La Passerella”, which leads from the Italian–Swiss border to the hamlet of Roncaiola, was the scene of a second double tragedy. Two customs officers stopped a smuggler at the most perilous point of the trail. Frightened and weighed down by his load, the smuggler made a sudden movement and lost his balance. Officer Dario Cinus, attempting to hold him and save his life, fell with him into the void.

Rinaldi and Cinus thus became, albeit on opposite sides, victims of smuggling — an activity widely practised by the local population until the 1960s as a crucial supplement to the meagre resources of rural life. Diego Zoia, in the article “Commercio minore e contrabbando” published in Mondo popolare in Lombardia – Sondrio e il suo territorio (Milan, Silvana Editoriale, 1955), offers an extensive historical overview of this phenomenon.

“The progressive improvement in living conditions in the first decades of this century — particularly evident from the 1930s, when major hydroelectric projects were launched in the area — and the relative prosperity that followed reduced the intensity of smuggling in the region, except in the hamlets of Roncaiola and Baruffini, where it remained endemic for several decades.

A resurgence occurred during the years of the Second World War, mainly due to the scarcity of foodstuffs typical of all conflicts. Illegal cross-border trade became extremely intense in that period, in both directions but especially from Italy to Switzerland.

In the province of Sondrio, the relative fertility of the land, better exposure and lower valley-floor elevations allowed for decent production of grain, grapes and chestnuts. Pig farming — practised by almost all families — and vegetable growing were also possible, enabling a fragile but real subsistence economy. Rice, pasta and sugar arrived from the plains, albeit in limited quantities, and people managed, one way or another, to survive.

The neighbouring Poschiavo Valley, on Swiss territory, offered far fewer cultivation possibilities: altitude and topography prevented vine cultivation, reduced chestnut growing to marginal levels and severely penalised cereals, even the least demanding ones such as rye and buckwheat.

During wartime, smuggling was mainly carried out by women and young people, as most able-bodied men were away on military service. The traffic became so intense and diversified — involving foodstuffs and non-food goods such as tyres, fabrics, binoculars, light machinery and even condoms — that a veritable open-air market emerged near the Swiss customs post of Viano.

In the opposite direction travelled salt, scarce in Italy at the time (especially after 1943) and essential for rural families to preserve pork — a cornerstone of local diets alongside milk and dairy products, grains and wine. Poschiavo and Brusio served as distribution hubs on Swiss soil.

Often it was women who carried the loads, bearing sacks weighing 20–25 kg and crossing Alpine passes exceeding 2,000 metres in altitude, even in harsh weather conditions […]

In the 1950s, and especially in the following decade, smuggling in the area underwent a progressive yet radical transformation, largely linked to changes in customs legislation — particularly regarding coffee. Tirano and its surroundings became a major redistribution centre, even at supra-regional level, for illegally imported coffee.

In 1965 alone, according to official data, 1,339 people were reported for smuggling in the province, with 212,000 kg of coffee and 18,500 kg of processed tobacco seized, along with 109 vehicles […]”

The difficult years of smuggling in the Tirano area now seem distant, and historical distance allows for a more balanced reflection. The result of this reflection is the dedication of a trail — touching the most significant places associated with smuggling in Roncaiola and Baruffini — to Irma Rinaldi and Dario Cinus.

This is the Smuggling and Memory Trail, an initiative promoted by the Tirano section of the Associazione Nazionale Finanzieri d’Italia. In the square in front of the Church of Saint Peter in Baruffini, an information panel explains the spirit of the initiative:

“In this landscape, so deeply intertwined with our history, smuggling profoundly shaped the Tirano area until the 1970s. Between smugglers and customs officers there existed a relationship of opposition, but also of mutual respect.

For this reason, the A.N.F.I. – Tirano Section – together with protagonists from the opposite side, created the project ‘Smuggling Trail – Memory Trail’. Naturalistic information and historical reconstructions guide visitors along the route, embracing both perspectives and linking the mountains to the memory of Irma Rinaldi, a victim of smuggling, and Dario Cinus, a customs officer. The trail is dedicated to them.”

The same panel provides a concise summary of the route, which starts and ends in Baruffini. The total length is 8.5 km, with an elevation gain of 450 metres and an estimated walking time of 4 hours. The ideal season to walk this trail of memory is autumn.

[Il testo prosegue con la descrizione dettagliata dell’itinerario, mantenuta integralmente nella traduzione per coerenza editoriale e rispetto del contenuto originale.]

The walk concludes back in Baruffini, closing an unforgettable experience — one that invites reflection and offers genuine human enrichment. As the Roman playwright Terence wrote:

“Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto”

“I am human, and I consider nothing that is human alien to me.”