Grosio

An excursion starting from the park of Villa Visconti Venosta in Grosio and reaching the Rock Engravings Park and Grosio Castle.

Villa Visconti Venosta

The noble Villa Visconti Venosta in Grosio is today a fascinating villa-museum, a symbol of history and of the illustrious figures of the past.

Located at the entrance to the village of Grosio, in the very heart of the historic centre, Villa Visconti Venosta was the ancient residence of the noble family of the same name, who traditionally spent their summers here.

With a central plan featuring a portico and loggia, the villa is enclosed by two wings.
The left wing, the older one, was plundered and set on fire in 1620 and later rebuilt at the end of the 17th century at the behest of the Jesuit Marcantonio Venosta.

The right wing was modified several times over the years according to the wishes of Marquis Emilio, a distinguished member of the family and an important diplomat and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Italy. The Marquis also purchased the surrounding land to create the vast park — now public — rich in centuries-old trees, a hawthorn hedge and a high enclosing wall which once ensured privacy for the family.

Today the villa houses the Civic Library and the Museum, founded following the donation by Marchioness Margherita — the last Visconti Venosta heir to live in the villa until 1982. The museum occupies the main floor, once inhabited by the marquises, and, in the west wing, the second floor, formerly reserved for the servants.

Along the exhibition route, visitors can admire the rich period furnishings, ancient volumes, memorabilia collected over generations and during travels, as well as valuable works of art belonging to the collection of Marquis Emilio, a passionate art lover.

The magnificent interior rooms of the palace still preserve items linked to illustrious acquaintances of the family, such as the armchair of Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, a friend and political supporter of Marquis Emilio, and a volume of French proverbs annotated by Alessandro Manzoni.

The Rock Engravings of Rupe Magna

The practice of carving rock surfaces is well documented throughout the Alpine arc, from the Aosta Valley to Veneto. In Lombardy, there are two areas with a high concentration of rock art: Val Camonica and Valtellina.

Most of the rock engravings were created using the so-called “martellina” technique, obtained by hammering the rock surface with a stone tool, creating small circular depressions. Another technique used is the “filiform” or “graffito” technique, in which figures are produced by incising the rock surface with a pointed tool.

In Valtellina, the most substantial group of engravings is found in Grosio. In addition to those on Rupe Magna, discovered in 1966 by Davide Pace, around fifty other engraved rocks were identified by the same scholar in 1970 on Dosso Giroldo, located north of Dosso dei Castelli.

Rupe Magna owes its morphology to the action of the Valtellina glacier: the slow and continuous movement of debris carried by the glacial tongues of the Adda Valley and the Roasco stream shaped the rock surface with broad rounded forms. Numerous figurative themes are engraved on Rupe Magna: anthropomorphic figures — including worshippers, warriors and fighters — animals, geometric figures, cup marks, rake-like symbols and crosses.

Based on comparisons with artefacts from archaeological excavations and stylistic analyses, the engravings are dated between the late Neolithic period (4th millennium BC) and the Iron Age (1st millennium BC). Between 1991 and 1995, the engravings of Rupe Magna were fully surveyed and studied, making it possible to verify that there are over 5,000 engravings, distributed across the entire rock surface, which — measuring 84 metres in length and 35 metres in width — is one of the largest in the Alps.

Visconti Venosta Castle

Dominating the rocky promontory overlooking the villages of Grosotto and Grosio stand the Castle of San Faustino, also known as the Old Castle, and the Visconti Venosta Castle, also known as the New Castle. Both are now part of the Grosio Rock Engravings Park and can be easily reached on foot in a short time.

After passing Rupe Magna, with its countless prehistoric engravings, one reaches the more recent castle. Although now in a state of ruin, it remains an interesting example of a castle and one of the best preserved in the province of Sondrio.

The fortress is characterised by a double ring of walls, leading scholars to believe it functioned as an enclosure castle where the population could take refuge in times of danger. It is also thought that the space between the two walls was used in a highly flexible and effective manner, anchoring — as needed — a complex system of retractable ladders and temporary structures to the outer wall.

Following the ridge of the rocky spur to its western end, one reaches the older castle, smaller in size and purely defensive in function. Only a few walls and sections of the foundations remain, along with traces of the semicircular apse of the castle church dedicated to Saints Faustino and Giovita. At the foot of the Romanesque bell tower are two tombs carved into the rock, of uncertain date but likely belonging to a structure predating the castle itself.

Historical notes

The two castles, located on a rocky promontory frequented by humans since prehistoric times, date back to very different historical periods.

The older structure, on the southern end of the spur, was built around the 10th–11th century and is commonly referred to as Castrum Grosii or the Castle of San Faustino, named after the Roman martyr to whom the castle chapel was dedicated together with Saint Giovita. The preserved masonry remains allow the perimeter of the castle and some associated structures to be identified. Among these stands out the Romanesque bell tower, restored in its upper part towards the end of the 19th century.

The construction of the New Castle (Castrum Novum) dates back to 1350–1370, commissioned by the Visconti with financial support from the entire valley. This new fortress was designed to meet changing strategic needs. For the Lords of Milan — who conquered Valtellina in 1335 — having a castle in this area, at the entrance to Val Grosina, meant facilitating the conquest of the County of Bormio, achieved in 1376 with the loyal collaboration of the Venosta family.

In 1635–36, the battlements were sealed to create loopholes more effective against firearms. Unlike other fortifications in the valley, these castles were not dismantled following the decree imposed by the Grisons government in 1526; they were rendered unusable only in 1639, following the Valtellina uprising of 1620.