LE VIE DEL VIANDANTE TRAILS FOR THE MODERN WAYFARER Pathways through history, from Lake through to the

www.leviedelviandante.it ANCIENT PATHWAYS THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS BETWEEN AND Project co-funded by the Italy-Switzerland Cross-border Cooperation Programme 2007/2013

Partners in the Project: Province of - Project leader for Italy Region of Mesolcina - Project leader for Switzerland of (in the Province of ) Mountain Community of Lario Intelvese Mountain Community of Lario Orientale e Valle San Martino Mountain Community of Mountain Community of Valli del Lario e del Ceresio Mountain Community of Valvarone Val D’Esino e Riviera Mountain Community of the Triangolo Lariano

Editorial consultancy and texts: Ideas s.r.l. (IT) for the Italian Partners, Dr. Marco Marcacci for the Region of Mesolcina (CH) Map and Photographs: Sole di Vetro s.r.l. Graphics and Printer: Maggioli Editore, Maggioli Editore is a trademark of Maggioli S.p.A., Company with quality system certified ISO 9001:2008, Santarcangelo di Romagna (RN)

The information presented in this Guide has been assembled with the maximum care. The Partners in the Projects “Ancient Pathways through the Mountains between Italy and Switzerland” are not however responsible for any type of change to the information provided, not for any possible inconvenience or injury suffered as a consequence of this information.

© Copyright 2012 Provincia di Lecco, Regione Mesolcina, Provincia di Como, Comune di Gordona (SO), Comunità Montana Lario Intelvese, Comunità Montana Lario Orientale e Valle San Martino, Comunità Montana Valchiavenna, Comunità Montana Valli del Lario e del Ceresio, Comunità Montana Valsassina Valvarone Val D’Esino e Riviera, Comunità Montana Triangolo Lariano

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2 The territory of the Provinces of Lecco and Como, of the district of Valchiavenna (in the ) and of the adjacent Valle Mescolcina (in the Canton of Graubünden) has a rich history linked to the commercial interaction between northern and southern Europe. For centuries these access routes made it possible for people and goods to circulate, in spite of geographical and political frontiers. The Partners in the Project named “Ancient Pathways through the Mountains between Italy and Switzerland” (co-funded by the Italy-Switzerland Cross-border Cooperation Programme 2007/2013), have developed an integrated, unbroken network of walking trails once trodden by the wayfarers, traders, smugglers, pilgrims and armies of the past. Through a range of practical measures combined with good communication strategies, the Project has succeeded in setting up two types of trails: – recreational tracks, which are easier, mostly along the side rather than over the top of the mountains or keeping to the valley floors, suitable also for families, groups of friends, couples or the over-60s. – adventure trails, which are more challenging, winding through the mountains mainly at high altitudes, and which have a medium-to-demanding rating, suitable for hikers who are experi- enced, fit, and well-prepared. This Guide provides the historical and cultural background to the trails, and information about the various tourist facilities along the way. The booklet gives a broad-ranging explanation of the history of the cross-border mountain pathways, while for all the trails the reader will find a pre- liminary table containing basic information, followed by a description of each stage that is the maximum recommended to be walked in a day. The basic information tables indicate time and level of difficulty. The travel times for each stage have been calculated principally in relation to the profile of as- cents/descents for those that are exclusively in the mountains, while distance has been the main factor in calculating travel times for recreational trails. In a number of cases, where a long walk is combined with significant changes in altitude, both length and difficulty have been taken into account in calculating the time for the stage. These calculations have been made based on a person completing an altitude change of about 300 metres in 1 hour, and taking 1 hour to cover 3 km across terrain with moderate ascents and descents. The level of difficulty is indicated using the CAI (Italian Alpine Club) classification. This is divided into 4 categories each indicated by letters of the alphabet in relation to the amount of effort re- quired to complete a trail. In rising order of difficulty, here is the code used: T → Touristic hike, on pedestrian streets, cart and mule tracks and very easy paths; E → Hikers path on mule tracks withouth technical difficulty; EE → Hikers path on impervious zones with difficult passages which required a good mountain knowledge; EEA → Mountain climbers path which leads on usually equipped walls and ridges. A proper equipment like helmet and cord is required. Optional detours from the main track are indicated in yellow in case a walker has the time and energy to explore further afield. The website www.leviedelviandante.it brings together all the information about the Project and about the recreational and adventure trails. It includes details of tourist services (information offic- es, accommodation, restaurants, etc), roadbooks (detailed directions which can be downloaded and printed off) and georeferencing files for the main trails (which users can download onto their own hiking navigator). And for those who want to leave their car at home, here is a stress-free way to enjoy the moun- tains, discovering the local histories and traditions stretching from through Valle Mes- olcina to the San Bernardino Pass.

Province of Lecco Region of Mesolcina Lead Partner for Italy Lead Partner for Switzerland

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Pathways between Valle Mesolcina and district of Lario: some history...... 7

1.1 The Swiss side: history of Valle Mesolcina and the San Bernardino Pass...... 8 An open valley...... 8 The Pass in prehistoric and Roman times...... 9 Revival of trade in Late Middle Ages...... 9 A system of linking pathways...... 10 The San Bernardino commercial road in the 19th century...... 11 From railway tunnels to motorway tunnels...... 12

1.2 The Italian side...... 13 Golasecca culture in the prehistoric period...... 13 Roads and commerce in Roman times...... 14 The medieval period: from small local roads to the rise of carrier corporations.. 15 The modern age: from the struggles to control commercial roads to the opening up of new routes...... 16

1.3 Between Switzerland and Italy: historical importance of the “traverses”...... 18 Interconnections...... 18 The two main traverses...... 19 The Forcola Pass...... 20 The traverse...... 20 The San Jorio Pass track...... 22 The Bocchetta di Camedo...... 23 Contraband: a form of cross-border collaboration...... 24

2. Recreational Trails...... 27

Recreational Trail A - Strada Regia...... 29 A.1 - Stage from to ...... 31 A.2 - Stage from Nesso to Bellagio...... 37

4 Recreational Trail B - Via dei Monti Lariani...... 43 B.1 - Stage from Como to ...... 47 B.2 - Stage from Schignano to San Fedele d’Intelvi...... 51 B.3 - Stage from San Fedele d’Intelvi to ...... 55 B.4 - Stage from Lenno to / ...... 59 B.5 - Stage from Plesio / Menaggio to ...... 63 B.6 - Stage from Garzeno to Peglio...... 67 B.7 - Stage from Peglio to ...... 71

Recreational Trail C - Sentiero del Viandante...... 75 C.1 - Stage from to ...... 79 C.2 - Stage from Varenna to Dorio...... 87 C.3 - Stage from Dorio to Sorico...... 93

Recreational Trail D - Via Francisca...... 97 D.1 - Stage from Sorico to ...... 101 D.2 - Stage from Samolaco to Gordona...... 107

Recreational Trail E - The Bocchetta di Camedo and the border crossing...... 113 E - Stage: Rifugio Vincino (IT) - Bocchetta di Camedo - (CH)...... 115

Recreational Trail F - Valle Mesolcina...... 121 F.1 - Stage from Roveredo to Cama...... 123 F.2 - Stage from Cama to ...... 133 F.3 - Stage from Soazza to San Bernardino Village...... 139

3. Adventure Trails...... 147

Adventure Trail G - Passo della Forcola...... 150 Adventure Trail H - Bocchetta del Notar...... 152 Adventure Trail I - Bocchetta d’Agnon...... 156 Link path Adventure Trail H-I...... 160

Bibliography...... 162

5 General map of routes

6 1 PATHWAYS BETWEEN VALLE MESOLCINA AND DISTRICT OF LARIO: SOME HISTORY

7 1.1 THE SWISS SIDE: HISTORY OF VALLE MESOLCINA AND THE SAN BERNARDINO PASS

An open valley Valle Mesolcina is a transit valley thanks to the San Bernardino Pass, one of the access routes between the north and south of the , connecting the river basin of the with that of the . Mesolcina is a glacial valley except for the upper part which is formed of three levels between the San Bernardino Pass itself and . The valley is U-shaped, especially in the central part from to Grono. The valley is about 37 km long with quite marked changes in altitude: from 3279 m at Pizzo Tambo it drops to 260 m at Piano di San Vittore, on the border with Ticino. The region covers a surface area of 374.99 km2. There is evidence of human presence in the territory of Mesolcina ever since the Mesolithic period (9,000 years ago), when, with a gradual rise in temperature, the glaciers retreated and tundra-type vegetation first appeared, then larger plants and trees. Excavations made during construction of the A 13 semi-motorway at Tec Nef, west of the hill on which Mesocco stands, proved that encampments for hunters existed here, while gatherers had ventured this far from the Insubrian lakes and the plain of the River. Given the favourable climatic conditions, the southern slopes of the Alps were colo- nised quite early on. The first stable settlements date back to almost 7,500 years ago, on terraces and plateaus, especially in the transit valleys like Mesolcina. Archaeolog- ical finds – for example artefacts in stone and earthenware – testify to contacts and exchanges between populations through the Alps. The exchange of goods across the Alps intensified in the Bronze Age, as shown by finds of objects made with this alloy of copper and tin (absent in the Alpine area itself), and of amber, a substance from the Baltic. In the district of , the network of set- tlements further intensified in the Iron Age – Mesocco, Cama, Castaneda, Santa Maria and Roveredo. In the development during this period, bound up with the transalpine exchange of goods, Etruscan cities seem to have played an important role. From the western Mediterranean they looked to the passes through the central Alps for their trading opportunities with continental Europe. The rich grave goods found in Mesolcina, including items originating from outside the region, is almost certainly the result of an economic well-being linked to the intensi-

8 fication of transalpine trade. Moesa itself did not offer any raw materials worthy of note, and the natural environment was not one in which agriculture could flourish. If the population in the area was able to live above subsistence level, it was due to the opportunities offered by the exchange of goods across the Alps.

The Pass in prehistoric and Roman times Its geographical situation and the lie of the land meant that Mesolcina became a tran- sit valley for transalpine traffic from the Neolithic Age onwards, as confirmed by vari- ous archaeological finds. Its proximity to Lago Maggiore, which at that time probably extended further east on the Piano di Magadino, made the valley easier to reach. The width of the crossing (about 1.5 km), called in olden days the “Culmen de Ouxello”, made the crossing easier, since travellers could choose their preferred route according to the season, the type of goods in transit, and the state of the roads. We can still recognise at least four different routes, from the one furthest east, beneath the massive Pizzo Uccello, to the carriageway through the pass at the other end. It is difficult to tie these different tracks down to precise historical periods, both because of the lack of irrefutable archaeological data and because there is no reason to believe, at least until the arrival of carriageways, that when a new route was found the others were totally abandoned. The fact that transalpine traffic existed along the axis of the San Bernardino in the Bronze and Iron Ages is proved without a doubt by the discovery in Mesolcina of ob- jects and jewellery made with raw materials from northern Europe. Mesolcina served precisely to connect the Insubrian lakes with the Lake Constance, and this explains why certain prehistoric settlements (Mesocco, Castaneda, Roveredo-Valasc) endured over time. Traces of mule tracks that can still be recognised along the valley floor and over the pass are probably of medieval origin. We can only speculate about the existence of a Roman road however, even if although there seems no doubt that the San Bernardino Pass was travelled in Roman times. Artefacts from the Roman period (most probably late-Roman) have so far been found only up on hill. For the , the San Bernardino certainly did not have the importance of the Mont Cenis or Great St. Bernard passes, or even of other crossings in the . The known inventories of Roman roads do not indicate with any certainty that the San Bernardino was one of the routes connecting the lakes of present-day with the valley of the Rhine.

Revival of trade in Late Middle Ages The break-up of the Roman Empire, the Barbarian migrations, and the decline in conti- nental trade all served to reduce the role of the mountain passes to that of checkpoints and barriers against possible enemy infiltrations. The rebirth of the passes and the re-opening of the Alps were due to the demographic, commercial and urban dyna- mism that made itself felt in Europe from the 11th century onwards. The Alpine world then became an important supplier of goods and raw materials to the cities – wood, leather, products and animals for the slaughter; while from the cities the Alpine populations imported cloth, iron and salt. Merchandise from the Orient – silk, spices, exotic woods – also would transited through the Alps.

9 One of the main criteria in the choice of trade routes was whether a particular pathway was safe, and political stability was therefore extremely important. Lom- bard and German merchants soon began to discover the advantages of the passes through the central Alps, including the Rhaetian Alps. The journey was rapid, ban- ditry was almost completely absent, and transit costs were lower because the area supplied sufficient fodder for animals. In this period, therefore, the traffic of goods in transit provided a considerable boost to the economy of the valleys, as caravans of mules crossed the Alps. The San Bernardino Pass also profited from this state of affairs. The local lords were well aware of the situation, and attempted to extend their dominion over Blenio, Bell- inzona and Monte Dongo in order to gain control of a number of passes on both sides of the crossing. Once these local attempts had failed, the good relations that Count Enrico de Sacco established with encouraged traffic through the San Bernardino in the second half of the 14th century, and the pass took its current name after a chapel dedicated to St. Bernardino of Siena (mentioned in 1467), with a hospice subsequently added to it in the vicinity. The opening of the in 1473 was also very important for trade. In Mesolcina, breeders and mule drovers organised themselves into cor- porations of carriers (these were called “porti”) to control and manage the traffic. The men of Mesocco, responsible for traffic on the southern side of the pass, took charge of the goods at the toll point in and conveyed them as far as the San Bernardino Pass, where they were entrusted to the drovers in the territory of the , to be transported down the other side. Despite the political difficulties and the instability of the , the period of the Counter-Reformation was favourable to the San Bernardino. This is demonstrated by the construction or reno- vation of numerous bridges or stretches of road in Mesolcina.

A system of linking pathways In the 16th century, Valle Mesolcina had a well-developed network of roads and tracks with some which were more important than others. The principle road, the “Strada Francesca”, ran through Mesolcina from the San Bernardino Pass as far as the border with Bellinzona. It still mostly followed the route used in ancien times. In some stretches it was still cobbled, and small carts were only able to pass along flat sections. The rest of it was a mule track, kept open for the passage of pack animals or sledges. The road proper had supporting infrastucture: customs houses, intermediate stops to unload goods, stables, places to stay, and fenced off areas. Maintenance of the road and of its ancillary structures, especially the bridges, was mainly funded through tolls and other levies on goods in transit. When this was not enough, the whole community of the Valley had to contribute. Besides being worn away by the passing traffic, the road was often devastated by floods. A number of side roads or “traverses” branched off the Strada Francesca for cross-bor- der trade towards the south-east, in the direction of and Lake Como. Im- portant among these were the Gravedona and Forcola traverses, which were an alternative route if connections though Bellinzona were interrupted. Then there were the tracks, used above all for the transhumance of livestock, as well as for agricultural and forestry work, and for local movements between the villages

10 with their outlying hamlets. The need to shift herds and flocks meant that these local tracks too would often cross mountain passes and saddles. This network of pathways, managed at the local level by each individual; village or comune, was built and maintained by local labour in the community (known in feudal law as the “corvée”). We must finally mention also the waterways, which traditionally served to transport logs. From various points along the valley floor where the logs were first collected, the logs were taken to the Moesa River to be transported down to the confluence with the Ticino, and then on towards Lago Maggiore. This transport system – the only one that, with the technical knowledge of the time, allowed large quantities of logs to be exported – did nevertheless cause significant damage to bridges and gangplanks, and intensified erosion of the riverbanks.

The San Bernardino commercial road in the 19th century The old roading system stayed this way until the end of the 18th century. Attempts were made in the second half of that century to improve the San Bernardino Pass road to make it possible for wagons to transit, in order to compete with the Splügen Pass. It had always been possible to negotiate the San Bernardino even in winter by using sledges (which could transport greater loads than could be carried pack animals), although the sledges sometimes followed a different route from that used in summer. The end of the old State of the and the upheavals of the Napoleonic pe- riod set new criteria for roading and transport management. Easier interconnections were needed, with roads that could be used by wagons and carriages, even through the Alpine passes. The first modern road of this type in the Alps was the Simplon road, completed in 1805. The main innovation in the construction of carriageways at the beginning of the 19th century was the planning of the routes to be followed. Up to that point, roads and tracks had followed the shape of the land, but from now on the aim was to develop a rational solution to path-finding, levelling the ground and creating hairpin bends to create as smooth a gradient as possible, and creating gutters to ensure the run-off of water. Because of these new criteria, people started referred to “artificial” roads. After 1815, to deter traffic from being diverted towards other routes, the Canton of Graubünden was able to cope between the rival interests of the Kingdoms of Lom- bardy-Venetia and of Sardinia-, both intended on seeing their respective States connected with the urban centres north of the Alps by modern commercial roads. While the Austrians opted for the Splügen, the Piedmontese chose the San Bernardino as their preferred route between the port of and . Thanks to some influential people, it was possible to make the necessary agreements to fund the new commercial roads. For Mesolcina, Clemente Maria a Marca (1764- 1819), a politician with a wide range of connections, played a decisive role. He found a precious ally in Giulio Pocobelli, an engineer and member of the Ticino government, as designer and construction manager of the “grandiose highway” of the San Bernardino. In the Napoleonic period, Pocobelli, an engineer with a more practical rather than theoretical training, had built the Mont Cenis road and a ten-arch bridge over the Ticino River in Bellinzona. The two succeeded in convincing the Rhae- tian authorities of the wisdom of the project. Having obtained promises for funding, and signed the necessary contracts, the road between Coira and the frontier with the

11 Canton of Ticino – a carriageway over the whole distance – was built between 1818 and 1823. The costs were incurred by the -Piedmont, the delivery agents of Coira, and the Canton of Graubünden. The total length was approximately 120 km, 46 of which were in Mesolcina territory, from the pass to the frontier near the village of . The road was to be 6 m wide, except at particularly difficult points, where the width could be reduced to 3 m. It was necessary to build adequate retaining walls, raise the carriageway to allow water to run off by making manholes and gutters and set wooden or stone kerbstones in place. Where the road ran through villages it had to be entirely paved. The gradient on the southern slope down from the pass varied between 7 and 10%. A hospice, which has nowadays been turned into a restaurant, was built on the crossing (1824-25). The construction of the road did not occur in optimum conditions, because of the oppo- sition met in certain , for the overly tight schedule to complete the work, and also because costs exceeded expectations. The political situation became messy too. In a treaty with the Canton of Ticino, Austria sought to block the San Bernardino road by forbidding any improvements to be made to the short stretch passing through Ticino territory. However, when the work was more or less finished in 1824, things calmed down. Austria consented to completion of the road in Ticino territory, in exchange for an agreement to widen the Splügen road, which was being built at its own expense at the same time as the San Bernardino road. Along much of the Mesolcina side of the pass, the route chosen by Pocobelli – now modernised, widened and adapted to meet the needs of vehicular traffic – is still the road travelled today on the cantonal road. The main changes concern the route south of Soazza, rebuilt on the right bank of the Moesa River after the flood of 1834, and a section above the village of San Bernardino, between Pont Nef and Mucia. Here, the original planner had chosen to go up the right bank of the Moesa River and cross it higher up, with an imposing bridge (named after King Victor Emanuel I). However, the danger of avalanches and the perilous state of the bridge (which collapsed in 1869), led in 1864 to the construction of a new route on the left bank. The opening of the carriageway caused a marked increased in the traffic of goods, with postal services and tourism increasing the flow. For some decades the entire Mesolcina economy benefited from this, in particular carriers, innkeepers, artisans and also the ag- ricultural sector which provided fodder and foodstuffs. Freight charges imposed by local corporations disappeared, because the old transport system imposed by corporations was incompatible with the rise of a liberal economy and the centralisation of excise duties. Traf- fic on the San Bernardino road peaked between 1850 and 1860. Coming from the Italian ports, the main goods that transited were bales of cotton, precious cloths, spices, fruit, rice and coffee, while going in a southerly direction were artisan products, utensils, and textiles from the factories in German-speaking Switzerland and Germany. However, the San Bernardino road also attracted travellers in carriages and stage-coaches or on foot.

From railway tunnels to motorway tunnels The revolution in transport brought about by the arrival of the railway was a severe blow to commercial traffic through the Rhaetian Alpine passes. The opening of the St. Gothard transalpine tunnel in 1882 was fatal to the San Bernardino. The Canton of Graubünden sought to limit the damage by building a narrow-gauge railway line

12 about 400 km long, between 1888 and 1914. The construction of a San Bernardino railway did not end happily however, despite a concession obtained in 1922. The narrow gauge electric railway between Bellinzona and Mesocco (in operation from 1907 to 1972) was never linked up to the network. From the 1930s, after the Canton of Graubünden had liberalised motorised vehicular traffic, discussion began on a road tunnel in preference to a rail tunnel. The need was reinforced by the fact that the pass remained closed to motorised traffic in winter, isolating the Moesa district from the rest of the Canton. The , the first transalpine road tunnel entirely on Swiss soil, was included in the national roading network of Switzerland in1960. The 6.6 km-long tunnel between and the village of San Bernardino was opened to traffic on December 1st 1967, fol- lowed by completion of the A 13 motorway along Valle Mesolcina and the Hinterrhein Valley. The road tunnel brought considerable improvement to connections with the rest of Graubünden, while the motorway meant that Mesolcina avoided depopulation, since it allowed people to commute to Ticino, and encouraged them to take up their residence there. As a motorway transit axis, however, the San Bernardino tunnel was soon superseded by the St. which opened in 1980.

1.2 THE ITALIAN SIDE

Golasecca culture in the prehistoric period The area of Lario has been an important centre of trade exchanges between different communities ever since the Stone Age. During the Bronze and Iron Ages, proper trade routes were established between the Mediterranean civilisations and central-northern Europe. Trading was mostly in metals, especially tin, silver and gold. In that period, that is to say between the 12th and 4th centuries B.C., the Larian territory was part of Golasecca Culture (named after the locality of Golasecca in the Ticino, where the first archaeological finds were made). Golasecca Culture extended across a vast -re gion of about 20,000 km2, from the Alps down to the Po River, corresponding to today’s Lombardy plus the province of Novara, the Canton of Ticino, and Valle Mesolcina. Thanks to its control over important waterways and Alpine passes, Golasecca territory played a strategic role in trade exchanges between Mediterranean people (Etruscans) and people of the north (Celts living between the Rhine and the Seine). Historic re- mains found in these areas demonstrate that the region had not only local tracks, but also thoroughfares for traffic involved in international trade. Within this broad territory, the area around Como – together with the area along the banks of the Ticino River as it left and, later, the area of Bellinzona too – was one of the nodal points of human habitation and a key trading station. From the 5th century B.C. onwards, as trade between the Etruscans and Celts along the route to Marseille began to decline, traffic began to transit almost entirely via the Alpine passes, and the territory of Como became the greatest centre of commercial interaction between the two cultures. Archaeological finds have shown that from Como the road that led to the Celts must have passed via and the Mont Cenis Pass, then continuing on towards the San Bernardino or the St. Gotthard.

13 Roads and commerce in Roman times During the Roman period, the Larian territory was an important transit area for con- tacts with transalpine countries, both for trade and military purposes. The great Roman roads that started from the north or centre of Italy (e.g. Via Aemilia, Via Postumia, Via Aquileia) passed through the hub of Mediolanum and then found a natural continua- tion towards the Alpine passes and northern Europe, transiting along the Larian side of Lake Como and through Valchiavenna. Most of the local commercial traffic that transited towards the transalpine regions was initially water-borne. The lake crossing involved embarkation from Como or Bellagio and docking at Samolaco or Riva di Chiavenna, and the journey then continued northwards on land, using paths or mule tracks though the Alpine passes such as the Splügen, the Septimer and the Julier. Testimony to this system of transport by lake and road during Roman times comes to us from historical finds in various comunes in the district, and also from two cartographic sources: the Tabula Peutingeriana and the Itinerarium Antonini. The former, a 12th-13th century copy probably based on the map of the world made by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (64 B.C. - 12 A.D.), shows the military roads of the Empire. In it we can see the route from Milan to Lake Constance through the Splügen Pass, with the following stages marked: Mediolanum – Como – Clavenna (Chiavenna) – Tarvesse- do (an uncertain locality situated between , or Isola) – Cunu- aureu (Splügen Pass) – Lapidaria (locality in the Rhine Valley) – Curia (Coira). The latter source, from the following century, shows not only the road for the Splügen but also the alternative route for the Septimer, divided into the following stages: Curia – Tine- tione (Tinizong) – Muro (Castelmuro) – Summolacu (Somalaco) – Como – Mediolanum. The Romans began to penetrate the Larian territory, though not with any degree of stabil- ity, around the 3rd century B.C. In this early period the Romans ignored the strategic po- tential of the territory for control of the cross-border Alpine passes, both from the military and commercial points of view. There were only very few connecting roads, and these were impractical, used only at the local level. When Caesar became proconsul and dic- tator, things began to change. The foundations were laid for a new Alpine policy, with a new role for Como as a Cisalpine colony. In the light of new political, commercial and military requirements, the first measures were taken to improve the infrastructure: lake transport was upgraded and some land routes were inaugurated or remedied. In the period immediately following (the triumvirate and the reign of Augustus), the strategic function of the Larian territory reached its maximum level. International traffic increased, and the region was involved in the grand plan to pacify the people of the Alpine areas and to conquer Germany. When the need to establish a direct and se- cure connection between the army of Drusus, which operated between Como and Aq- uileia, and that of Tiberius, which was stationed near the regions of Lake Constance, became evident, it was inevitable that the Romans would secure the transit through the Rhaetian Alps. For this reason, the routes of the Splügen, the Septimer and the Julier were adjusted. It is thought that some roads (mule tracks more than anything) were constructed through the area of Lario in this period, not so much to meet military requirements as to support commerce, particularly the local trade that depended on lake transport. Among these might be Three of the trails involved in the “Ancient Mountain Pathways between Italy and Switzerland” Project might be connected with developments in that period, i.e.:

14 – the Via Regina, connecting Como to Chiavenna and then continuing on towards Coira (the part that went uphill from Sorico into Valchiavenna was later called the Via Francisca); – two tracks in the Larian Triangle: one starting from Bellagio (where boats from Samolaco arrived) and passing through , and Erba, then continuing on to Milan; the other skirting the western shores of the lake (along to- day’s Strada Regia); – the Strada della Riviera, (in some stretches coinciding with today’s Sentiero del Viandante) which connected ancient villages along the east coast of Lake Como.

The medieval period: from small local roads to the rise of carrier corporations The general pattern of communications under the Romans was disrupted during the early medieval period of Barbarian dominations, in which long-distance roads were neglected and only local roads were of any interest. Nevertheless, even in this period, during the invasions of the first and the Carolingians Late, the district of Lario still retained its role as a centre of commercial transit between northern Europe and Italy. During the Late Middle Ages, after the year 1000 and later, with the birth of feudal dominions (especially that of the Visconti family), the long, ancient transit roads in these areas experienced a marked increase in the passage of merchants, artisans and pilgrims. Xenodochia and hospitales – places that offered hospitality to wayfarers – became more common on the Alpine passes and along the shores of Lake Como, and, according to reports, a number of people who were illustrious in Europe at the time passed along these roads. Among them were Pope Urban II, in his work of promoting the First Crusade, some German Emperors (Otto I and III), Frederick Barbarossa and his son Henry VI, through to Ludwig of Bavaria in the third decade of the 14th century. Commerce between German-speaking lands and the increasingly flourished. The Swiss in the original Cantons – Uri, Svitto and Untervaldo – operated constantly in favour of trade through the Alpine passes, first of all singly and then, after 1291, through a formal alliance in the Helvetic Confederation. Como and the Larian territory had a crucial role to play in this traffic. Everything was traded: from central-northern Europe came copper, tin, brass and Swiss livestock and their products (sheep, goats, horses and skins of all kinds); while exports from Italy included iron produced in the val- leys (particularly in ), common or not-so-common foodstuffs (the Venetians for example traded prized products such as wax and pepper), cloths, and silk in exchange for wool. There was a lively market also for the produced around the Lake. Intensification of this trading activity led, towards the end of the Middle Ages, to the creation of genuine carrier organisations that had responsibility for the transfer of products. As already mentioned in an earlier chapter, these corporations, operating in the territory of Mesolcina and the rest of Graubünden, took the name of “porti”. The most intense traffic was still via the Lake from Bellagio, where there was a customs point for the payment of duties, up to Riva di Chiavenna. In that period, Lake Como had not yet been choked by debris carried down by the and Rivers, and extended as far as the gates of the city of Chiavenna. On land, the busiest stretch of road, though mainly for local traffic, was still the Strada Regina. The through roads on the eastern side of Lake Como, the district around Lecco, did not have a role to play in

15 transalpine transport (and this remained the case into the 19th century). In this period, Lecco was just a small fortified settlement, important more than anything else for the mining and processing of iron. Only in the first decades of the 12th century (from 1118 to 1127) did the city of Lec- co, backed by the Milanese, face up to Como in a famous war lasting ten years. This was caused by the need to control the commerce transiting through Valchiavenna. The war ended with the defeat of Lecco. Because of this humiliation, for some decades the Milanese directed their commercial traffic bound for northern Europe towards Lago Maggiore and the Ticino Valley, with the result that the routes via Lake Como were seriously impoverished. The situation changed when the territories of Como were added to the rising state of the Visconti dynasty in Milan in the first half of the 14th century. Traffic between the plain of the Po, with Milan as its hub, and northern Europe once again peaked along the Como-Chiavenna-Coira axis. The Viscontis now controlled the Alpine passes lead- ing to the valleys of the Rhone, the Rhine, and the Inn, imposing the use of particular routes and exacting customs duties along the way, while forbidding some other routes to be used at all. For example, the Visconti decrees of the time prohibited commercial traffic through towards , through the San Jorio Pass towards Dongo and Gravedona (the road was not fit for carts, but was well used by local trav- ellers on foot), through Val Maggia, and in general along all those roads and tracks that made it possible for people to cross the Alps without paying customs duties. Because of the economic benefits that accrued from commercial traffic en route to the Alpine passes, quarrels developed one after the other throughout the period of the later Middle Ages for supremacy and the political and strategic control of the various mountain passes in question. In the 14th century, the one true international road from the district of Lario was the one through the Septimer Pass, controlled by the Bishop of Coira and his vassals, who drew both economic and political benefit from it. This was a safe road, provided with good services. Infrastructural improvements were made to it, and these convinced the Milanese too to abandon the San Bernardino and the St. Gotthard in favour of the Septimer. Towards the end of the 15th century, however, improvements were also made to the Splügen route, at the behest of the Counts of Werdenberg-Sargans. The improvements made the road faster and safer, and this laid the foundations for its displacing the Septimer and becoming the main access road to transalpine countries.

The modern age: from the struggles to control commercial roads to the opening up of new routes In 1471 the Republic of the Three Leagues was set up in the territory corresponding to today’s Canton of Graubünden. The three leagues forming the alliance were the League of God’s House, the , and the League of the Ten Jurisdictions, to which the “subject lands” of Valtellina and Chiavenna were also attached. Throughout the early modern period (until 1803, when the Leagues became a Canton in the Swiss Confeder- ation), the Three Leagues played a leading role in commercial matters, because of the control they exercised over the Alpine passes – and in that historical period too, a good proportion of the traffic between the Italian peninsula and central Europe continued to transit through the passes of the Rhaetian Alps. The San Bernardino, the Splügen, the

16 Septimer and to a lesser extent the Bernina and the Muretto boasted intense daily traffic, with caravans of mules and horses plying the tracks that more or less corresponded with those of most ancient memory, transporting every kind of merchandise. At the end of the 16th century, more than 30,000 quintals of German grain were carried through the Graubünden towards Italy, together with metals, utensils, clothing and all sorts of foodstuffs. From the Italian side came exports especially of wine, rice and salt, as well as iron extracted from the Larian valleys. It was however between the 16th and 18th centuries that the overall volume of goods transported across the passes reached its peak. In eastern Lario the roads carried the trade in wrought metals from the mines of Val- sassina and down to the Duchy of Milan. There were also minor roads, most of them simply mule tracks, for transporting charcoal and iron ore to be turned into steel in the furnaces. On the western shore too, during the centuries of dominion by the Viscontis and the Sforzas, then by the Spanish and Austrians, many roads car- ried goods related to the iron industry. As distinct from what occurred on the eastern shore however, where the management of this resource had involved a wide section of the population, on the western side the activity was in the hands of a few owners. All they needed for transport purposes were a few basic tracks, some of the most important being the mule tracks on the Alto Lario (the Upper Lario at the top of Lake Como) which led to Gravedona and Dongo from the , and valleys, partly following the Roman routes to the San Jorio. The 17th and 18th centuries saw continuous strategic action being taken by the differ- ent local governors (Spanish, Habsburg, Milanese, Graubünden, Venetians) to control trade over the Alpine passes. There was frequent friction between the various local powers. For example, at the end of the 16th century, as trade between Graubünden and its Venetian allies intensified, it became necessary to made a proper road which, following the old Roman route used for shifting herds and for trade in cheese between adjacent territories, connected Val Brem- bana with Valtellina through the Bergamo Alps. In 1590, the Podestà of Bergamo, Alvise Prilui, in agreement with the Venetians, had a road built which went up to Val Brembana from Bergamo, crossed the Cà , dropped to and joined the Strada dei Cavalli or “Strada grigiona” ( Road) which went along the shore of and led to Chiavenna, continuing then on towards the Splügen. The opening of this new road, named “Strada Priula” in honour of the man who promoted it, was not looked on favourably neither by the Spanish in Valtellina, nor by the Duchy of Milan. A direct connection between Graubünden and the Venetians might in fact have been potentially very dangerous, since it meant that international commercial traffic, which had always been vigorous across the territory of Milan, could be diverted to new routes. The Duchy of Milan applied itself to hindering the construction and operation of this new road, and in 1762-63 it obtained from Graubünden an undertaking to promote the Splügen road as the only one to take international trade (at the expense not only of the Strada Priula but also of the other Graubünden passes – especially the San Bernardino – which were being used more and more), with the result that trade arrived at Lake Como and transited exclusively through Milanese territory. The treaty revived a state of affairs that was highly advantageous for the Austro-Milanese political economy, reinstating the Splügen Pass - Lario road as one of the most important in the central Alps.

17 The arrival of Napoleon in Italy in 1796 triggered the unification of the Po basin under French influence. Napoleon gave maximum attention to roads, investing vast resourc- es to adapting them and opening new routes. The need for direct connection with brought the passes that were further west back into favour, first and foremost the Simplon, through which the Emperor had the first grand Alpine road built. The restoration and construction of other direct carriage- ways, such as those of the Splügen and the Stelvio Passes, were only hypothesized, with plans that were picked up again later by Austria. Nevertheless, minor alterations to existing roads were made on Napoleon’s orders, with the result that still today those roads, also present in the Como area, are called a “Via Napoleona”. By contrast, the other roads that crossed the central and , and roads that gave access to enemy and neutral countries, were neglected. Among these were the Chiavenna roads which remained tortuous, unsafe, and travelable. The fall of Napoleon resulted in a huge geopolitical reshuffle that in particular saw the territorial expansion of the Habsburg dominions in Italy, and the birth of the Lombardy-Venetia Kingdom, taking in Valtellina and the areas around and Chiavenna. After the experience of the great Napoleonic roads, the new Austrian government of Milan, in order to maintain contacts with their near allies, promised to undertake significant infrastructural improvements to roads, not only in the Alpine sections, but also along the routes leading to the foot of the mountain chains. The most important actions were the construction, between 1818 and 1825 – with the engineer Carlo Donegani in charge – of the new carriageways of the Splügen and the Stelvio, which, joining a new stretch of road from Milan, changed the pattern of trade through the territory of Lario, shifting the barycentre of communications from Como to Lecco.

1.3 BETWEEN SWITZERLAND AND ITALY: HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE “TRAVERSES”

Interconnections If the San Bernardino has always been the main axis for north-south crossings, we should not underestimate the importance of the side routes between the left side of Valle Mesolcina and Lake Como, Chiavenna and Val San Giacomo. Besides the local and regional connections, these interconnections, or traverses, allowed for a sort of interchange between the transalpine axes of the Splügen and the San Bernardino. We can hypothesise that the most ancient cross link, perhaps already used in the Mes- olithic Age, was the track over the Balniscio (or Baldiscio) Pass leading from Pian San Giacomo into Val Febbraro. This is suggested by encampments of prehistoric hunters found at archaeological sites both at Mesocco and on Piano dei Cavalli, at an altitude of about 2000 m, on the right side of Val San Giacomo. The grazing of livestock and occupation of the Alpine pastures in the area of the pass began almost certainly in the Neolithic Age. As they looked for pastures suitable for their animals, the inhabitants of Mesocco ventured beyond the watershed, despite the difficulty of access on the Pian San Giacomo side and the high altitude of the Balniscio Pass (2352 m). The “prehistoric” area of Piano dei Cavalli can also be reached from the Barna Pass, (Passo Bardan for Italians), another cross route connecting Mesocco with Campodol-

18 through Val Starleggia Valley. This is a route that has never had great economic or strategic importance because of its altitude (2548 m) with little interest for pasturing on the Italian side. Another secondary, inter-valley passes are those of Val Carma especially the Bocchet- ta del Notar (the Notar Saddle) which allows travellers to get to Gordona through Val Bodengo. This saddle also had certainly a role in local contacts between the two valleys, although it never served as a commercial or military route.

The two main traverses The most important traverses, designated as such also in the historical documents, were the two routes that most directly connected the San Bernardino road with Lario and Strada Regina. On one side there was the Forcola Pass joining Soazza to Gordo- na, and on the other the traverse of Gravedona, joining Roveredo with the shores of Lake Como. This latter route offered two options: either the Bocchetta di Camedo, on the right bank of the Traversagna River to access Gravedona, or the better known San Jorio Pass, on the left bank of the Traversagna River, to get to Dongo or Gravedona. The main decisions relating to these two cross routes – concerning the funding of main- tenance work, and the collection of customs duties and tolls – were taken by represent- atives of the entire Mesolcina, an obvious sign of the importance accorded to these link routes between the 15th and 18th centuries. The two traverses are indeed the only lateral crossings of Valle Mesolcina summarily described in an important Milanese document from the end of the 15th century, the “Itinerario militare” by Alberto Vignati from Lodi, compiled for the Milanese authorities in 1496 and completed in 1519. The traverses of Soazza and Roveredo were also mentioned in the Mesolcina customs tariffs in the 17th century, applicable to traffic in transit. These cross routes also served to transport grain and salt for local consumption, since they were a convenient alterna- tive path when - because of military blocks, plague or quarrels regarding the collection of customs dues and tolls - travellers did not want or were unable to transit from Lake Maggiore and from Bellinzona. In 1639 the Rhaetian Leagues concluded a sort of bi- lateral treaty with the Spanish crown which controlled the Duchy of Milan, on the basis of which the people of Graubünden had free access (i.e. exempt from customs duties) to the Milanese markets, in particular those of Gravedona, and Gera, to sell all kind of goods, and to stock up on grain and provisions for their own use. Each in- dividual had the right to freely transport the amount of grain that could be loaded onto a horse. Such an agreement was of huge benefit to the folk of Mesolcina, who could access these markets using the traverses over the mountains. The Forcola and San Jorio mule tracks were repaired and improved on various occasions in the 17th and 18th centuries. However, when Valtellina broke away from Graubünden and with the other political changes occurring in Italy between 1797 and 1815, and still more after the almost simultaneous opening (1820), of the new carriageways of the San Bernardino and the Splügen, these cross routes finally lost their commercial and strategic importance. The contacts encouraged by the traverses also stimulated migration flows. The first notaries who operated in Mesolcina arrived from the Como region – there were no local-born notaries until the end of the 14th century. As well as from Como itself, these notaries originated from Gravedona, Dongo and . Among the early forms of

19 immigration there is evidence of shepherds, mowers and woodcutters coming from Valtellina and also from the district around Bergamo. By the end of the 15th century, dozens of people originating from the villages between Dongo and Sorico also resid- ed in Mesolcina. There was another flow of migration from Valtellina and the Chiaven- na district in more recent times (19th and 20th centuries). This is demonstrated by the surnames of various families dotted throughout Mesolcina villages.

The Forcola Pass The Forcola Pass, which is 2226 m at its highest point, was the shortest connection between Mesolcina and the district around Chiavenna. We can only hypothesise that it was known locally from the remotest times, since we have no archaeological finds to confirm this. Its political and commercial importance certainly increased after the Rhaetian conquest of Valtellina and Chiavenna in 1512, since the pass became the most direct connection between Mesolcina and the Italian possessions. The first documented testimony to its importance not only at regional level is the al- ready mentioned “Itinerario militare” [‘Military Route’] by Vignati. Records exist of the passage of troops through the Forcola Pass. In June 1557, five confederated compa- nies in the service of the Pope chose the Forcola road to descend into Italy. The pass was later often used by soldiers and couriers at the time of the unrest in Graubünden and the Thirty Years War. At the time of the Helvetic revolution, when the Alps were ravaged by European armies and Rhaetia became a theatre of wars and depreda- tions, seven Imperial Austrian companies crossed the snow-covered Forcola Pass in May 1799, ready to descend into Mesolcina to contend with the French troops. Nevertheless, the Pass also had commercial importance for long-distance traffic. The San Marco Pass (or Priula Road) was opened between Valtellina and Val Brembana at the end of the 16th century. Since an alliance existed between the Leagues and the , the Forcola became a route of considerable interest as a link to the Adriatic region. The road was restored and repaired on both sides of the valley to allow transit with packhorses according to a contract drawn up in 1634 with three cit- izens of Soazza, who pledged to keep the road operational for twenty years, against the right to charge a toll. The road was to be rebuilt in such a way as to allow a fully laden horse to pass comfortably. The track of the Forcola, shown in some 17th century maps, was used for the transport of goods, especially skins and cloths. In the 17th century, an agreement was signed with a Milanese merchant to allow him to transport silk and other merchandise from Flanders, using pack animals. Soazza and the communities of Gordona and agreed to re-make the road, and to organise the transits, convinced that the traffic of goods would prove useful to the com- munities on both sides of the pass. Transit also had to be guaranteed in winter, within the limits of what was possible. This meant that teams of men with animals, generally oxen since they were much hardier than horses, were charged to “make the route”, that is to render the track safe and practicable in the snow.

The Gravedona traverse As has already been mentioned, the other Mesolcina traverse, leading to Roveredo, was made up of two routes. The first is the most direct connection between Gravedona and Roveredo. It goes up Val Fumetto towards the Bocchetta di Camedo, the Camedo

20 Saddle, which on the Larian side is also called in local dialect “Bucheta Granda”, the grand saddle, indicated in old maps as the Vinchino Pass. From the highest point, which is relatively low (1973 m), the track descends to Roveredo on the right side of the Traversagna River passing Alpe di Aian and the Lanés mountains. The other route, which is historically better known, leaves from Gravedona or from Dongo and leads to the San Jorio Pass (2012 m). From there the traveller can either descend into the Morobbia Valley or the Arbedo Valley, in the direction of Bellinzona, or else head north towards Roveredo and Mesolcina, passing through Valle Albionas- ca and along the left side of the Traversagna River. When considering the “traverses”, or lateral connections, these two routes must be taken together, firstly because when the historical documents refer generically to the Gravedona or Mount Dongo traverse, it is not always clear which track is being re- ferred to, and secondly because the two routes were probably used as alternatives depending on where the traveller set out from or arrived at on the Larian side, and also depending on the season, state of the paths and type of transport. Recent archaeological discoveries bear witness to a human presence at Roveredo in the Valasc area, at the opening of the Traversagna valley, since time immemorial, leading us to suppose that this traverse was already known in prehistoric and ancient times. If we leave aside the legends relating to St. Giorio, the first certain records of this inter- connecting route date from the Late Middle Ages. The desire shown by the De Sacco dynasty to add Mount Dongo to their dominion of Mesolcina, the first time perhaps in 1220 but then very definitely in the 15th century, is an indication of the importance of this traverse, at least for regional traffic and interconnection. From Lombardy, Mesolci- na imported above all grain, cloths and salt, and it was important to have a link that was an alternative to the passage through Bellinzona, which could become difficult or impossible in the event of a military block, high customs duties, or natural catastrophes. The Larian notaries, especially those from Gravedona and Dongo, who had been drawing up public and private deeds in Mesolcina ever since the 13th century, almost certainly transited via this cross route. The Mesolcina statutes of 1452 mention duties and tolls for transit traffic bound for Gravedona, which those living in the Valley were exempt from, although the statutes not specify which pass was used. It is probable however that the statute applied to both the San Jorio and the Bocchetta di Camedo. In 1465 the merchants of Como, convinced that the finances of the Duchy would benefit, asked the Duke of Milan to repair the San Jorio road as far as Bellinzona, via Valle Morobbia (also rich in iron mines). The Duke granted them the right to levy tolls in exchange for their maintenance of the road. A similar repair to the road on the Roveredo side in 1476 is cited by many historians, but they have no documentary ev- idence for this assertion, which remains hypothetical. What we do know is that since 1476 an annual fair was held in Roveredo, on the 16th October, the feast of St. Gall. Before the Battle of Giornico between the Milanese and a Swiss confederated force for the control of Bellinzona (December 1478), the Milanese occupied the passes of Dongo and Gravedona (i.e. the San Jorio Pass and the Camedo Saddle) and placed them under surveillance. The already mentioned “Itinerario militare” by Vignati describes in 1496 the San Jo- rio road down to Bellinzona passing through Valle Morobbia and the Bocchetta di Camedo to arrive in Roveredo, travelable by men and pack animals. It is probable that

21 when Gian Giacomo Trivulzio was Lord of Mesolcina, between 1480 and 1518, the traverse had gained in importance, because Trivulzio had established Roveredo as the administrative and economic centre of the valley, and had had important road works carried out, particularly the repair of the bridge over the Moesa River in Roveredo, indispensable for connecting the Gravedona traverse to the rest of Mesolcina.

The San Jorio Pass track A document of 1554-55 bears witness to the importance of this interconnection. The document was addressed to local rulers of the Duchy of Milan by the men of the “Three Parishes” (Dongo, Gravedona, Sorico). They state that they are in negotiations with the authorities of Mesolcina to construct a road making it possible to travel “comfort- ably” to Roveredo. Wine for export to the north is one of the goods that is explicitly mentioned as suitable for transiting this way. According to the document in question, there were two existing connecting links at the time between the Three Parishes and Roveredo, one of which was considered very difficult and the other of little use during winter months. They therefore proposed that a third route would be created – between the other two – coming down from the San Jorio. It was this initiative on the part of the Three Parishes that most probably led to the creation of the mule track along Valle Albionasca, which can still be used by hikers today. A map of the border area attached to the document is the first one that shows, even if in approximate and imaginative fashion, the cross-border region with the transit pathways between the valleys. The map clearly shows us both the Forcola Pass from Soazza to Gordone, and as many as three tracks that branch over the mountain from Gravedona to join up again in Roveredo. The northernmost one is certainly the Camedo Saddle and the one furthest south seems to branch off from the route towards Bellinzona having already done a stretch of descent on the “Swiss” side of the Pass; it then perhaps passed through the area of Alpe di Cadin before descending to Rovere- do. Between these two we can see the new Albionasca route. Thereafter the San Jorio route must have prevailed over the Camedo track, at least for the transport of goods. A Mesolcina customs tariff of 1664 mentions the dues levied per animal passing along the “Gravedona traverse”, referring almost certainly to the Camedo Saddle. This gives us reason to suppose that this route was used for the transhumance of flocks of sheep coming from Bergamo to spend the summer on some Alpine pastures in Mesolcina, as can be deduced from the dues calculated for every hundred head of sheep. The “mercantile road of Albionasca” was made usable again in 1682, according to a contract made by the Comune of Roveredo with two builders. In the middle of the 18th century (1753) the repair of the road was decided by the assembly of the valley. It was also stipulated that the road should have a constant width of at least 4 braccia, i.e. just over 2 metres. The following year a concession was granted to build a hostel to give shelter to travellers on Alpe di Albionasca. On this occasion it was again ruled that the transit should be exempt of any dues for inhabitants of the valley. On the Larian side the road was made good again around 1770. The court of Vienna still seemed to have a certain interest in reactivating commercial transits between the Three Parishes and Mesolcina, thinking in particular of the quantities of grain the inhabitants of Mesolcina bought in Lombardy. The repair to the road was however unsatisfactory. The road was too narrow, there were inadequate protections in exposed stretches,

22 “Map of the border areas between Alto Lario and the territories of the Grey League” 1554-1555, State Archives in Milan, MMD, 2nd sheets, partial reproduction

and there were no places where the road widened for mules to pass. Some surveys made by the Larian side after 1780 threw doubt on the possibility of re-launching a significant flow of traffic through the San Jorio bound for Roveredo as an alternative to the Splügen. It would theoretically have been possible to use this route to trade the excess wine produced in the Three Parishes, while in the other direction it would have been possible to channel through Gravedona the considerable quantity of livestock destined for the cities of Lombardy. Perhaps this was the reason why the Austrian court again conveyed to the Rhaetian Leagues their desire to see the San Jorio road made suitable for the traffic of goods. It seems however that also some influential families in Mesolcina had a greater interest in having their merchandise transit via Lake Maggiore rather than using the Gravedona traverse, while the choice of the San Jorio would have been disadvantageous also from the point of view of costs and time taken.

The Bocchetta di Camedo The Bocchetta di Camedo (1973 m) is one of the less elevated saddles in the mountain chain between Mesolcina and Lake Como. It offers the shortest direct route from Rov- eredo to Gravedona, running through the Traversagna and Liro valleys. The colloquial term “Bocchetta” generally designates a quite narrow crossing situated at the top of a gully. The Camedo Saddle is one of the routes which were historically referred to as the “Gravedona traverses”, including also the better known San Jorio Pass track, situ- ated further to the south. The right side of the Traversagna valley leading to Bocchetta di Camedo is sunnier and not as steep as the other side, and this meant that it was more suitable not only for transits but also for settlement. We can only speculate about

23 possible connecting paths between Alto Lario and Roveredo in prehistoric, ancient and early medieval times, though it is likely that they existed, given the duration and intensity of human habitation at the point where the Traversagna valley broadens. When we come to the 13th-14th centuries we do indeed have indications of intense relations between Gravedona and Mesolcina, for example the presence in Mesolci- na, especially in Roveredo, of people arriving from Gravedona and other localities around the Lario. At the end of the 15th century, there were places on both sides of the saddle for at least 20 pack animals to have a rest (called “case dei malgari” or alpine shepherds’ huts) – in Vincino and on the mountains of Lanés (Alinos). These resting places are mentioned in Alberto Vignati’s “Itinerario militare” already referred to. The creation of a mule track from Roveredo to the San Jorio Pass, repaired and improved on a number of occasions in the 17th and 18th centuries, made that the preferred route for the traffic of goods carried by pack animals. In Roveredo, a milestone is still visible that used to be situated at the Ponte di Valle bridge (demolished in 1954 after being seriously damaged by a flood in 1951), which reads “Roveredo - Passo di Camedo - Gravedona 37 km”. The distance in kilometres tells us that this sign dates back to the second half of the 19th century, when the route was still used for contacts and exchanges at the local level. In 1881, some inhabitants of Gravedona showed up in Roveredo having come across the Bocchetta di Camedo to look for a fellow citizen who had been missing for some days. The mountain track was still the one used by numerous workers on the shore of Lake Como who found work, especially seasonal work, in Mesolcina. In the 20th century, the Camedo route was used intensively by smugglers, first to transport rice and other goods into Switzerland, and then in the 1950s and ’60s to smuggle cigarettes into Italy. The harsh mountains between Val Bodengo and the San Jorio Pass are called the Muncech range (also referred to with its Latin name Francisca Mons). The term “muncech” in Mesolcina dialect indicates the mountain dwellers of this region, and is practically synonymous with “smuggler”.

Contraband: a form of cross-border collaboration In the district surrounding Lake Como, the area for contraband was par excellence that of the border between Como and the Canton of Ticino, in particular Valle Intelvi and the Alto Lago valleys, with their caves, paths, gullies and steep, precipitous slopes, which allowed smugglers to evade capture by the Italian Customs Police, the “guardie di finanza”. In Valle Intelvi, smugglers chose mountains that did not reach higher altitudes (none of the peaks of Bisbino, Sasso Gordona, and on the western side of the Lake and in Val d’Intelvi, and of Colma Regia or Monte Bolgia and of the Denti della Vecchia in exceeds 1700 m), with slopes that are simple to cross because of a dense network of paths and mule tracks; while in Alto Lago the routes most used by smugglers, even though tricky to negotiate, were the Camedo Pass (from Gravedona smugglers crossed the mountain range of the southern Valle Mesolcina arriving in Roveredo or Mesocco) and the San Jorio. There was also a lot of smuggling in the frontier areas between the districts of Chiavenna and Mesolcina along some of the passes such as the Forcola, and the Notar and d’Agnon Saddles.

24 In the second half of the 15th century there is already mention of the smuggling of goods subject to monopolies or royal prerogative, particularly salt, through Mesolci- na. It was however in the Napoleonic period that a high proportion of goods began to be smuggled, because of two main factors: firstly the promulgation of the decree-law by which the Napoleonic of Italy established monopolies in salt, tobacco, and gunpowder, and secondly the continental blockade of English goods. It was in this period that the romantic, heroic legend of the Alpine smugglers was born (in Italian smugglers were called “spalloni” since they carried huge weights on their broad shoulders). The spalloni are leading figures in the recent history of the Larian Mountains. They were men who themselves took on the role of “beasts of burden”, travelling through the night carrying up to 30/40 kilos of contraband in the smuggler’s bag called the “bricolla” (a container made of the coarse fabric known as linsey- woolsey, shaped to fit a person’s body, and specifically made to hold the particular type of contraband goods being smuggled). The spalloni took orders from a “capo”, a chief, who organised and guided the consignments, while the “padrone”, the boss, was the man who funded the activity. As for the customs police, they earned the names “burlanda” or “caini” – colloquial words meaning fools or traitors. After the unification of customs and excise, that is to say after the creation of the Feder- al State of Switzerland in 1848 and of a united Italy as a monarchy under the House of in 1861, there was an intense and protracted period of smuggling. This traffic in contraband goods was stimulated by differences in the tax and customs systems in the two countries, especially Italy’s fiscal and commercial monopolies in certain goods. This meant that people could profit from illegal imports by exploiting the differential in prices at the frontier. Monopolies also generated mistrust and a lot of hostility towards the national authorities among the population living in geographi- cally peripheral areas, who saw the centralised state as an extraneous body, capable only of imposing iniquitous taxes. This created a web of solidarity and of reciprocal local economic interests among Italo-Swiss inhabitants living along the border. Contra- band can therefore be seen as one of the earliest and most intense forms of cross-bor- der collaboration in Italian Switzerland. The practice of smuggling presupposed not only an excellent knowledge of the mountainous terrain but also common interests and shared attitudes to authority. For the inhabitants of the border areas on the Italian side, contraband became, in the 20th century, an extra activity that was illegal but socially and morally accepted. Since contraband harmed only the Italian Treasury – except for a brief period we shall discuss farther on – the Swiss customs authorities always acted tolerantly towards an activity that stimulated Swiss exports. The Swiss border guards only required Italian smugglers to announce their presence on Swiss territory at a customs post. The con- traband goods smuggled into Italy in the first half of the 20th century were above all coffee, sugar, tobacco products and cubes for making broth. In the Fascist era, the contraband circuits also served to introduce antifascist booklets and leaflets into Italy. Mesolcina was also involved in this, though perhaps only mar- ginally. In 1929 some smugglers were intercepted in Soazza in possession of com- munist propaganda material. Since they were not breaking any Swiss law, they were allowed through. Smuggling was briefly halted in the first phase of the Second World War, because of more rigorous surveillance of the frontiers, but also because in 1939,

25 in the context of measures taken to create a war economy, Switzerland introduced a decree prohibiting the export of coffee. Smuggling, always practised almost exclusively by Italian spalloni, came back into fashion in the final phase of the war, inverting for some years the flow of goods. Between the end of 1943 and the autumn of 1947 there came the period called the ”rice age”. Because of the inflation spiral in Italy and the big depreciation of the lira against the Swiss franc, the Italians chose to channel various foodstuffs towards contra­ band exports in order to gain currency. Rice was the particularly favoured product, since there was a high demand for rice on the Swiss market because of rationing. All kinds of goods arrived in Switzerland from Italy however: flour, stockings, lorry tyres, shoes (even unpaired, if we are to trust the memories of the spalloni), accordions and even condoms. Naturally, there was no tolerance by the border guards in this phase, and the sup- pression of contraband cost the lives of some spalloni. Two were killed in 1944 in the region of the Balniscio Pass in the territory of Mesocco. There were also numerous confiscations of goods, and fines for receiving smuggled goods were imposed on the inhabitants of Mesolcina. The channels for contraband also became important in those years for the expatriation of refugees attempting to enter Switzerland clandestinely. The “rice age” ended in 1947, partly because inflation in Italy ceased to spiral, and partly because Switzerland dismantled its war economy and stopped rationing. Smug- gling immediately returned to its customary pattern, and there was a boom at the end of the 1960s, with the illegal export of cigarettes from Switzerland, and to a lesser extent of coffee and wristwatches. Once again the Swiss authorities accepted a trade that was damaging to the Italian tax system but that contributed to funding the Swiss social security system through a tax on tobacco. Recent studies have shown that around the year 1960 the value of smuggled goods represented almost a quarter of the value of Switzerland’s legal exports to Italy. The contraband of cigarettes alone brought tens of millions of francs each year into the coffers of the social security service of Switzer- land. Almost all of this traffic left from the Canton of Ticino, but some of the contraband cigarettes arrived in Italy through the passes of Mesolcina, while smugglers from Val mostly carried coffee. Certain restaurants in Roveredo and Cama served as a meeting point to fill up the “bricolle” bags, laden with about 30 kg of cigarettes in a jute sack fitted with braces of the same material, easy for the smuggler to cut with a knife and then scarper if intercepted by the Customs Police. Now, as distinct from earli- er times, only the return trip into Italy was made through the mountains. The smugglers arrived in Mesolcina on board vans and private cars. The frontier crossing through the various saddles and gullies happened at dusk or before dawn. This last season of contraband on a vast scale in the region ended around 1970, after a substantial increase in the price of cigarettes in Switzerland and a big devaluation of the lira.

26 2 RECREATIONAL TRAILS

27 Map of Trail A-Strada Regia

28 RECREATIONAL TRAIL A STRADA REGIA The Strada Regia (Royal Highway) is an historic route about 35 km long, connecting all the villages on the eastern shores of the Larian Triangle from Como to Bellagio, which allowed shepherds, wayfarers and merchants to pass across the whole district. This ancient track, which fell into disuse in the early 1900s with the construction of state highway 583 along the shore of Lake Como. Recently (between 2002 and 2006) it has been restored for recreational hiking, at the wish of the Mountain Com- munity of the Larian Triangle. The first precise mapping of the track dates back to the Catasto Teresiano, the cadastr­ al maps of 1721, but some documents confirm that it was already present in the 16th century. Some archaeological finds along the comunes touched by the track suggest that its history is much more ancient. No evidence has been found to show the existence of a track here during the prehis- toric period. However, archaeological finds show that the territory along the coastal strip might have seen the presence of humans, first (in the Bronze Age) for hunting and then (in the Iron Age) for settlement in the mountainous part (Civilio, Brunate, , Bellagio). Because of where the finds were made, it is probable there was a connecting track in that period, leading from the proto-historic settlement of Como, passing through Brunate and continuing on to Bellagio along another historic path today known as the Via delle Colme (Path of the Hilltops). Official sources confirming the existence of the track do not exist for the Roman peri- od either. Nevertheless, tombs, sarcophagi and grave goods datable to around the 2nd century A.D. have been found in a number of the comunes on the route. Besides bearing witness to a Roman presence in the territory (for example in , Torno, Palanzo, Pognana, , etc.), these finds do give us cause to assume that there was an early track corresponding to the Via Regia. From the 7th to the 16th centuries A.D. there are very few references to this track. It might have been travelled by Pope Urban II who went to the Council of Clermont Ferrand on his mission to promote the First Crusade, and who stopped in Nesso to consecrate a parish church. Further references to the track are made in the Deeds of the pastoral visit of Ninguarda, the Bishop of Como, in 1593, and in a document conserved in the State Archives in Como dated 1687. As indicated above, however, the first official mapping of the path dates from the 18th century, 1721 to be precise, with the Catasto Teresiano. The track also appears a few decades later in the “Catasto Cessato” that was made between 1857 and 1861. The Via Regia remained in use until the first decades of the 20th century, until, that is, the Larian state highway 583 began to be built. In some stretches, this highway is superimposed on the ancient mule track of the Via Regia. From that time onwards, the route of the old Via Regia has only been used for local agricultural and pastoral activities, gradually falling into disuse.

29 A-Strada Regia Stage 01

30 A.1 - STAGE FROM BRUNATE TO NESSO – BASIC INFORMATION

LENGTH 22,45 km

TIME AND LEVEL 8 hours approx. if going up by funicular railway – difficulty E OF DIFFICULTY

By funicular railway Como - Brunate: leaves from Como in Piazza Alcide De Gasperi

By car: in Como, park in Piazza Alcide De Gasperi or Via REACHING Geno and take the funicular railway to Brunate. Otherwise THE START POINT drive directly to Brunate (about 6 km from Como), and park FROM COMO in Via Funicolare

By train: Trenord station of Como Nord Lago; the entrance to the funicular is about 500 m away

Bus stops: ASF bus number C30 (Como - Bellagio), stops in Blevio, Torno, , , Nesso

LEAVING THE TRAIL ASF bus number C31 (Como - Palanzo), stops at Blevio, BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT Torno, Molina, Lemna, Palanzo

Boat: boat stops at Blevio, Torno, Faggeto Lario, Pognana Lario, Nesso

Train: www.trenord.it, www.trenitalia.it

Bus: www.asfautolinee.it (g Lines and timetables) PUBLIC TRANSPORT Boat: www.navlaghi.it (g Como Lake g Timetable) TIMETABLES Funicular: www.funicolarecomo.it

All public transport: www.muoversi.regione..it

WHERE TO EAT Como, Brunate, Blevio, Torno, Faggeto Lario, Pognana Lario, AND WHERE TO SLEEP Nesso

The trail starts in Brunate, a picturesque hamlet that looks out over Como from Monte San Maurizio. The hamlet offers lots of panoramic views, so much so that it is called “The Balcony of the Alps”. On a clear day you can see the entire western arc of the Alps (with Monte Rosa particularly prominent), the Plain of the Po, and the Apennines. Brunate can be reached by car without any problem, but we recommend you use the picturesque funicular railway that leaves from the lakeside in Como (in Piazza Alcide De Gasperi, not far from Piazza Cavour along the lake). The funicular, climbing up

31 View from Brunate Mezzovico Nesso Bridge the wooded ridge of the hill (with a view over the whole Gulf of Como), arrives at the lookout point of Piazza Bonacossa. You will at once see the immense building that is the Grand Hotel Milano, built around 1910 by Achille Manfredini to cater for elite tourists visiting the area. The building, in opulent style with large rooms looking out over the Lake and mountains, was once the centre of the high society of Como, but today it is in a state of abandonment. In the road beneath the piazza, beside the funicular, you can glimpse the most notable villa of Brunate, Villa Pirotta. It was designed in 1902 by the Como architect Federico Frigerio for a magnate who wanted to recreate a “little Versailles” in the town. Numerous sculptors and decorators participated in the villa’s creation. It is currently inhabited by the descendents of the chemist Alberto Bonacossa. The walk begins along Via Roma. Very soon you come to Tre Fontane, a public fountain with three spouts built in the 1930s for publicity purposes – note the bas-relief with the words “Cordial Campari”, referring to the famous Milanese company that manufactures aperitifs. The trail continues on towards Pissarrotino and San Maurizio (where the Faro Voltiano lighthouse was built in 1927 on a point that is extremely strategic because of its com- manding panorama; a 10-minute detour will take you there). You however turn off to the left into Via Nidirino. After just a few metres you will see a curious edifice built entirely in wood. This is the Chalet Sonzogno, a building that appeared at the Turin Exhibition of 1902 and was reassembled two years later in Brunate as the prize in a lottery run by the newspaper “Il Secolo”. Go past the sports ground, leave the asphalt road, and take the path into the wood. The first stretch is quite narrow and cuts across a quite steep slope. You walk downhill as far as an intersection with a signpost there, where we meet the mule track. Turn left along the mule track, which now descends steeply. Halfway down you come to the seasonal pastures of the Comune of Blevio. Go past the rustic Villino Riposo and follow the steps that will bring you in about 10 minutes to Capovico, one of the “sev- en cities” of Blevio (as they were once called, when each of the hamlets was governed autonomously). Be careful not to lose your sense of direction in the narrow alleyways of the old centre. Keep following the trail – which alternates lanes with some stretches of as- phalt road – as far as Sopravilla and then Sorto, where a 19th-century milestone, relating to an old road, gives the distances from Como and Torno. At Mezzovico you can, if you like, make a small detour towards the Lake to see two fine villas, Villa Usuelli and Villa Belvedere. Continuing on the main trail, a flight of steps leads into the alleyways of Caz- zanore. Just outside the hamlet itself is Villa Morselli, which has always been called “The

32 Solitary” because of its isolated position. It used to be the dwelling-place of Ercole Luigi Morselli, the playwright from the Marche who was active in the Romantic, Crepuscolari period of Italian writing in the first twenty years of the 20th century. Immediately after this, the trail follows a brief section of Provincial Highway 583. After you pass the few house of Parlasca (the first hamlet of Torno), avoid the tunnel on the provincial road by taking the secondary road to the left, and then go up Via Rasina to the right. Pass the little porch of the chapel of Tuè, and descend towards Torno. In the hamlet you come to an intersection of three roads. Here we advise you to make a short detour along Via Plinio and go down to the lakeside road where from the parvis of the church of Santa Tecla there is a fine panoramic view towards Como and the villages on the western shore of the lake. We do not know exactly when this church was first built, but the visible structure dates from the end of the 15th century. Of particular interest is the fresco on the right wall of the baptistery, depicting “The Man of Sorrows” by the Larian master Bartolomeo de Benzi (15th century). Traces of his paintings also remain in the opening to the right and the decoration of the arches. The other local master, Andrea de Passeris, painted an Assumption for the church of Santa Tecla which is now in the Brera Art Gallery in Milan. If you wish to continue on the trail without detours, at the three-way intersection turn right and, after an arch, take Via al Pozzo as far as the sign for the Strada Regia. Here take Via per Molina which is the first on the right. If you turn down the second (Via de Passeris) you can detour to the well-known church of San Giovanni, built in the 14th century, with its fine Romanesque bell tower and a decorated Renaissance portal. An ancient casket behind the altar holds the relic of the Holy Nail which, according to tradition, was used in the crucifixion of Jesus. Return from this detour to the little Via per Molina, and continue until you come to a small stretch of the provincial road near a stone bridge. Continue on, being careful of the traffic, for about 300 m and turn onto the paved ramp of steps leading steeply uphill. An ancient bridge with a stone parapet will allow you to cross the gorge of the Fonte Pliniana (the bridge is one of the most substantial remains of the ancient Strada Regia). The path proceeds through the wood and along the hillside as far as the chapel of San Rocco, named after St. Roch, patron of “viatores” or wayfarers. The Chapel is quite old, already described by Bishop Ninguarda during his pastoral visits in the district in 1593. To the left you can glimpse the Romanesque bell tower of the church of Santa Margherita, while some rising terraces bring you to the entrance to the atmospheric hamlet of Molina, along Via XX Settembre. The old centre, with its narrow alleys, porticos and flights of steps, is ideal for a brief stop for refreshments. When you arrive at the scenic Piazza Sant’Antonio, with the church of Sant’Antonio on the left (an 18th-century reconstruction of an originally Romanesque building) and the picturesque terraced steps on the right, take Via Bargiola and follow along Via Fontana Vecchia where, after a short distance, you come to a fine covered fountain. The path becomes paved as it crosses Valle dei Molini. You reach Brema meadow with a fine cottage, and then pass a little bridge and a ruin, arriving at the valley stream, which you cross on boulders. The next section passes through cultivated terraces until you come to the chapel of Santa Maria del Rosario which anticipates your arrival at the hamlet of Lemna. Enter the little village along Via Cappelletta and then, following Via di Mezzo, you come to the church of San Giorgio. There are two schools of thought about the construction of this church.

33 Some historians believe that it was erected in the 18th century, while others think that it had already been in existence since the middle of the 16th century. In any case, it was built on a pre-existing Romanesque building of which we can still today see a mullioned window and an ocular window in the bell tower. Another small detour branches off from it (involving a 15-minute ascent) leading to the mysterious “tomb rock” of Bicogno. In the territory of the Larian Triangle, there have been a number of archaeological finds of this kind. These are boulders dug out to form basins, which, according to the most recent studies, served as individual or collective tombs in the period after the fall of the Roman Empire. In the following centuries, these boulders were re-used for buildings and as basins for springs and fountains. The rock of Bicogno, datable to the 6th century A.D., had the function of a tomb (note the stone pillow) and was covered by a slab that is now missing. The trail continues on the asphalt road (Via Bernardo Silo), and then on the provincial road for Palanzo (the old Strada Regia must have run lower down, where we can glimpse an old bridge). From the provincial road, crossing the gorge of the Gaggio – a small ravine – you come into the village from the top. As you enter, a few steps on the right take the path slightly above the height of the road to the old houses and picturesque portico leading to the church of Sant’Ambrogio. Devotion to the Milanese Bishop, St. Ambrose, is rather odd in this area of Lario, but in 1162 Palanzo was subject to the Archbishop of Milan and probably it had already become a Milanese outpost before the start of the 10- year war between Como and Milan (1118-1128). The dedication to St. Ambrose was the natural result of this historical dependency on Milan. The church, which at the end of the 16th century displayed an image of the saint on the façade, perhaps the model for the one there today, was radically rebuilt in the first decades of the 17th century. If you have time we recommend a small stroll around the narrow alleys of this little town, looking out for the ancient and evocative wine press, dating from 1572. Legend has it that it was carved out of the trunk of a walnut tree and used at the same place where the tree grew. Once the press was made, the building was erected round it. It consists of a massive stone weighing 30 quintals on which a large wooden screw is fixed, supporting the walnut trunk that is 12 metres high and 3 metres in diameter. Each year in October, in memory of the artisan activities of the village, the press is put into operation in the famous “Festival of the Wine Press”. Leave the village along Via Pisciola and pass the chapel of Santa Maria di Loreto, then take the pleasant mule track that descends quite steeply lake-wards towards Pognana Lario. The church of San Rocco is worth a short stop. Originally built in Romanesque style, as the base of the excellent bell tower demonstrates, and dedicated in olden days to the Most Holy Trinity, it has today an imposing 18th-century façade. The cu- pola is noteworthy for its remarkable fresco from the end of the 15th century by the master from Torno, Bartolomeo de Benzi, the same artist who enriched the decoration of the church of Santa Maria di Vico in Nesso. Following 15th-century fashion, Benzi painted the four Doctors of the Church (Saints Jerome, Augustine, Ambrose and Greg- ory the Great) in the vaults, accompanied by the medallions of the Prophets and the symbols of the Evangelists. After contemplating the memorable panorama of the lake from the parvis of the church, you can continue on to Pognana Lario. Pass through the village along Via Quarzano and follow Via Careno to exit it. A stone quarry between this point and Careno has obliterated the old pedestrian way. To contin- ue on the provincial road would be dangerous, so the trail turns up towards the Monti di

34 Porticos in Palanzo Torno

Careno. If you wish, at the junction with Via Fontana you can turn left and make a brief detour to the church of San Miro in the hamlet of Rovasco, built as a small Romanesque church in the 12th-13th centuries, and subsequently modified in its floor plan in the middle of the 15th century. The bell tower is certainly very ancient, dated by scholars to around 1020. It is distinct from every other bell tower in the district of Como for having openings that are only painted, not actual. The external wall of the left side is adorned with proto-Romanesque frescoes depicting St. Christopher, with two angels and a holy friar, while another fresco with the figure of God the Father has been hidden. The inte- rior, richly furnished, has frescoes of the Virgin and Child and St. Christopher. Continuing on the trail, you go up along a flight of steps that attacks the slope of the mountain. The track leading to the Monti di Careno is the only real climb of the whole Strada Regia. It takes about an hour to complete the whole ascent and reach the cluster of houses, which in local parlance are called “monti”, used as a stopover during the seasonal transhumance. In the first section of the climb the path offers some panoramic views over Lake Como, and then passes through ample woods of chestnut and beech with a rich array of wild flowers. Pay heed to the various forks along the way, because the path to follow is not always well signed. Finally you reach the stone houses, the “’Monti’ di Careno”. The layout of the chalets is of- ten haphazard, a sign that they were not occupied permanently but only seasonally when livestock was driven up and down. Leave the village following a stretch of Via dei Monti, and when you arrive at a sharp turn, keep to the right on the path heading for Nesso. Continue downhill into the wood and then along the mule track, and you have now come to the entrance to the village of Nesso, where you find the remains of a castle with two guard turrets and a curtain wall with “Ghibelline” i.e. swallow-tailed crenellations. This is a late 19th-century reconstruction of the ancient fortress of the town, destroyed in 1535. A few steps along the provincial road 583 lead you to the centre of the village and to the bridge over the Nesso Ravine. The picturesque ravine, situated at the opening of the Tuf and Nosè valleys, is formed by the streams bearing those same names which here come together in a spectacular churning mass of water which, hurtling through the rocks, be- comes a fine waterfall that spills into the nearby lake. The waterfall can be admired both from the top and also from a small Roman bridge (Ponte della Civera) down at the bottom, which you can get to by following the old steps (more than 340) that lead to the cottages on the lakeshore. The stage concludes here. It will certainly have been challenging and you’ll certainly be tired but we hope thoroughly satisfied too. All you need to do now is get something to eat and have some rest (Nesso has a good range of options). Tomorrow the final part of the Strada Regia awaits you, including a visit to wonderful Bellagio.

35 A-Strada Regia Stage 02

36 Dosso di Lavedo Bellagio

A.2 - STAGE FROM NESSO TO BELLAGIO – BASIC INFORMATION

LENGTH 15.75 km (walk round Bellagio 7 km appox.)

5 ½ hours approx. (from Nesso to Ponte del Diavolo 4 hours, TIME walk round Bellagio 2 hours) AND LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY difficulty ,T walking from Ponte del Diavolo, where the path to Bellagio ends, not recommended; the road has no footpath

By car: from Como take state highway 583 heading for Bellagio as far as Nesso; park in Nesso in Via del Castello; the start point is just a few metres further on in the direction of REACHING Bellagio THE START POINT FROM COMO By bus: ASF bus number C30 (Como - Bellagio), get off at Nesso Castello stop

By boat: Nesso boat stop (limited number of boats)

Bus stops: ASF bus number C30 (Como - Bellagio), stops at Nesso, Lezzeno, Bellagio LEAVING THE TRAIL BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT Boat: boat stops at Nesso and Lezzeno (limited number of boats), Bellagio (a car ferry also leaves from here)

Train: www.trenord.it, www.trenitalia.it

Bus: www.asfautolinee.it (g Lines and timetables) PUBLIC TRANSPORT Boat: www.navlaghi.it (g Como Lake g Timetable) TIMETABLES Funicular: www.funicolarecomo.it

All public transport: www.muoversi.regione.lombardia.it

WHERE TO EAT Nesso, Lezzeno, Bellagio AND WHERE TO SLEEP

37 Beginning of the Strada Regia Ponte del Diavolo

The trail starts from the bridge over the Orrido di Nesso, the Nesso Ravine. From here it is possible to continue in the direction of Bellagio following two different tracks: the up- per path, which rises slightly in altitude and crosses the hamlet of Vico; or the lower path which goes along the lakeside, passing among the patrician houses of Borgovecchio. If you decide to take the upper path, proceed along the picturesque stairway called “Sal- ita del Municipio” until you reach the hamlet of Lissogno. Continue along Via della Cast- agna until you come to the junction with the carriageway in Via del Tivano. Bear left and after a few metres take the left-hand fork leading to the church of Santa Maria, the church whose rustic bell tower you can already see. The church was built in the 13th century by the Ordine degli Umiliati, the religious order of “the Humble Ones” who preached a re- turn to a most austere spirituality and a simpler life. Inside the church are some frescoes by the 15th-century painter De Benzi, outstanding among which is the polyptych behind the altar, with a wooden structure framing the image of the Virgin of the Assumption, dated to 1500. Two 1504 frescoes also by De Bensi are particularly interesting for their form and expressive style. After the church the lane first leads through the houses of Vico and then continues across level terrain into the wood towards Lezzeno. After a group of farmhous- es, the trail meets the mule track coming from Borgonuovo (the lower path). If you prefer to take the lower path from the Nesso bridge, you have to follow the steps descending towards the lake and the church bridge, the Ponte della Civera. Go round the little harbour following Via Coatesa and join up with the provincial road. Here you have to bend left along the picturesque Via Borgovecchio, which must have been part of the original Strada Regia. Passing between the noble houses, with their ornate portals and framed windows, you reach the parish church of Santi Pietro e Paolo. The original construc- tion of this church dates back to 1000, but we do not have any further information about it for some centuries. It was rebuilt in the first decades of the 17th century in Baroque style. We can still however recognise some details of the ancient edifice, for example the remains of a fresco in the storeroom adjacent to the bell tower. The church has four side chapels, in which there are some outstanding frescoes of great artistic merit. The chapels are dedicat- ed to the Virgin of the Rosary, the Crucified Christ, St. Joseph, and St Francis Saverio. The beauty of the frescoes is emphasised by the sumptuous furnishings for the building – the marble altar, carved wooden furniture, and embossed copper candelabra. Exit the church and in order to rejoin the main trail, go along the road until you come to the provincial road. Turn left here along the road and, near a chapel, go up the paved terraced steps and rejoin the path which passes through cultivated terraces and small farm buildings.

38 A section of the path between Nesso and Punta della Cavagnola

The path for Lezzeno now enters a long wooded stretch, also gaining in altitude, and fording numerous rivulets. You are about to pass Punta della Cavagnola, the lake end of the long, massive ridge of Monte San Primo, the main peak of the Larian Triangle. Because of its position dividing the two basins of the Como arm of the lake, Cavag- nola Point had a strategic function. There was the inevitable watchtower, but there are tales too of a small church dedicated to San Nicolao (Nicholas), and a famous inn. Legend has it that the saint was called upon in a loud voice by sailors about to sail round the Point, which they considered fraught with danger. To the south east of Cavagnola Point, between Nesso and , is the deepest place of the whole lake, at -410 metres. Once past the Point, the trail enters the local district of the co- mune of Lezzeno. You at once come to the first hamlet, Carvagna, where the locals have exorcised the hamlet’s reputation for not getting much sun by coining the saying “Carvagna, not much sun, not much moon... but lots of luck” (which in Italian rhymes: “Carvagna, poco sole, poca luna…tanta fortuna”). You soon reach the hamlets of Sormazzana and Calvasino, where, only for a brief stretch, the trail is on an asphalt road. After going through the alleys of Bagnana, the trail continues on a lane that runs alongside the provincial road and leads to the Nautical Museum, the Museo storico della nautica, set up by Cantieri Molinari, the famous local boat-building company. You enter Lezzeno along the provincial road, where you come to the parish church of Santi Quirico e Giulitta. Looming behind and above the main altar is the imposing fresco by Giulio Quaglio the Younger (1712), the local Intelvi master. Interesting too is the late 16th-century wooden image of the Dead Christ. In the annexed oratory of St. Marta there is a noteworthy Deposition by Andrea de Passeris, while on the façade of the parish house there is a fascinating little late-15th century Virgin in bas-relief. While in the village centre you can take the opportunity to rest and have a bite to eat. The trail of the Strada Regia continues behind the parish church and once in Rozzo bends right in Via Bersaglieri. After fording the stream, go up a stony path to the church of Santa Maria dei Ceppi (the starting point for paths up Monte Nuvolone). From the church the trail descends in the direction of the last two hamlets of Lezzeno – Cendraro (which greets you with an unusual fountain) and Casate. The trail joins the provincial road and you come to a rest area (with a panoramic lookout), which has a curious two-wheeled cart parked here. According to the explanation on the panel, this was found in the lake a number of years ago and was originally used at the local lime-kiln that remained in operation from the 19th century to the 1950s.

39 View from Sassi Grosgalli

The last stretch of the Strada Regia now begins, leading to Ponte del Diavolo, the Devil’s Bridge. Our trail leaves the provincial road and climbs up the rough slopes of Monte Nuvolone (this higher track does not coincide with the ancient road, which has been “eaten up” at various points by the modern carriageway). You are crossing the slope called the Sassi Grosgalli, with its fascinating rock walls rising sheer over the lake. In this area, the Grotta dei Bulberi or Grotta Azzurra (Blue Grotto) is of particular interest. Accessible only by boat it is famous for the colour effects created inside by the sunlight. Local historians recount how the largest fish in the lake, the legendary “bulberi”, were believed to take refuge here – monstrous fish as big as a man and impossible to catch because of their huge size and indestructible armour of scales. The next stretch of the track is an up-and-down section with a beautiful waterfall and then it comes to a natural balcony from which you can enjoy an excellent view of the lake. You now descend, and the ravine of the Ponte del Diavolo suddenly appears, overlooked by the dolomitic limestone crags of Monte Nuvolone. The bridge looks sombre and mys- terious, and is known in legend as the place where witches met to perform their magic rites. It is perhaps the only man-made relic of the historical road that has remained intact, without any subsequent alterations. The trail takes you down a steep path to the bridge which you cross and soon come out onto the provincial road. Here today’s Strada Regia ends – today’s, because the original road continued on to Bellagio. No walking tracks now exist however, and the only possible connection to Bellagio is along the provincial road. Nevertheless, you should certainly not miss seeing Bellagio itself, perhaps the most renowned town on Lake Como (and a holiday destination ever since of the 19th century for artists and wealthy tourists). The remaining hours of your day will be well spent exploring this beautiful, quintessential lake town. There are two possible ways of reaching Bellagio from Devil’s Bridge. Either you can walk along the provincial road to cover the approximately 3 km to get there (we would warn you that traffic on the road is quite heavy), or else you can catch the Como - Bellagio bus that travels along this road. Once in Bellagio, the itinerary that we are suggesting takes in the main points of histori- cal and cultural interest in this splendid town, but we also recommend that you lose your- self in the narrow streets, savouring every detail you see as you wander through them. From Villa Crella (where there is the San Giovanni al Ponte bus stop) you go down a cobbled lane towards the lake and the hamlet of San Giovanni. Here you will see the church of San Giovanni Battista, perhaps the most beautiful church in the Larian Triangle. It stands in front of the Lake, almost to underline the idea of baptismal purifi-

40 cation personified by its titular saint, John the Baptist. The Church is a magnet both for the faithful and for lovers of art and culture. The Church was remodelled a number of times, the last alterations being carried out at the end of the 19th century. The interior contains numerous works of art, for example the fine carved wooden altar, and the 16th-century altarpiece, a painting of the Risen Christ amid angels, saints and devout worshippers. Of the furnishings, particularly worthy of mention is the organ, an instru- ment fine enough to be used in concert recordings. To one side of the piazza on which the church stands you can glimpse one of the splendid villas that have made Bellagio famous, the Villa Trotti-Bentivoglio, renowned for its large park with a tropical aquatic garden, adorned with oriental plants. From Piazza Motti, proceed along Via Papa Giovanni until you come to the district of Guggiate and its little piazza. From here a long flight of steps goes up to Suira hill. When you arrive at a junction turn left in the direction of the lake. Just before arriving at the church of Santa Maria di Loppia, you get a glimpse to the right down the avenue leading to Villa Giulia, built at the end of the 18th century in Neo-classical style (the villa is not open to visitors). Keep going in the direction of the lake (on the terraced steps) as far as the Romanesque church of Santa Maria. We know that a little church has existed ever since the year 845. The present building has been dated to the 12th century. It has a nave and two aisles, with a protruding transept and a semicircular apse that in part is not original. The façade is articulated in the lower part by a series of blind arches that also appear at the head of the apse. The bell tower rises up on the left side of the church with three levels, with mullion windows superimposed. Besides the sculpted altar dating from the 17th century, the church contains some canvases also painted in that century. A little further on, the Loppia dock and a small white temple mark the entrance to the Villa Melzi gardens. Both the temple and the villa are in Neo-classical style. The villa was built between 1808 and 1813 by the architect Giocondo Albertolli for Francesco Melzi d’Eril, Vice-President of the Cisalpine Republic, then Grand Chancellor of the , and a friend of Napoleon, who conferred on him the title of Duke of Lodi. The villa is surrounded by a magnificent park that was the first example around Lake Como of an English-style garden. The park was created between 1811 and 1815 by Canonica and Villoresi and has some wonderful perspectival effects, thanks to the levelling of the land and the artificial siting of small hills. The distribution of the vegetation, seemingly natural, was the result of long studies to enhance the optical illu- sion. Among the trees and plants adorning the park there is a colossal magnolia gran- diflora, an enormous group of camellias, and many tropical plants. The villa has had illustrious guests, among them Napoleon, Franz Joseph and Ferdinand of Austria, and Umberto and Margherita of Savoy (for information go to: www.giardinidivillamelzi.it). From the external wall surrounding the villa, at the crossing with the provincial road, you resume the trail by going up Via Vitali until you reach the district of Aureggio. Via del Bello leads you to the small church of San Carlo. From here continue up Via del Pozzo, Via Carlo Montù and Salita Carlo Montù, till you come to Via Valassina. Turning left you arrive at the small square delimited by the Town Hall and the church of San Giorgio. You are now about to penetrate into the centre of Bellagio. To the right you can see Castle Hill with the imposing proportions of Villa Serbelloni. This Villa has a very long history. The building extends along the promontory where, according to tradition, Pliny the Younger possessed the villa called Tragoedia. The

41 original plan of this present villa dates from the 15th century, and it was built at the behest of the Marchesino Stanga. In the following century the villa passed into the hands of the Sfondrati family and was extended and remodelled. In 1788 it became property of Count Alessandro Serbelloni who devoted himself heart and soul to it. In particular, the Duke concentrated on creating the immense external park, where he had about 18 km of carriageways, avenues and paths built. After the death of the Duke in 1826, the villa had one owner after another, and it was finally transformed in a hotel (inherited by the Rockefeller Foundation). Numerous illustrious guests have stayed in the villa over the centuries: Emperor Maximilian I, Leonardo da Vinci, Lo- dovico il Moro, Bianca Sforza, Cardinal Borromeo, Silvio Pellico, Emperor Franz I, Queen Victoria, etc. Our itinerary continues along Via Garibaldi between shops, coffee bars and aristocratic houses, and opens into the square of the church of San Giacomo, built in the 12th centu- ry and enlarged in the Baroque period, with a nave and two aisles with a bell tower. Of the original building there remain, externally, the three apses decorated with a double arched lintel and, inside, the four capitals and the symbols of the Evangelists in the vestibule. In 1904 the building was restored in Romanesque style in the parts most dam- aged. The refurbishment of the bell tower, again in Romanesque style, was also very recent. When repairs were complete, the church was declared a National Monument. Terraced steps lead down from the piazza to the lakeside. Under the characteristic porticoes are shops, restaurants and hotels. If you still want to continue walking we recommend that you finally make forPunta Spartivento (“Wind-dividing Point”) the last spur of Bellagio and of the Larian triangle, the point at which the lake divides into two arms offering a panorama never to be forgotten.

42 Lezzeno RECREATIONAL TRAIL B VIA DEI MONTI LARIANI The Via dei Monti Lariani (The Larian Mountains Trail) is a hiking route that is part of the Lombardy stretch of the “Sentiero Italia”, the Grand Italian Trail, about 6,000 km long, extending all the way through Italy. The Via dei Monti Lariani is about 125 km long and consists mainly of paths and mule tracks. It connects with Sorico, going along the western side of Lake Como at altitude. The track, although recently set up, has a rich history. Over the last centuries it saw quite heavy traffic of mountain products which were bound for the provincial capital, Como (the products coming particularly from places around Sasso Gordona, Monte Generoso and Monte Bisbino). Very many of these places, situated in a band of altitude varying between 600 and 1200 metres, were the mid-season mountain pastures (called “mûnt” in dialect) used by the population on the shores of the lake as places to take their livestock in spring and autumn (in summer they went towards the “alp”, locations higher up the moun- tains). The name “Via dei Monti Lariani” was chosen precisely to celebrate the path- way connecting these ancient settlements, which are partly still active and partly aban- doned or destroyed by time. In the last century the Via also had some strategic importance, since it is situated in border country. During the First World War, some sections of the route, in the areas be- tween Monte Bisbino and Sasso Gordona, were chosen for the construction of roads and military structures to support the famous (the defensive military line built between 1911 and 1916 in the Lombard Prealps, with the purpose of protecting Italian territory and the industrial centres of Milan and Bergamo from a hypothetical German attack through neutral Switzerland). In addition, in some of the border loca- tions touched by the Via, Customs Police barracks were built to control the extensive traffic in various contraband goods to the Canton of Ticino. These still exist today, but almost all of them have been transformed into Rifugi (refuges or mountain huts) of the CAI (the Italian Alpine Club). The Via dei Monti Lariani has, however always been used principally as a commer- cial route complementary to the main Strada Regina, the route that ran from Como to Samolaco (on the shore of the lake) and continued on towards Switzerland through the Julier/Septimer Passes or the Splügen Pass. At this point, since the aim of this Guide is to project you into the role of wayfarers along the ancient paths of Lario, we think it appropriate to briefly sketch the history of the legendary Via Regina, the fundamental route for traffic from Italy to northern Europe, which seems to have already been used in Romans times. The existence of a route in this period would appear to be documented in the Tabula Peutingeriana or Peutinger Map and the Itinerarium Provinciarum Antonini Augusti or Antonine Itinerary, two maps that show the military routes connecting Mediolanum (Milan) and Curia (Coira). Proper maps of the road as such however only go back to 1720, in the Catasto Teresiano, the cadastral map made at the behest of the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa. The commercial importance and intense use of the road, ever since ancient times, is also corroborated by the remains of many hospitales and xenodochia along the way.

43 Map of Trail B-Via dei Monti Lariani

44 In the Middle Ages, the numerous xenodochia were places that offered hospitality to wayfarers and pilgrims travelling the road, and were generally run by monks under the direction of a “Minister”; while hospitales were devoted to caring for the sick. In the course of the years this distinction disappeared, so that either word was used to describe places where travellers could stay. Until the 11th century, xenodochia and hospitales were an integral part of the monas- teries. Only later did they become separate and placed at strategic points of the trade routes, although still maintaining their religious function. In the age of the independent comunes in Italy, the xenodochia grew even more numerous and efficient. The symbol of the pilgrim was the scallop shell which, together with decorated ceramic bowls embedded in the external walls, became the sign to advertise places that offered accommodation. Along the Via Regina, such places were numerous and widely used. Unfortunately very few records of them remain today. We know that there was a hospitalis at Sorico, annexed to the church of San Bartolomeo; a xeonodochium existed in the 17th century in Menaggio, called “the xenodochium of the three Magi”, with its church of Santa Marta; and in Como, not far from the Basilica of Sant’Abbondio there was a hospitalis with the double function of granting hospitality both to the sick and to wayfarers. Still visible with its original features is the hospitalis of Santa Maria Maddalena di Stabio in , made famous by the unusual bell tower of its oratory, which is in a hybrid Moorish-Gothic style grafted onto an old Romanesque structure. The Strada Regina has therefore always been the main historical trade route along the lake. So why not simply make our hiking trail follow it? The answer is obvious. The Via Regina today is a narrow state road carrying a heavy load of traffic, absolutely unsuitable, indeed dangerous, for people travelling on foot. As happens with other walking trails (for example some sections of the famous Camino de Santiago de Campostela) we have chosen first and foremost to care for the safety of our “modern wayfarers”, opting for a less historic route, such as that of the Via dei Monti Lariani, but one which is much more enjoyable for tourists. One last point. The Via dei Monti Lariani route, designed by the Como section of the Italian Alpine Club, is entirely marked, and is divided into four sections: the first is from Cernobbio to Val d’Intelvi, the second from Val d’Intelvi to Val Menaggio, the third from Val Menaggio to Valle Albano and the fourth from Valle Albano to Sorico. The signs (red-white-red stripes painted on stones and on aluminium plates on tree-trunks and walls) thus bear the numbers 1 to 4 pertaining to each section of the route. In practice, however, it is extremely difficult to walk the whole trail in just 4 stages, since these are too long and demanding. We recommend dividing it into seven stages, overnighting in the Rifugi (mountain huts) or hotels scattered along the way.

45 B-Via dei Monti Lariani Stage 01

46 B.1 - STAGE FROM COMO TO SCHIGNANO – BASIC INFORMATION

LENGTH 19.4 km

TIME AND LEVEL 7 ½ hours approx. – difficulty E OF DIFFICULTY

By car: in Como there are numerous parking zones around Piazza Cavour, most of which are pay parks

By train: railway station Como Lago Nord. You reach Piazza REACHING Cavour in a few minutes along Lungo Lario Trento THE START POINT By bus: ASF urban line bus stop at Como Piazza Cavour or FROM COMO Lungo Lario Trento. To reach Piazza Mazzini in Cernobbio di- rectly, ASF extra-urban line bus number C 10 (Como - ), bus stop Lungo Lario Trento

By boat: Como boat stop (Piazza Cavour)

By bus: ASF line bus number C28 (Rovenna - Como), Rovenna bus stop in Via IV Novembre LEAVING THE TRAIL BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT ASF bus number C21 (Casasco - Argeno), Schignano bus stop in Via Roma

Train: www.trenord.it, www.trenitalia.it

Bus: www.asfautolinee.it (g Lines and timetables) PUBLIC TRANSPORT TIMETABLES Boat: www.navlaghi.it (g Como Lake g Timetable)

All public transport: www.muoversi.regione.lombardia.it

Como, Cernobbio, , , , , Schignano WHERE TO EAT AND WHERE TO SLEEP N.B.: to eat/sleep in the Rifugi (mountain huts) you are advised to always telephone first to make sure they are open and to check availability

The trail begins in Como in Piazza Cavour which offers a splendid view over the Lake. In front of the piazza take the panoramic walkway (the Lungolago Mafalda Voltiano, which proceeds in the direction of . After a few minutes you come in sight of the Tempietto Voltiano, erected in 1927 to celebrate the centenary of the death of Alessandro Volta. Inside, there are busts, bas-reliefs and relics of the famous professor, born in Como. Rearing up immediately beside is the Monumento ai caduti di Como, Como’s war me- morial, an imposing 33 metres high tower, designed by the famous rationalist architect

47 Giuseppe Terragni. Inside there is a sanctuary with the names of the 650 fallen sons of Como in the First World War carved on it. Continue on past the Yacht Club and the local Stadium, along the pedestrian path by the lake, coming first to the gardens and the splendid Villa Locatelli, today the central offices of the Provincial Authority of Como, and then the unmissable Villa Olmo. If the gate is open, why not enter and enjoy the park, exiting along Via per Cernobbio (if the gate is shut, cross the car park of Via Cantoni and follow Via Bellinzona on the right). Villa Olmo is the most famous and sumptuous of the historic dwellings in Como. It was designed between the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries by the architect Simone Cantoni. Passing from one aristocratic owner to another, in 1925 it became the property of the Comune, which set it up as a site renowned for its for cultural events and prestigious art exhibitions. The Via per Cenobbio is a state highway carrying a lot of traffic, but that shall not worry you. Along all of this section there is a sidewalk which you can walk along in comfort enjoying the view over the lake and the town of Como. When you enter Cernobbio, just before the first signpost for the Via dei Monti Lariani, you come to the entrance to the gardens. The villa is an historic, opulent holiday residence built at the end of the 19th century by the Erba family. Today it is a museum and con- ference centre of international renown. The Via dei Monti Lariani proper begins in Piazza Mazzini. Take Via A. Volta and when you come to the roundabout, continue straight on following the signs for Rovenna and Monte Bisbino. When you come to the bend the trail turns off to the left, along the easy pe- destrian road (Via Parini) which leads to the church of San Nicola in the hamlet of Casne- do. The church was built between the 18th and 19th centuries, on the site of an ancient oratory, and in 2001 it underwent extensive restoration to preserve it. The rectangular façade has round designs on it that are typically Baroque. The interior furnishings come partly from the preceding oratory, and partly from the Benedictine Monastery of the As- sunta in Cernobbio, suppressed in 1784. From the Monastery comes the fine 17th-century painting on the left wall of the nave that depicts the Assumption of the Virgin, as well as the 18th-century Stations of the Cross with gilt wooden frames. From the church you veer right, and then immediately to the left on steps. You then pass the road Via Monte Grappa continuing as far as the little bridge with the signpost. From here you go up a cobbled lane which again reaches the road (with another signpost). You then go through the houses of Stomaino until you reach the main asphalt road that goes up to Bisbino, where you find the church of San Michele on the left. This is the parish church, which is of ancient origin, but was rebuilt “a fundamentis”, from its foundations, beginning in 1667. Externally the architecture is very simple. The only decorative feature of the façade is the stone portal, although inside there are numerous precious furnishings and frescoes, among them a Romanesque processional cross (11th century) and a fine Baroque altar. A little further on, again to the left, take Via Montesanto where there is another trail sign. Cut across the road and you reach the hamlet of Rovenna. After a stretch of asphalt road, a sign to the left indicates the ascent to Monte Bisbino, Monte Madrona and Monte Scarone 30. A few steps further on and you come to a fountain. Immediately after this, turn right into Via Segantini were the paved mule track begins which, with wide bends, ascends to the Monti di Scarone. Here you leave the path for the Buco della Volpe (“Fox Hole”) to your left, and arrive in the refreshing shade of the chestnut trees

48 Villa Olmo View of Torno while climbing Monte Bisbino at the chalets of Monti di Madrona. From this little group of houses you must follow the carriageway as far as the second bend where you can take the mule track for Monte Bisbino that passes by the chapel of San Carlo. After quite a steep section you reach the houses of Alpe Piella, where you will come to a crossing. The road to the left ascends to Bisbino, but you should take the little road to the right that passes through a thick wood and brings you to Cà Bossi¸ where there is the ex-Institute of the Somascan Fathers. Go round this building and come to the division of three ways at Foppa. Here, ignore the arrows pointing to Rifugio Bugone (along a descending asphalt road), and take the cart road in the middle which goes gently downhill. You walk through a beautiful beech wood as far as a construction called “forno vecchio”, the old kiln, and reach the Colm- ine del Bugone, the top of the Bugone, with a private Rifugio bearing the same name. If you have not yet done so, take advantage of the Rifugio to have a snack. Here you cross the mule track descending to Moltrasio, but you keep straight on along the cart track which enters an old beech wood along the watershed ridge, from which it is possible to admire on one side the panorama of the lake, on the other the vast panorama of the Western Alps and the Swiss side of Monte Generoso and Sasso Gordona. Once you have passed Colma del Crinco, the top of the Crinco, you reach the level terrain of the Colma dei Murelli, with the Rifugio del CAI di Moltrasio, the Mol- trasio Alpine Club Refuge. The Rifugio is an ex-barracks of the border Customs Police. As we have already said, on the Larian mountains there are a number of Rifugi that have been created out of Customs Police barracks no longer in use, where the Police once patrolled the frontiers at the time when the smuggling was in full swing. From here, if you wish, you can make a detour that will take you, in about half an hour, to the picturesque church of San Bernardo, is a simple little church, built at the beginning of the 13th century on one of the positions of major strategic importance in the lookout system of the territory around Lake Como. After Rifugio Morelli, the mule track rises and then you complete a long stretch downhill where you can’t go wrong. You are in fact quite near the end of this rather tiring stage. The trail continues on a cart track where the going is easy, leading to Alpe di Carate and to Rifugio Binate, closed at the time that this Guide was being prepared. After the Rifugio, the track proceeds downhill and reaches the Colma di Binate, where the track becomes a path. On the right the track meets a mule track that takes you down to Schig- nano in about 45 minutes. We would advise you to conclude the stage at this point and go down into the village. Otherwise, if you choose to carry on along the Via dei Monti Lariani for about another half an hour, you will reach Rifugio Prabello (with food and bunks; as always we advise you to phone in advance to check that it is open).

49 B-Via dei Monti Lariani Stage 02

Rifugio Murelli

50 Signposts of the Via dei Monti Lariani Pian delle Alpi

B.2 - STAGE FROM SCHIGNANO TO SAN FEDELE D’INTELVI – BASIC INFORMATION

LENGTH 19.56 km

TIME AND LEVEL 6 ½ hours approx. – difficulty E OF DIFFICULTY

By car: from Como follow state highway 340 as far as the entrance to Argegno and then the signs for Schignano/ REACHING Erbonne. Parking at Schignano in Via Roma THE START POINT By bus: from Argegno take ASF bus number C21 (Argegno - FROM COMO San Fedele - Casasco), Schignano bus stop in Via Roma

By boat: Argegno boat stop (Piazza Roma)

LEAVING THE TRAIL By bus: from Alpe di Cerano descend to Casasco, from here BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT take ASF bus number C21 (Casasco - San Fedele - Argegno)

Bus: www.asfautolinee.it (g Lines and timetables) PUBLIC TRANSPORT Boat: www.navlaghi.it (g Como Lake g Timetable) TIMETABLES All public transport: www.muoversi.regione.lombardia.it

Schignano, Casasco d’Intelvi, Cerano d’Intelvi, San Fedele d’Intelvi WHERE TO EAT AND WHERE TO SLEEP N.B.: to eat/sleep in the Rifugi (mountain huts) you are advised to always telephone first to make sure they are open and to check availability

The trail begins at the Colma di Binate which you can reach on foot in about 45 min- utes from Schignano, a village renowned for its Carnival. From the top of the Binate you descend down a path to the right that leads to a Cross, and you follow the path on

51 Tunnel of the Sasso Gordona Springs on the way down from Orimento the right that skirts the northern side of Sasso Gordona along an old military road and comes out into Valle d’Intelvi. This mountain has numerous galleries and military gun emplacements from the First World War, as part of the defensive Cadorna Line, cre- ated in 1915 along the Italo-Swiss border, anticipating a possible German offensive. Near a hairpin bend in the wood the trail joins the cart track coming from Casasco d’Intelvi (which you ignore), ascending instead to the left until you soon reach the Rifugio Parabello, and ex-barracks of the Customs Police. To regain the trail you must walk back along a brief stretch of the mule track as far as a turn-off to the left, where a path takes you into the meadows below and, after crossing a beech wood with some steep downhill sections, you arrive at Alpe di Cerano (or Pian delle Alpi). Emerging from the wood you cross a meadow and arrive on the asphalt road bearing right to walk past an inviting picnic area, after which you take the mule track to the left for Erbonne. (By following this track you can make a detour to the village of Erbonne itself to visit a small museum housed in a barracks of the Customs Police, now dedicated to the history of contraband. The room of the museum, which you can only look into from outside, preserves relics and items relating to the smugglers’ lives and the relations between the smugglers and the Customs Police of this area). You ascend into the wood and, when you come to the junction with a signpost and signs, you abandon the mule track leading to Erbonne and instead ascend to the right towards the grassy plateau of Ermogna, characterised by some mountain chalets and what is referred as locally as a “bolla” (bubble), a natural basin that has been used by people to collect rainwater for livestock to drink. Near the farmhouse you can spot what is lo- cally call a “nevera”: these typical circular constructions made of stone, filled with snow, served to conserve perishable foodstuffs in summer. You continue on an easy cart track, passing some rural buildings and, after a long stretch, some chalets below Casasco. At this point you have to follow the signs on the left for “Capanna Bruno”, the Bruno Hut. The trail ascends along a track that leads onto the asphalt road connecting Casasco to Bocca D’Orimento. Here you turn left and, after a bend notable for its three crosses, you turn left until you reach the Capanna Bruno restaurant and Rifugio. Behind Capanna Bruno you pick up the path again which now offers two tracks. You must take the flatter one leading across the steep meadows of Monte Crocione. Passing a ski-lift, the trail becomes a mule track again and enters some scrub land. Bear left at a junction and you come to Bocca di Orimento, the Orimento Saddle, where you find the Baita (mountain chalet) of the same name. This is a refreshments spot and a point of departure for excursions to Monte

52 View over the Val d’Intelvi Pizzo della Croce

Generoso. From the saddle you follow the carriageway leading to Casasco and arrive at the Rifugio Cristè operated by the section of the Italian Alpine Club. From here you descend along a lengthy stretch of the asphalt road (it is possible to take some short- cuts that are marked), and, going round two of those basins for collecting rainwater you continue on to the picnic area of Alpe Grande. At the junction you take the asphalt road that descends to the left towards San Fedele d’Intelvi. Near the first bend (at Meriggio) you will find the signpost indicating the cart track for San Fedele to the left. The trail be- comes a grassy path through meadows and pine woods, with panoramic views towards the valley and the mountains of the Canton of Ticino. Leaving the pastures behind you, you come onto the carriageway that takes you to San Fedele d’Intelvi, the final destina- tion of this stage. Once you arrive in the village we recommend a brief visit to the parish church of Sant’Antonio. The building retains various elements that bear witness to its long history. The gabled façade has a fine Romanesque portal, probably dating from the 12th century; the bell tower, also Romanesque at the base, was rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries; while the frescoes decorating the interior were painted in the 16th century and contain elements of the Baroque.

View over Lake Como

53 B-Via dei Monti Lariani Stage 03

Villa Balbianello

54 B-Via dei Monti Lariani Stage 03

B.3 - STAGE FROM SAN FEDELE D’INTELVI TO LENNO – BASIC INFORMATION

LENGTH 19.35 km

TIME AND LEVEL 6 ½ hours approx. – difficulty E OF DIFFICULTY

By car: from Como follow state highway 340 as far as Argegno and then provincial road 13 in the direction of Lanzo/ San Fedele Intelvi

REACHING Park: at San Fedele d’Intelvi in Piazza Roma, then walk along THE START POINT the provincial road in the direction of Lanzo for about 700 m FROM COMO By bus: ASF bus number C20 (Como - Argegno - Lanzo), San Fedele d’Intelvi bus stop at the ASF bus depot

By boat: Argegno boat stop (Piazza Roma), then bus (see above)

LEAVING THE TRAIL By funicular: from Alpe di descend to (section BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT of Argegno - Pigra funicular)

Bus: www.asfautolinee.it (g Lines and timetables)

Boat: www.navlaghi.it (g Como Lake g Timetable) PUBLIC TRANSPORT Argegno - Pigra Funicular: www.aapigra.it (g Cableway), TIMETABLES www.comune.pigra.co.it (g Vivere a Pigra g Mezzi di trasporto)

All public transport: www.muoversi.regione.lombardia.it

San Fedele d’Intelvi, Pigra, Colonno, Ossuccio, Lenno WHERE TO EAT N.B.: to eat/sleep in the Rifugi (mountain huts) you are AND WHERE TO SLEEP advised to always telephone first to make sure they are open and to check availability

55 View from the way down towards Lenno San Fedele d’Intelvi

At San Fedele d’Intelvi, begin from the piazzale where there is the ASF bus depot, cross the provincial road and go up, passing the cemetery until you get to a widening of the road, where you turn left following the signs for the wayfarer trail “percorso via”. Continue on, turning right into Via Pighini and then to the left. Not far on, near a bend to the left, the mule track leads off to the right (trail sign on the wall). The mule track crosses a meadow and continues in the wood as far as Belvedere, a lookout with glimpses of the lake between the trees. Keep walking, ignoring a rising path to the right at the first junction, but at a second junction you do take the mule track going uphill to the right, which soon narrows to become a path. You pass near to Alpe di Coia, now abandoned, and continue on, with some stretch- es going up, as far as the ruined farmhouses at La Zerla. Passing some old hunting sheds, you continue uphill on a grassy slope and the track becomes a path that offers easy going. This comes out in near some steep pastures, and you pass some troughs, then proceed across the slope as far as the chalets of Bassetta Bassa, from where you can enjoy a fine panorama over Valle di and the mountains surrounding . The trail passes near the chalets and immediately afterwards bends to the right going downhill along a beech grove that cuts across the northern side of Monte Costone. You soon arrive at Alpe di Colonno and to be precise at an enclo- sure round private pastureland. Walk along this and you reach a panoramic terrace with a cross. A little further down to the right there is a refreshment point, while to the left among the meadows is another of the picturesque “bolle”, the natural basins that men have turned into troughs to collect rainwater for animals to drink. A path running parallel to the carriageway from Pigra leads through a wooded area and on to the Rifugio Boffalora, where you can take a break (and also stop overnight if you so wish), in a setting with a splendid panorama towards Monte Lenno and Monte . When you resume your walk, follow the asphalt road for a brief stretch, which will take you to the Rifugio Galbiga-Venini. Because the track to Lenno is still quite long, and involves a change in altitude of about 1,000 metres, we recommend that you finish the stage at altitude and sleep here at this Rifugio. Otherwise, if you choose to keep going, near some rustic houses take a path on the right along a grassy ridge (follow the signs for Grandola e Uniti). The path enters some

56 Roccolo La Zerla Alpe Colonno

scrubland leading to Pioda. At the junction ignore the path that goes down to the right, and continue as far as La Taiada where you cannot fail to notice a curious twisted beech tree with a gash at the bottom. Once you are through the wood, you come out onto an open pasture with a wide view over Val Perlana. All of the next section has memorable panoramic views. You touch Alpe di Gada and continue through pastures and shrubland as far as the mountain hamlet La Piazza, a natural balcony looking out over the lake and the mountains. Beneath you the picturesque Romanesque complex of San Benedetto is visible. The church with a nave and two aisles, divided by pilasters and with three apses, was erected around 1080, while the monastery was completed around 1090. When it was abandoned by the Benedictine monks in 1298, it fell into slow but inexorable disrepair. Follow the mule track that descends through the small settlements of Crusen and Gar- bagno. Continue along this little cement road and descend with steep sections to Lenno. If you are not too tired we recommend that you take a walk round the centre of the village, with a brief visit to the church of Santo Stefano and the adjacent bap- tistery of San Giovanni. The church was erected in the 5th or 6th century A.D. on the remains of a 1st-century thermal bath, but the structure visible today is the result of a 16th-century reconstructon. Worthy of note in the interior are the trapezoidal crypt with five bays and three apses; the altarpiece painting of the Martyrdom of St. Stephen (second half of the 16th century), and the side chapels, decorated with 17th-century frescoes and stucco work. The baptistry, set to the left of the church, dates from the 2nd half of the 11th century, and has a simple, spare exterior, a square bell tower and an apse orientated north. The octagonal plan has a symbolic significance: the number 8 corresponds to the 7 days of creation plus the day of the resurrection of Christ. We would remind you that Lenno also has one of the most famous and spectacular villas of Lake Como, the Villa Balbianello, Set on the tip of the Dosso di Lavedo, it was built in late Baroque style in the 18th century. The interiors retain the appearance given them by the explorer Count Guido Monzino, with art collections and a small mu- seum of mementos of his expeditions. The loggia is particularly attractive, dominating the Gulfs of Diana and Venus. From the park, which makes a great scenic impact, you can enjoy a wonderful view of the landscape surrounding the lake.

57 B-Via dei Monti Lariani Stage 04

58 B.4 - STAGE FROM LENNO TO PLESIO / MENAGGIO – BASIC INFORMATION

LENGTH 21.64 km

TIME AND LEVEL 8 ½ hours approx. – difficulty E OF DIFFICULTY

By car: from Como follow state highway 340 as far as Lenno; park in Viale Lomazzi; walk along the road for Garbagno REACHING THE START POINT By bus: from Como ASF bus number C10 (Como - Colico), FROM COMO Lenno Statale bus stop at Regina Chiesa

By boat: Lenno boat stop (Viale Lomazzi or Villa Balbianello)

By bus: from Ossino descend to - Tremezzo; from there ASF bus number C 10 (Como - Colico) from Bocchetta di Nava descend to - Cadenabbia; from there ASF bus number C 10 (Como - Colico) LEAVING THE TRAIL BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT at Codogna (Grandola e Uniti) ASF bus number C12 (Menaggio - Oria), Piazza Camozzi or Bivio per Naggio bus stops at Plesio ASF bus number C13 (Plesio - Menaggio), Breglia Monumento ai Caduti [Monument to the Fallen] bus stop

Bus: www.asfautolinee.it (g Lines and timetables) PUBLIC TRANSPORT TIMETABLES All public transport: www.muoversi.regione.lombardia.it

Lenno, Mezzegra, Tremezzo, Griante, Grandola e Uniti, Plesio, Menaggio WHERE TO EAT AND WHERE TO SLEEP N.B.: to eat/sleep in the Rifugi (mountain huts) you are advised to always telephone first to make sure they are open and to check availability

59 If you have spent the night at the Rifugio Galbiga-Venini follow the directions set out in the preceding itinerary as far as the hamlets ot Piazza and Garbagno. If, on the other hand, you stayed overnight in Lenno, you must begin with a steep climb that first winds up between the houses as far as the abbey of Acquafredda, and then still climbing on the right, reaches an altitude of 1000 m. Follow the road and then the mule track that leads to Garbagno and Piazza. Just before reaching Garbagno, a sign indicates a path on the right that after a walk of twenty minutes or so joins up with the mule track from Mezzegra. Continue on this mule track, turning to the left as you ascend. When you reach the pastures at Monte di Narro, take a path on the right that continues on level ground through a wood which is very thick in parts until you arrive at the ruined chalets of Monte Redendola. Proceeding on level terrain through bush and clearings you reach the natural balcony of Ossino, looking out over the three branches of Lake Como. A path leaves from here leading to Mezzegra in about an hour and a half – but you do not take this, instead taking the path on the left which enters the deep Bolvedro valley. Once you are past the steep and stony gorge, with the cliffs of Monte Crocione looming over it, the trail rises and meets an old military road which goes through a cut in the cliff and continues in a tunnel 120 m long, excavated in the years of the First World War in the context of the Cadorna Line of defences. Once you are through the tunnel, you follow the road around some bends (or, alternatively, take a short cut across them), to Monti di Brente, and from here, still following the old military road, you reach the Nava Saddle, the Bocchetta di Nava (from here you have the option of descending to Griante). The trail continues climbing gently to the left. After the farmhouses of Monti di Nava you continue along a cart track going downhill towards Paullo. You go through a beech wood and (paying attention at the two junctions) you reach Castrola, position near a spring of diuretic water, and some remains of trenches going back to the Great War. A little further on there is another spring of water. You continue through the Miè Valley and arrive at the busy mountain village of Paullo. When you come to the little church, turn left after just a few metres, and continue downhill into the wood as far as the road, which you keep on for a short stretch, still going down, as far as the gate of the Croce golf course. Go onto the golf course (you are allowed to cross) keeping immediately to the right and continuing the descent. The track takes you along some of the holes of the golf course, and you pass the Fontanina delle uova, the “Little egg fountain” (the name derives from the typical smell of rotten eggs from the sulphurous water). As soon as the path becomes paved and bends left, you turn right among the trees and after only a few metres you reach the secondary gate through which you exit the private land of the golf

Lenno and Golf Club Menaggio

60 Villa Camozzi in Codogna Monte Crocione course. At the end of the gravel track, you meet an asphalt road that joins the state road and leads to the hamlet of Cardano (in the Comune of Grandola e Uniti). In Cardano, it is worth stopping at the Villa Bagatti Valsecchi, built in the 17th century. Along Via Carlo Galbiati you can pick up the Via dei Monti Lariani trail again, fol- lowing the carriageway climbing to Codogna. The Villa Camozzi houses the offices of the local Comune and also the Val Sanagra Ethnographical Museum which preserves records of the local history and popular traditions, and presents plans for various environmental projects in the territory. Val Sanagra, with its park of the same name, has various nature trails, and is a mosaic of woods, meadows and alpine pastures, hollowed out by the Sanagra River and shaped by the glaciers of the last Ice Age, with urban development that is not excessive, and which respects the land. Once past the Villa, bear right towards the Sanagra River which you reach by de- scending the winding road. Cross the bridge and you come to a typical farmstay with an adjoining trout farm. The trail continues on the mule track which rises steeply to the famous hanging stone of Barna. Cross the little town of Barna, where you will see the church of Maria Maddalena, built in 1636, set in a most beautiful piazza with a four-armed fountain. The interior of the church has a single nave without aisles, with three side chapels and a niche with the baptismal font which currently contains a fine wooden Crucifix of the 17th century. Go round the church and walk along a paved lane taking you to the last houses of the village centre. Here the track ends and you follow a path into a wood, locally known as Bosco dello Stron, which touches the clearing of Monti Dosso della Chiave and comes out at La Piazza near to the small chapel del Bergum. Proceed for a short section along a wide mule track, then turn onto a path into a chest- nut wood leading to the lower part of the village of Prato Sella. After the last houses you descend towards Magiono until you come to the Sorgente del Troi spring (from the springs of this river comes the water with low saline content bottled by Chiarella). There is now just a last section along the hillside and you reach Breglia (a hamlet of Plesio), a hospitable little village and the final destination of our stage. At this point you have two alternatives: either you can stay in town and eat and sleep here, or else take the ASF number 13 bus from the piazza with the Monumento ai Caduti (Monu- ment to the Fallen), which quickly takes you to Menaggio, one of the most picturesque and renowned towns of Lake Como.

61 B-Via dei Monti Lariani Stage 05

62 B-Via dei Monti Lariani Stage 05

B.5 - STAGE FROM PLESIO / MENAGGIO TO GARZENO – BASIC INFORMATION

LENGTH 17.24 km

TIME AND LEVEL 6 hours approx. – difficulty E OF DIFFICULTY

By car: from Como follow state highway 340 as far as Menaggio (exit for the town centre) and then follow the signs for Plesio/Breglia. Park in Breglia near the cemetery, which is near the bus stop REACHING THE START POINT By bus: from Menaggio ASF bus number C13 Menaggio - FROM COMO Plesio (Via Lusardi), Breglia bus stop Monumento ai Caduti [Monument to the fallen]

By boat: Menaggio boat stop (Via IV Novembre), then bus (see above)

By bus: from Montuglio descend to San Siro, from there ASF bus number C10 (Como - Colico)

from Monti di Bracco descend to , from there ASF bus LEAVING THE TRAIL number C10 (Como - Colico) BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT from Garzeno ASF bus number C17 (Garzeno - Dongo)

By boat: Dongo boat stop (then bus from Garzeno, see above)

Bus: www.asfautolinee.it (g Lines and timetables) PUBLIC TRANSPORT Boat: www.navlaghi.it (g Como Lake g Timetable) TIMETABLES All public transport: www.muoversi.regione.lombardia.it

Plesio, San Siro, Cremia, , Musso, Dongo, Garzeno WHERE TO EAT AND WHERE TO SLEEP N.B.: to eat/sleep in the Rifugi (mountain huts) you are advised to always telephone first to make sure they are open and to check availability

63 Cabins on Monte di Treccione View from the terrace of Montuglio

If you are starting from Menaggio reach the departure point of the route by taking the C13 bus from Via Lusardi that will take you to the Monumento ai Caduti (Monument to the Fallen) bus stop at Breglia. If you are starting from Breglia go to the piazza with the Monument to the Fallen and take the road on the left that leads up to the Rifugio Menaggio. After about 50 m there is a little road to the right with the Via dei Monti Lariani trail sign. A narrow lane leads between the houses and across a short stretch of meadows, then enters a wood and winds down into Val di Greno. You arrive at the little bridge in the middle of the valley, and once across you go uphill to Carcente which is set on a splendid natural terrace. In the middle of the village, just after a fountain, take a paved mule track on the left, and after passing some farmhouses you reach the first “masòn” (a dialect word for cottages) of Monti di Carcente. Go round the cottages and continue on the flat towards the chalets with fountain of Monte di Treccione. From here the trail continues through sunny meadows with panoramic view as far as the terrace of Montuglio where you meet the road coming up from San Siro. The path continues with various ups and downs, leaves Val Vezzedo behind and first approaches the pastures of Luina, then slopes gently uphill to the picturesque village of Monti Bracco (with a pretty fountain in the centre among the chalets). You then reach the little church of San Domenico, with a panoramic view from the front, and after that the vil- lage of Piazzuco with fine chalets and fountains. The next section is quite tiring because it involves a steep descent down a stony path leading to the Livera and then the Quaradella River (which you must ford). But it doesn’t take too long, and you soon arrive among the shady pines of the chalets of Naro. From the fountain in Naro you ascend again up a grassy hollow and continue along the side of the mountain, following a panoramic route, as far as Alpe di Nacim. Near Val Grande (the highest point of the stage) the path descends gradually, and keeping to the right you pass Adacca and Sciresö. The trail then goes through the meadows following the cableway as far as Brecchio, and reaches the farm buildings of Labbio where you find the Agriturismo Labbio farmstay. Leaving Labbio you climb towards the San Bernardo Saddle where you come to the little church of San Bernardo. The church has recently been restored. It has no outstanding architectural features, but it remains impressed on the memory since it stands in an ex- tremely evocative, panoramic position, just behind Valle Albano and facing the elegant pyramid of Monte Legnone, with the Bay of Piona and Pian di Spagna below. The de- scent towards Valle Albano is quite strenuous. It is a wild stretch with little shade, steep pasture land and many little valleys. Once you reach the sizeable village of Piazze, things get easier. A the very beginning of the village (where there is a sign with the place-

64 name) you come to an easy cart track on the right which goes through a magnificent stand of chestnuts and descends to the bridge over the Albano River. You just have to make one last effort to finish the stage. Go back up to Casasco and from here follow the mule track which crosses the carriageway a number of times and ends at the entrance to the village of Garzeno. If you still have the energy, take a short walk round the centre of the village, stopping at the church of Santissimi Pietro e Paolo. According to some records, the church already existed in 1172. It was renovated in both the 15th and 16th centuries. In the interior there are admirable Renaissance frescoes, stuccoes and statues. In the village you will find restaurants and hotels where you can eat and sleep. Oth- erwise, bus number C17 will take you very quickly to the tourist resort of Dongo, on the shores of the Lake.

Church of S. Bernardo

Church of S. Domenico

65 B-Via dei Monti Lariani Stage 06

Church of S. Eusebio in Peglio

66 B.6 - STAGE FROM GARZENO TO PEGLIO – BASIC INFORMATION

LENGTH 25.5 km

TIME AND LEVEL 8 ½ hours approx. – difficulty E OF DIFFICULTY

By car: from Como follow state highway 340 as far as Dongo, then follow the signs for Garzeno. Park at Garzeno REACHING in Piazza della Chiesa THE START POINT By bus: from Dongo ASF bus number C17 (Dongo - Garzeno), FROM COMO Garzeno bus stop in Piazza della Chiesa

By boat: Dongo boat stop (in Via da Rumo)

By bus: from , in Piazzale Chiesa, ASF bus number C18 (Livo - Dongo)

LEAVING THE TRAIL from Peglio, in Piazza IV Novembre, ASF bus number C18 BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT (Livo - Dongo)

By boat: Gravedona boat stop (where you get to from Peglio in ASF bus number C 18)

Bus: www.asfautolinee.it (g Lines and timetables) PUBLIC TRANSPORT Boat: www.navlaghi.it (g Como Lake g Timetable) TIMETABLES All public transport: www.muoversi.regione.lombardia.it

Garzeno, , , , Gravedona, Dosso del Liro, Peglio WHERE TO EAT AND WHERE TO SLEEP N.B.: to eat/sleep in the Rifugi (mountain huts) you are advised to always telephone first to make sure they are open and to check availability

67 Church of S. Anna Garzeno

(Note: we recommend that you take a packed lunch with you on this stage.) Set out from Piazza della Chiesa in Garzeno, and after the fountain you climb up behind the village to a junction clearly identified by a shed for the aqueduct. Cross the meadow on the right and take the path that climbs to the clearing of the Avolo, a rustic area with chalets. You climb above the chalets and follow the path to the small church of Sant’Anna, situated near a fountain and a trattoria. From here you descend along the Garzeno – Rifugio Giovo carriageway, although you leave it very soon, at the first bend, turning off to the left. You quickly reach the chalets of Cagnao. Cross a meadow and follow a path that en- ters a wood toward the mountain, leaving Valle Albano behind you. Go past a radio transmitter and follow the paved mule track and then the cart track downhill leading to Cragno, where on a bend you take the cart track to the left, leaving the mountain and entering the valley but remaining at altitude. Leave the cart track at Stabiè and descend to the houses of Levia. Here you have to follow the asphalt road that connects all the mountains of the Liro Valley for about a kilometre, until you arrive in the vicinity of Nessa. On your right you meet an easy path that goes back up the valley keeping entirely to the woods, and eventually reaches an open area at Agnone (with fountain). A series of ups and downs through hollows and watercourses marks the entry to Valle San Jorio. Entering a rough and wild environment you pass some farms of Lambrosetto and Badalucco and reach the fine stone bridge of Budanghel. You go past a group of chalets, and a gently sloping track in a meadow will take you down through scrub to the fountain of Pianezza. A very easy section begins at this point on a meadow with a succession of picturesque stone chalets. You continue on at altitude in the defile of Val Mangia (with a picnic area). Ford the Val Bragheggio stream and then there is a climb, steep but short, to reach the lower chalets of Piazza. Near the last building you will spot, on the left, a path of wide steps leading to Monte di Vincino and to the Rifugio di Monte di Vincino (note that this is the point where Via dei Monti Lariani intersects with route E which climbs to Bocchetta di Camedo, the Camedo Saddle, also described in this Guide). You however follow the mule track which drops steeply to the Ponte di Vincino bridge over the Liro Stream. If you are interested in follow-

68 ing the route that leads to Switzerland (see trail E) we suggest that you spend the night at the Rifugio Vincino and continue on towards Switzerland the following day. From the bridge you climb up on the opposite side across steep meadows with lonely alpine pastures, and come out onto a gravel road that leads into the carriageway from Dosso del Liro (near Pian delle Castagne). Go down this as far as Carzan, from where a paved mule track leads to Dosso del Liro. If you have time, we recommend a detour to the centre of the village, where you can visit the little Museo del Dialetto, which catalogues, measures and documents the use of dialects in the districts at the top of Lake Como. Here you can find out something about the folklore and culture of the territory you are travelling. Just before the first houses of the village, near a bend in the carriageway, the trail bends off to the left up a path between meadows, and then descends through a chest- nut wood as far as the footbridge across the Ronzone Stream (at the bottom of Val d’Inferno - Hell Valley). Cross the stream and go up the flight of steps on the left which becomes a path leading to Arecc. From here you continue for a long section across the side of the hill until, near the small church of Santa Maria di Gorghiglio, you reach the provincial road connecting Gravedona to Livo. Turn left onto the road and in just a few minutes you will come to Peglio, the end point of this stage. If you wish you can stay in the village. Otherwise, the ASF number C18 bus (from the stop in Piazza IV Novembre) will quickly take you to Gravedona, the village on the lake shore that is the tourist destination with the most places to stay at.

Cabins in Cagnao

69 B-Via dei Monti Lariani Stage 07

Tower of Sorico

70 B-Via dei Monti Lariani Stage 07

Ponte Dangri A section of the path towards the Church of S. Miro in Sorico

B.7 - STAGE FROM PEGLIO TO SORICO – BASIC INFORMATION

LENGTH 26.47 km

TIME AND LEVEL 8 ½ hours approx. – difficulty E OF DIFFICULTY

By car: from Como take state highway 340 as far as Gravedona and then follow the signs for Peglio/Livo. REACHING Park at Peglio in Piazza IV Novembre THE START POINT By bus: from Dongo or Gravedona ASF bus number C18 FROM COMO (Dongo - Livo), Peglio bus stop in Piazza IV Novembre

By boat: Gravedona boat stop, then bus (see above)

LEAVING THE TRAIL By bus: from Livo ASF bus number C18 (Livo - Dongo), Livo BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT bus stop Piazzetta

Bus: www.asfautolinee.it (g Lines and timetables) PUBLIC TRANSPORT Boat: www.navlaghi.it (g Como Lake g Timetable) TIMETABLES All public transport: www.muoversi.regione.lombardia.it

Peglio, Livo, Domaso, , , , Sorico WHERE TO EAT AND WHERE TO SLEEP N.B.: to eat/sleep in the Rifugi (mountain huts) you are advised to always telephone first to make sure they are open and to check availability

71 View from Fordeccia Madonna di Gorghiglio

From Peglio you follow the carriageway in the direction of Livo as far as the little church of Santa Maria di Gorghiglio, an evocative stone oratory dating from the 17th century. Continue on the asphalt road crossing a flat area with a little lake, bordered on the right by the mountain called Sasso Pelo, and you come to Livo, a village which still has a rural feel. The trail takes in the picturesque village streets and comes out on Via San Giacomo, where a short walk takes you past the cemetery and the interesting church of San Giacomo. Rebuilt in the15th century on a pre-existing structure, it boasts a magnificent apse frescoed in the course of the 15th and 16th centuries. The trail continues along a cart track descending gently through some gullies in Valle del Livo. You pass the chalets of Casniolo and near Dangri you reach the characteristic arched stone bridge over the Livo Stream. Cross the bridge and bear right and you reach a turn-off, still to the right, along a level path leading to the interesting rural settlement of Barro. The path now descends steeply down to the bed of the Bares Stream (watch out for landslips sections and remember that fording the river is often very tricky, especially after periods of heavy rain). Once you have crossed, the trail climbs again and enters a small valley. After a short stretch you meet the Caurga waterfall. You cross another stream and a steep climb takes you up to the ridge leading to the houses of Barro di Vercana. Continue climbing in the wood as far as the chalets of Puii from where you enjoy a spec- tacular view over Val di Livo. A level meadow announces that you will soon be entering Trobbio. From the fountain, you go uphill from the village, where the trail continues on the right taking you to Tabbiadello, a wide hill-top overlooking Domaso and Gera Lario, from which you admire the top of Lake Como, Pian di Spagna and the surrounding ring of mountains. Cross over the cart track that leads to Vercana, and near a fountain you take the path (look for the sign) which descends gently to the chalets of Roncai. The trail leads you through a magnificent birch wood along a mule track ascending to Alpe di Acqua Fresca, then crosses some little gullies, and bends towards the deep valley of San Vincenzo. You arrive near a spring, cross the stream, and start climbing again, reaching the abandoned chalet of Masmun and, after a brief section across the side of the moun- tain, the village of Montalto, where you can go into the Rifugio Alpino d’Alco to rest and have a snack (telephone in advance to make sure that it is open). You follow the carriageway going uphill for about 300 m and then take the mule track on the left that crosses some meadows to come out again on the road. From here you descend, first all through meadows and then in a birch wood, towards the deep gully of the Sorico valley. Go across two easy fords at the bottom of the valley, and climb

72 up again along the path that takes you to the pastures of Piazza Lunga. You proceed along the track and then on the path to the left until you come to Fordeccia, situated in a panoramic position (there as an Agriturismo farmstay here with bedrooms and a restaurant - open from March to November, booking essential). After a narrow zigzagging road, you descend through the meadows (trail marker to the right of the road), admiring the massive cliffs of Sasso Manduino. Then, through dense broom, you reach the cart track leading to , and from there to Sass Olt, from where you enyoy a stupendous panorama over Lake Mezzola and Val Chia- venna. The path drops quite steeply towards Sorico, touching a series of places, and after a dense chestnut wood the trail takes you to the clearing of Pozzi where you can observe a curious arch fountain for animals to drink from. The descent continues in the wood as far as Selve. From the fountain in the middle of the village, continue walking downhill, first of all through vineyards and then another wood. Once you are through Corsone continue down until the signpost, where you follow a mule track to the right leading to the panoramic church of San Miro. Inside are preserved the remains of the revered hermit (who died at the end of the 14th century), as well as some fine 14th-century frescoes by De Magistris and a painting on canvas by Fiammenghino. Wide paved steps bring you to Sorico, the final destination of this stage and end point of the long Via dei Monti Lariani. If you are still not tired of walking, take a little tour round the centre of the village, stopping at the church of Santo Stefano, alongside the impressive Romanesque-style bell tower, and then indeed you can rest from the strenuous efforts of the day, perhaps enjoying a dish of some delicious local speciality.

Livo

73 Map of Trail C-Sentiero del Viandante

74 RECREATIONAL TRAIL C SENTIERO DEL VIANDANTE

The Sentiero del Viandante (“Wayfarer’s Path”) follows an ancient mule track along the eastern shore of Lake Como (from Lecco to Colico), offering an alternative access route to that by boat up the lake and to the Via Regina towards Valtellina and the Alpine passes of the Splügen, Septimer and Julier. The path along the eastern shore of the lake has been called by different names through its long history, and has undergone many changes to the route. It connects up a number of different roads and paths that have been created over time (the Via Ducale, Via Regia, Via Napoleona and in some sections Strada del Viandante). In some areas therefore our trail follows the most ancient path. As far as it is possible to reconstruct the old route, it extended at high altitude with a series of connecting branches, on the one side down to the lakeside villages (the places where the supplies brought by travellers were sorted), and various mule tracks and high altitude paths on the other (used by shepherds and coalmen from Valsassina). The route along the mountainsides established a link between the most ancient mountain villages (Castello di Abbadia, Maggiana, Rongio, etc.) and the fortified strongholds along the cliffs of the coast (Torre di Vezio and Castello di ). In some cases, from an average height of 440 m the route rose to 500-600 m and nearly to 1000 m in the section between and Varenna. To learn about the origin of the entire route we must consult the studies by the Larian historian Pietro Pensa, who considers that it goes back to Roman times, even though the route does not have the peculiar features and structure typical of a consular road. To prove the existence of an ancient road called the “Strada della Rivera” (or Lakeside Road), the historian cites a series of archaeological finds in villages along the way, for example an engraved milestone at San Pietro di Ortanella, some tombs in Mandello district, and the ruins at Castelvedro in the Comune of Dervio. At the end of the 14th century, some comune statutes for the parishes of , Dervio and Lecco, did contain references to the existence of “public road” along the coast, used for commercial traffic subject to the payment of duties, and maintained by the comunes it passed through. There is also evidence that it was used by wayfarers and pilgrims in documents that attest the presence along the way of numerous places offering hospitality and refreshment. In Lecco there were five or six, in Mandello three; in Castello di Lierna there was an inn where travellers could stay, while in Varenna, in 1376, the monastery, later transformed into a luxurious abode, had a hospitalis for wayfarers. In the 15th century, a period in which the plague raged through the district, this road was suggested by the Dukes of Milan as an alternative for pilgrims from Bellinzona bound for Rome. From the 17th century onwards, the “Strada della Riviera” or Lake- side Road, gradually grew in importance. The most convincing testimony to this is a report written by the engineer Tolomeo Rinaldi on a roading project that was to leave from the new Forte di Fuentes, built to guard the border with the State of the Leagues of Graubünden, and continue through to Milan. In his report, the engineer stated that it would be quicker and less expensive to make good the road running along the eastern shore of the Lake, which went from Collico down to Dorio, Dervio,

75 Bellano and Lecco, rather than the Strada Regina to the west. In notarial documents of the 18th century (1743, 1757, 1767) the road assumed, for long sections, a new name: Via Regia or Ducale, a descriptive title, given its probable function as the main link road between the northern borders of the Duchy of Milan and Forte di Fuentes. The importance of this road as a link road between Milan and Valtellina climaxed during the Napoleonic era, when important stuctural improvements were made along certain sections (for example the stiff climb between Lierna and Varenna was sup- pressed). According to maps produced between 1800 and 1820, the new improved sections took the name “Strada Napoleona”. The road remained active until the first decades of the 19th century when the military road to the was built by order of the Austrians, a grand carriageway which started from Milan and ascended to the Alpine passes via Lecco and Colico. From that moment on, the old route, known as the “Strada del Viandante”, the Wayfarer’s Road, was practically forgotten as an access road, until its revival in 1992 for tourists. This Guide divides the Sentiero del Viandante into three stages, each taking a day with a 6/7 hour walk. The third stage does not finish with what would be the end point of the historic route, but continues as far as Sorico (in the Province of Como) to ensure connection with other trails.

View of lower Lake Como from a path nearby Dervio

76

77 C-Sentiero del Viandante Stage 01

78 C.1 - STAGE FROM ABBADIA LARIANA TO VARENNA – BASIC INFORMATION

19.27 km by the low path LENGTH 9.59 km by the high path

TIME 7 ¼ hours approx. by the low path – difficulty E AND LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY 8 ¼ hours approx by the high path – difficulty E

By car: from Lecco follow state highway 36 in the direction of Sondrio. Take the exit signed “Mandello - Abbadia Lariana - Varenna”. There is a piazzale with parking about 200 m after you exit the state highway 36 tunnel

REACHING By train: line Milano - Lecco - Sondrio. Get off at Abbadia THE START POINT Lariana station and walk about 400 m along provincial road FROM LECCO 72 in the direction of Lecco

By bus: from Lecco railway station, take the Lecco Trasporti bus for Mandello - Olcio, Abbadia Lariana bus stop in district of Onedo. Walk about 300 m along provincial road 72 in the direction of Lecco

By train: stations at , Olcio, Lierna, Fiumelatte, Varenna

By bus: bus number D20 (Lecco - Olcio), bus stops at Abbadia Lariana, Mandello, Olcio LEAVING THE TRAIL BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT bus number D21 (Bellano - Varenna - - Ortanella), bus stops at Varenna, Ortanella

By boat: boat stops at Abbadia Lariana, Mandello del Lario, Lierna, Varenna (car ferry also available at Varenna)

Train: www.trenord.it, www.trenitalia.it

Bus: www.leccotrasporti.it (g Servizio g Stampa orari linee) PUBLIC TRANSPORT TIMETABLES Boat: www.navlaghi.it (g Como Lake g Timetable)

All public transport: www.muoversi.regione.lombardia.it

WHERE TO EAT Lecco, Abbadia Lariana, Mandello del Lario, Lierna, Varenna AND WHERE TO SLEEP

The trail starts in Abbadia Lariana, along provincial road 72, immediately after the exit from the tunnel coming off state highway 36. A sign with the words “Sentiero del Viandante” near a flight of steps invites you to climb up a hill from where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the lower part of the lake, the bastion of San Martino, and the

79 Way up to Vezio Church of S. Giorgio opposite peaks of Moregallo and the Corni di (“Canzo’s Horns”). In the middle of the clearing is the church of San Martino. The basic plan of the building is very old, as is demonstrated by the one-light window and the gable roof. The presbitery, with cross vaulting, was remodelled in the 15th century. The church contains some interest- ing paintings, among them a Crucifixion with St. Martin and St. Roch, and a Virgin Enthroned. The church had a “Cattaverna” attached to it, i.e. an inn for refreshments in a natural cave used by pilgrims and wayfarers on their passage through. The trail goes past the hamlet of Borbino, consisting of old, ruined buildings on the mountain (if you want to go into the village, we recommend a short walk to the old communal frescoed well, and towards the house of the merchants Bugatti, with a dovecote tower). Continue on the trail to the stone bridge across the Zerbo Stream in its descent into the narrow gorge of Val Monastero. The name of this valley recalls the ancient feudal right over the waters and mines of the region held by the abbey of San Pietro, founded in the 9th century by Benedictine monks, from which the name Abbadia Lariana derives. Along the valley you will see narrow holes in the rocks. These are medieval mining works and hollows to collect the water which from the 15th century on was used to turn the mills. The track straightens again, between vineyards and meadows, as far as the chapel of Santa Maria di Caravaggio, where you meet the road going down to the left towards the town of Abbadia. If you have time we recommend that you make a short detour to see the town (about 1 km). Besides a relaxing walk along the lakeside as far as the Parco del Lido, the Civico Museo Setificio, the Civic Silk Museum, is well worth a visit (for information see www.museoabbadia.it). It has a wealth of machines, among them an enormous twisting-mill of 1818. The church of San Lorenzo is also worth visiting, with its interesting 17th-century wooden altar and frescoes by Luigi Tagliaferri. On the trail itself, once you have passed the chapel, the path widens and opens out into the piazzale in front of the church of San Bartolomeo, an imposing building with an an- cient floor plan but re-styled in the late 17th century, situated on the slopes of Castello Hill. On the hill, originally the centre of the Abbot’s feudal domain, you can see some

80 walls of uncertain date, probably belonging to the village’s ancient feudal palace. You continue on your way, passing under state highway 36 and immediately afterwards turn right across open meadows as far as the hamlet of Novegolo, and then along Via Volta where, on the left you can walk for just a few minutes down to the church of Santa Maria di Debbio, a pretty little church amid cypresses and green firs, from where you can enjoy a fabulous panoramic view over the lake. The trail then leads you past the church of San Giorgio, set on a small scenic parvis sur- rounded by low walls. The church is of very ancient origin, as is demonstrated by the marble holy-water basin of the 9th-10th centuries, although the ground plan as it now stands dates back to the 13th century. Inside there are some marvellous 15th-century frescoes depicting Hell and Paradise, and some Acts of Mercy. From here the old Strada Ducale descends towards the centre of Mandello del Lario, past the Guzzi motorcycle factory that started up in 1921 (part of the factory has today become the Museo Moto Guzzi, the Guzzi Motorbike Museum, where you can see some examples of historic bikes). However, the sign for our trail proposes a different route here, to avoid you having to go through a densely built-up area. The higher route, taking you through Maggiana and Rongio, is decidedly more attractive. So go up the road with steps called Via dei Rastelli, take the bridge across the Superstrada (state highway 36), and follow the path through meadows that comes out onto the road along the Zana cemetery wall. At the junction go left and continue on the asphalt road as far as the hamlet of Maggiana. With its narrow lanes and old houses, Maggiana is very picturesque. Prominent in the village is the Torre del Barbarossa, the Barbarossa Tower, a fortification of medieval origin (12th century). The name attributed to it is explained by the hospitality which the Mandelli family offered to Emperor Frederick I (known as Barbarossa) in 1158. Evidence that the German Emperor was actually here is to be found on a stone (found on the first floor of the Tower in 1828) on which were engraved the words: “Frideric imperat german hic tutus quievit anno 1158” (Frederick German Emperor reposed safely here in the year 1158). The Tower, built of limestone, today houses a Museum which displays the manufactures and peasant artefacts of Maggiana. The trail continues through a woody section (pay attention at the fors) and comes out at the church of San Giacomo in Rongio, which stands in a fine piazza surrounded by old buildings. Keep following the trail downhill, at the end of which a mule track to the right leads to the bridge over the Meria Stream in a picturesque section with water running beneath a rock face. Having crossed the valley bearing the name of the river, you climb back up again to the hamlet of Sonvico where on top of a grassy saddle you come to the 19th-century chapel of Santa Maria Immacolata. The next section offers lots of panoramic views over Olcio. You go past a votive chapel and begin to climb, going alongside the Superstrada towards Lierna. The path leads first to the oratory of San Michele, certainly of ancient origin, although dating in its present form from the 18th century. You then come to the village of Sornico, with picturesque stone mansions with Baroque porches and wooden loggias. You continue on till you come to the Seminario Clarettiano, the Claretian Seminary. At this point the route splits into two branches that meet up again at the (Vezio Castle) above Varenna. It is up to you which track to choose. The one that goes to the right ascends to Genico and Ortanella (991); it is certainly the more challenging route, but if it is a fine, clear day, it offers thrilling panoramic views over the lake. The other

81 route, branching to the left, goes through the village of Liera and along the shore of the lake; you are here following the route of the Via Ducale, made in the Napoleonic period as an alternative to the more ancient route higher up.

HIGH ROUTE: GENICO – ORTANELLA – VEZIO Near the open space in front of the ex-Claretian Seminary, take the road on the right that after a short stretch enters the picturesque village of Genico, with some old 18th-century houses and a curious fountain with a sundial. Use the underpass to cross the Superstra- da and you then begin a challenging ascent up broad steps arriving eventually at the Brentalone Cross. This is a good place to stop for a few minutes to get your breath back, while admiring the splendid panoramic view over the whole lake. The path becomes easier again. You cross Alpe Mezzedo and come to the church of San Pietro. On the Piano di San Pietro you reach the highest point of the entire route (992 m), with one of the best panoramas of the entire Sentiero del Viandante. The church is of early-medieval origin, almost wholly rebuilt in Romanesque style. It is surrounded by some benches and tables where you can stop and have a snack, surrounded by the gorgeous countryside (don’t worry if you haven’t brought a packed lunch; just a few hundred metres away, in Ortanella, you’ll find a convenient hotel with restaurant). Now that you’re revived, you’re ready to tackle the last section, which first of all leads you downhill to Vezio. Go through the small village of Ortanella (with its characteristic Stagno del Pozzal, or Pozzal Pond) and continue along the slopes of Monte Fopp towards an isolated group of farm buildings (Alpe dei Fopp) and then Sass da Poo, a rocky cliff at the top of which there are the remains of a look-out tower that was used to control incursions by enemies. The ridge keeps getting narrower in the direction of the point of Varenna and reaches the Fopp Cross, where you get a magnificent view over Vezio. One last push and you arrive at the Castello di Vezio. The picturesque castle is a typical example of a walled castle, consisting of an independent central tower surrounded by a ring of walls on which there are some smaller towers. Its origin is not clear. Some authors date it back to the Romans who probably built a tower to control the banks of the lake. It certainly existed in the Late Middle Ages, a period in which the castle functioned not only as a lookout and signal point, but also as a refuge for the population of Varenna during attacks from the armed forces of Como. After this the castle became the property of the parish of Varenna, then of the Counts Sfrondati and then of the Serbelloni, who maintained it up to the 19th century, when the present owners, the Greppi Di Robilant family took possession. Ever since 1994 the building has been managed by the Vezio Castle Tourist Association. Inside there is a permanent exhibition devoted to the Lariosaurus, a medium-sized reptile that lived in these regions during the Middle Triassic period (as some finds at prove), and to exhibitions of falconry run by the Centre for the care and training of birds of prey (for information go to www.castellodivezio.it). Once you have visited the small village of Vezio, descend to Varenna. We recommend that you devote the rest of the day to visiting this little town (see further on for details). Varenna is one of the jewels of Lake Como, and not to be missed, with its memorable old centre and luxurious 19th-century villas. Here you will find a wide selection of places where you can eat and spend the night.

82 Mandello Lario Lierna

LOW ROUTE: LIERNA – FIUMELATTE – VEZIO From the old Claretian Seminary, follow the road to the left that descends towards Lierna railway station (near which you can find a shop selling food, while in the village itself you will find a number of restaurants). The “classic” route would continue towards Giussana, but we suggest a detour that will take you to the entrance to the picturesque Borgo di Castello. Explore the labyrinth of alleyways, and revel in this “glimpse of the Middle Ages”. Of the old borgo there remain the walls towards the lake, the square base of a watchtower which was fought over in the war between Milan and Como in 1124, and the little church of Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro. The original building dates back to the 11th century, and the present building preserves some of the old walled-in windows, a part of the left side, and, in the interior, remains of frescoes. To get there, turn to the right straight after the station underpass, and go along the fairly level Via Ducale, which narrows to become a lane. Go to the end where you will come to the state highway near the beach of Riva Bianca. To join up with the official path, turn right onto the provincial road and, soon after, near a pedestrian crossing, take the mule track with terraced steps which will take you up to Ronco (trail sign on the wall). At this point, the long and beautiful climb to Coira begins. The mule track becomes a path which takes you to Cascina di Nero, preceded by a small chapel. In the mead- ows surrounding the chapel you will surely notice a large red fir, 30 m tall and called “Nero’s pine”. Follow the steep climb going round the slopes of Sasso della Botte and through clearings and woods you will gain the terrace of Coira, where a fountain awaits you (although in summer it may be dry), and a fine cottage. Here you will find a junction and a signpost pointing the way. The path continues to the left, crossing the deep Vacchera valley, and descends to the ruins of the chalets of Rosina. Go through the wood and then you have to do a section, luckily quite short, that goes along state highway 36. You go back among the trees and continue along the hillside as far as the little valey from which the Fiumelatte (“Milk River”) gushes (you can glimpse it from above, but if you go down to the left at the next fork you get down to the famous spring

83 with its intermittent bursts of water). Mentioned as “Fiumelaccio” by Leonardo da Vinci in the Codex Atlanticus, it is just 250 metres long from source to mouth and is one of the shortest rivers in Europe and the second shortest in Italy. The riverbed is so steep that it never allows the water to settle, but keeps it foaming the whole time, justifying the name given to the little stream from time immemorial. There is not far to go to the end of the stage. The path leads you to the remains of an old Baluardo (fortress), reminding us of a fortification erected here by the Sforza family during the Venetian wars; it then comes out alongside the Varenna cemetery. Walk down the road as far as a junction, with a signpost and arrows pointing the way. Go right, uphill, still on asphalt as far as a flight of steps that becomes a panoramic path between olives and dry-stone walls. There awaits you one last steep but short climb to bring you to the Castello di Vezio. The castle is the end point of the stage (see a description of the interior of the Castle at the end of the preceding description of the High Route option). Once you have visited the small village of Vezio, descend to Varenna. We recommend that you devote the rest of the day to visiting Varenna with its picturesque old centre and villas. Here you will find a wide selection of places where you can eat and spend the night.

NOT-TO-BE-MISSED IN VARENNA The entire town, compact and easy to get around, is worth exploring. Besides the area of the jetty and lakeside, you will be entranced by the narrow little streets – the “scalotte” as they are called locally, the vaulted passage-ways and the steep terraced steps that are part of the charm of the place. If you have time, we recommend the following places as well that are worth a visit. The church of San Giorgio. Dating back to the 14th century, it was restored in the 1950s. On the façade there is an old 13-century picture of St. Christopher, and, inside, late-Romanesque and 15th-century frescoes, outstanding among which is a Baptism of Christ by Sigismondo De Magistris on the wall of the last bay, and, over the main altar, a polyptych of the Virgin and Saints by Giovanni Pietro Brantani. The church of San Giovanni Battista. The church stands isolated in the main square. According to an inscription of 1750, it was extended in 1151 and consecrated in 1431. The restoration work carried out in 1964-67 uncovered some frescoes in the nave, probably painted in the 14th century. The church preserves a rare arcosolium (a round-arched recess used for an entombment) which, together with the single nave with apse, but without aisles, recalls its Romanesque origin. The interesting frescoes in the apse probably date from the 16th century. Villa Monastero. “Monastery Villa” is an ancient convent and patrician residence that today is an internationally recognised convention centre. The garden is rich in exotic plants, with statues, little temples, and balustrades. The name of the villa derives from the ancient monastery of Santa Maria, which belonged to the Cistercian order and in all probability was founded before 1200. The monastery was suppressed by order of Cardinal Federico Borromeo and was transformed into a private residence. The villa and its park, with botanical species that are both local and exotic, can be visited (for information and opening days/hours see www.villamonastero.eu).

84 Varenna 85 C-Sentiero del Viandante Stage 02

86 C.2 - STAGE FROM VARENNA TO DORIO – BASIC INFORMATION

LENGTH 13.90 km

TIME AND LEVEL 5 hours approx. – difficulty T OF DIFFICULTY

By car: from Lecco follow state highway 36 in the direction of Sondrio. Take the “Mandello-Abbadia Lariana-Varenna” exit onto provincial road 72. Continue for 15 km approx. Park in Varenna or on the road to Vezio REACHING THE START POINT By train: regional line Milano - Lecco - Sondrio. Get off at Varenna station. Walk along Via Corrado Venini and Via FROM LECCO Roma, and follow the signs of the “Sentiero del Viandante” towards Vezio

By bus: Lecco Trasporti bus number D21 leaving from Bellano. Get off at the bus stop for Varenna railway station

By train: stations at Varenna, Bellano, Dervio, Dorio

By bus: bus number D21 (Bellano - Varenna - Esino - Ortanella), bus stops at Varenna and Bellano LEAVING THE TRAIL BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT bus number D25 (Bellano - - Avano), bus stops at Bellano, Dervio, Dorio

By boat: boat stops at Varenna (also a car ferry service) and Bellano

Train: www.trenord.it, www.trenitalia.it

Bus: www.leccotrasporti.it (g Servizio g Stampa orari linee) PUBLIC TRANSPORT TIMETABLES Boat: www.navlaghi.it (g Como Lake g Timetable)

All public transport: www.muoversi.regione.lombardia.it

WHERE TO EAT Varenna, Perledo, Bellano, Dervio, Dorio AND WHERE TO SLEEP

The trail starts from the centre of Vezio (Piazza Belvedere), a village up hillside from Varenna, noted for the Vezio Castle (see the description in Stage 01, High Route). A trail sign indicates the way. The first stretch descends fairly steeply to the Esino Stream, from which you climb up again to meet the road. Turn left and after just a few metres there is a short flight of steps to the right that will take you to the rustic chapel of Santa Maria di Campallo. The trail continues through meadows and terraces to the houses of Regolo

87 Tower of the Castello di Dervio Dorio

where in a little piazza you come to the small church of San Giovanni Battista. A narrow lane takes you to provincial road 65 for Perledo. There is a brief downhill section and then you take Via Cava Bassa on the right, along which you see Varenna’s Cava Bassa (Low Quarry) with its typical black marble, in operation at the time of Maria Theresa of Austria. The road goes uphill for a short while till you turn off to the left along a mule track that reaches the Regoledo road just by a little 18th-century church. Immediately to the left of the church you can take a detour. If you have time, we recommend you to descend following the signs along a path with steps that brings you to the parish church of Gittana and to the small sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie, set near a look-out point with a panoramic view. The building is in a state of abandonment. It was rebuilt between 1620 and 1630, and has stucco work and frescoes, as well as the tomb of the writer Paolo Emilio Busi known as “il Parlaschino” since his family came from . Bricked into the front is a 13th-century relief belonging to the old Romanesque building, which an inscription says is a votive offering of Queen Theodelinda. From here you can go back up to the mule track by a short stretch of road taking you round the cemetery. If you choose not to make this detour, ignore the signs for the Sentiero del Viandante, and instead turn left downhill to the asphalt road as far as a junction. Cross the road and take the mule track into the wood which joins up with the track from the sanc- tuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie. The trail comes to a sort of trench cutting across the mountain. This is where the old funicular railway used to pass, linking the Lecco - Sondrio railway line to Regoledo, and in particular to a hydrotherapy centre set up in 1858. The large complex had illustrious visitors such as Massimo D’Azeglio and Toscanini. It is still visible at the top of the clearing, and was later used as a military hospital. The path continues up and down for a good while until you get to the small bridge going across the Valletta di Biosio, and then to the solitary chapel of Santa Maria Addolorata. You are now on the outskirts of Bellano, and very soon there awaits you an unforgettable natural phenomenon. Go across the provincial road and follow the little paved road that comes into the shadow of houses and walls, arriving at the Ponte di San Rocco bridge over the Stream and the church of San Rocco be- side it. The church has some fine modern paintings on canvas by Vitali, and ever since

88 1969 it has been set up as a Shrine for the Fallen. Our recommendation here is that you temporarily leave the trail, and and go down the steps that lead into the centre of Bellano. A few steps will take you to the entrance to the Orrido di Bellano, the Bellano Gorge, a natural ravine created by the Pioverna River, whose waters have dug into the rock over the course of centuries. The place is unique and absolutely deserves a brief visit (open every day from April to September, but only on Saturday, Sunday and holidays from October to March). A concrete walkway allows you to pass among the rockwalls and admire the thundering waters of the Pioverna from above. On a spur there is a sort of little tower, the Cà del Diavol, that evoke powerful imaginary fears that are esoteric in origin, making the mysterious fascination of the place almost pal- pable. For some years now an exhibition of life-size dinosaurs has been set up in the Gorge. In front of the Gorge there stands the church of Santi Nazaro e Celso. Late-Ro- manesque in style, it has a façade with white and black bands with round-arched portals and a large rose window in enamelled terracotta. It was refurbished between 1342 and 1350, but some palaeo-christian parts are still visible. The interior has some remarkable frescoes in the central vault, two large sculpted wooden confessionals, and a rich marble baptismal font. When you are back at the Ponte di San Rocco, you have to make a steep climb up some steps. This brings you to the hamlet of Ombriaco. At the wash house go to the left, taking the path that after a short stretch arrives at the road to the sanctuary of Lezzeno. It stands in a splendid position overlooking the lake (surrounded by a lawn which could be an excellent place to take a rest). Constructed at the end of the 17th century to celebrate a chalk effigy miraculously weeping in 1688, it is today a pilgrim destination. From the piazza in front of the sanctuary, it only takes you a few minutes to reach the Cappella del miracolo, the Chapel of the Miracle (with a reproduction of the miraculous weeping plaster), built in 1888 on the occasion of the second centenary of the event. After a short section in the old village itself, you continue on the paved way through wooded scrub and across hillsides. You go through a succession of small valleys (among them Valle dei Mulini), and come to a junction in the vicinity of Oro, where it is preferable to go to the left down the paved flight of steps until you meet the road. Here you turn right and continue on the asphalt for a few hundred metres until you again pick up the signs for the trail. Alternatively (if you don’t take the steps down) you can contin- ue for a few dozen metres and take a path on the left that descends through farmhouses and also brings you out onto the asphalt road, a little further on. At the hamlet of Oro (a place noted in the past for the production of raisin wine) you find the church of San Gottardo (fittingly, since St. Gotthard is the patron saint of wayfarers). The church was built between 1569 and 1579. You arrive at Verginate and turn off the road back onto a path through the shady Valle Grande and the ledges of the Ronchi (artificial terracing of the slope). Before you there is a splendid panorama over Dervio. The trail descends into the valley and meets the old national road at the rail bridge and the Crotto del Céch (Céch Cave). Continue along Via Duca d’Aosta and enter the village, where you can stop and have refreshments if you have not already done so. Before crossing the bridge over the Varrone Stream, remark the church of Santi Quirico e Giulitta, a building 17th-century flourishes which sets off the fine Romanesque bell tower. Once you are across the stream, the trail bends to the right and takes you along the road to the foot of an attractive flight of steps set between high boundary walls,

89 which makes straight for the village of Castello. Positioned on a cliff dominating the vil- lage, the Castello di Orezia (Orezia being the name of the local lords in olden times) was built in the Late Middle Ages to block the Valvarrone road. The first mention of the Castle goes back to 1039, when it withstood a long siege by the armies of the Three Larian Parishes. It is now a well-preserved embattled tower (used as a water cistern), flanked by remains of ancient houses and the old church of San Leonardo, refurbished in Baroque style, but already existing in the 13th century. Leave the Castle behind and you come out again onto the asphalt road, which leads to the remains of the monastery of San Clemente, a rustic building constructed at the end of the 13th century as a dwelling for the monastic order of “the Humbled Ones”. The Order was set up in northern Italy in the 12th century after the Emperor of Germany, Henry II, during his long struggle with the Lombards, made numerous nobles from Milan and Como prisoners and took them over the Alps as hostages. These nobles, finding themselves lost in foreign lands, decided to repent and repudiate their riches, and to dedicate themselves to the production of wool. The Emperor, moved by their decision, decided to free them and send them back to their homeland, where they founded a new monastic order called the “Umiliati”. The monks of the San Clemente Monastary used to provide lodging for pilgrims and wayfarers. Among the adepts of the Monastery it seems there was also a noblewoman, Isotta Serbelloni, a lady apparently very voluble but strong of character, capable of having her lovers thrown off a cliff when she had had enough of them. The Order was abolished by Pope Pius V in 1571 with the accusation that the monks had betrayed their ideals by accumulating vast wealth. Just a little further on you arrive at a turn-off where there is a tunnel. Here you proceed on the asphalt, keeping to the left (trail sign) still along the road that first descends and then rises gently again running alongside the state highway 36. You then resume walking among meadows in sight of some chalets, as the path leads you between two low dry-stone walls on a gravel and then cobbled path that leads you to the evoc- ative village of Corenno Plinio, which really does invite you to dive into the Middle Ages. The borgo extends around the castle and the church, both situated on top of the promontory. Around and about are the ancient houses with porticoes and orna- mentation that combine to create a wonderful atmosphere. The principle turret of the Castello was erected in the 10th century, on the remains of an ancient citadel. The battlemented walls with two watchtowers were built in the 14th century at the wish of the Andreani family. The castle was not meant to be lived in but was intended as a fortress in defence of the population, and it had to withstand numerous attacks, especially in the 14th century, when the part of Corenno towards the lake was burned and destroyed. The fortress also had an external ditch, mentioned in the Statute of the Comune of Dervio in 1389, which was eliminated between 1825 and 1830 when the military road was created (today’s provincial road 72). Our trail begins again a little further on, across the road on the opposite side to the Castle, and turns onto a mule track that crosses the small hamlet of Torchiedo. It continues along Via Panico as far as the village of Panico itself, and after you have forded a small stream you come to the church of San Giorgio, the first parish church of Dorio, dating back to 1506. At this point we recommend you take the road down into the centre of Dorio, and end the stage here. The Sentiero continues with a long climb that is quite taxing, and the next village, Colico, is still 10 km away.

90 San Giorgio 91 C-Sentiero del Viandante Stage 03

92 Monte Legnone C-Sentiero del Viandante C.3 - STAGE FROM DORIO TO SORICO – BASIC INFORMATION Stage 03 LENGTH 26.25 km

TIME AND LEVEL 8 ¾ hours approx. – difficulty E OF DIFFICULTY

By car: from Lecco follow state highway 36 in the direction of Sondrio. Take the “Colico - Piona” exit onto provincial road 72. Continue for about 5 km heading south in the direction of Dorio-Dervio-Bellano. Park in Dorio in Via al Cimitero REACHING THE START POINT By train: regional line Milano - Lecco - Sondrio, get off at FROM LECCO Dorio station

By bus: Lecco Trasporti bus number D25 Bellano - Tremenico - Avano. Get off at Dorio at the Monumento ai Caduti [Monument to the Fallen] bus stop

By train: stations at Dorio, Piona, Colico,

LEAVING THE TRAIL By bus: ASF bus number C10 (Como-Menaggio-Colico), bus BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT stops at Colico, Dubino, Sorico

By boat: boat stops at Dorio, Colico

Train: www.trenord.it, www.trenitalia.it

Bus: www.leccotrasporti.it (g Servizio g Stampa orari linee) PUBLIC TRANSPORT www.asfautolinee.it (g Lines and timetables) TIMETABLES Boat: www.navlaghi.it (g Como Lake g Timetable)

All public transport: www.muoversi.regione.lombardia.it

WHERE TO EAT Dorio, Colico, Sorico AND WHERE TO SLEEP

The trail begins behind the church of San Giorgio, and soon leads to the hamlet of Mandonico, which has rustic houses built in rough local stone. Here you proceed over a section of fairly level ground (ignore the path up to the left that goes to Madonna di Bondo) and climb up the mule track which is hard going though picturesque (the track was remade with the techniques of a hundred years ago), and which takes you to the chapel of San Rocco. The chapel was reconstructed in 1856 as an ex-voto offering for a cholera epidemic. It looks out over the lake on the edge of a piazza that has been turned into a lookout point towards the Ronchi di Vesgallo below, with a fountain and benches where you might like to linger. The Sentiero continues with stretches of terraced

93 Path to Perdonasco San Rocco steps and other sections that are tracks, still climbing through woods and clearings. Once you have completed a long traverse of Monte Perdonasco and Monte Sparese, you reach the isolated church of Santa Maria dei Monti. The little church – still in the Comune of Dorio, despite the fact that it looks out over the plain of Colico – was built precisely in order to allow mountaineers to honour the feast day without being obliged to walk off to the distant parish of Dorio. A little further on, the path meets the concrete road which goes down through the middle of a chestnut wood to Posallo (from here you can descend to the railway station of Piona). At the end of the wood and an enclosure, a signpost indicates the turn-off to the right along a path that continues along the side of the mountain, crosses a footbridge over the Rio Perlino stream, and comes to the church of San Rocco. The church is ancient in origin, as you can see from the apse in Roman- esque style, and preserves some very beautiful traces of paintings that can be dated to the 15th century (in particular the Christ in an almond-shaped aureola, or Christ Pantocrator, with the prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah beside him). It is not far now to the end of the Sentiero del Viandante. Before tackling the last section, you might like to stop for a while on the stone benches in front of the little church. After a last section of mule track, you then continue for a good while on the asphalt road going downhill. Once you have reached the refreshment point at Robustello, we recommend a short but very satisfying detour. By following a path on the right, it will only take you a few minutes to get to the Torre di Fontanedo and the picturesque little houses around it (an ancient fortified borgo, with ovens, stables, barns, a well and a chapel). The Tower was built in the 14th century by the Viscontis to protect the territory from enemy incursions and to safeguard Via della Scalottola, an important access route that passed at the bottom of the spur and led from Lecco to Valtellina. The main route continues on the asphalt road that runs, as before, alongside the wooded shoulder and then reaches a three-way junction. To the left you would go towards the station and the centre of Colico, while continuing on to the right you reach the hamlet of Chiaro. Once you have passed Chiarello you arrive at Curcio along Via Strada Granda. Bearing right into Via Biasett you go right, past the Torretta, a rough and picturesque agricultural building with a barbican which is a reminder of its original function as a fortress. You have now reached the end of the Sentiero del Viandante. As you walk along the paving stones you are leaving the

94 and entering the Comune of in the Province of Sondrio. The end point of the trail is the church of Santa Maria di Valpozzo, a building in 19th-century style, with a massive bell tower, standing next to a monument to martyrs of the Resistance (which was involved in many significant actions in this area). Here, as we have said, the Sentiero del Viandante ends – but not your walk. You still have ten or so kilometres to go to complete the stage, but don’t worry, the routes is simple and all of it on the plain. Head for the centre of Colico and, if you have not already done so, take advantage of the numerous bars and restaurants in the village to take some refreshment. Follow Via Colico and Via al Confine to where it joins pro- vincial road 72 (Via Nazionale Nord). Turn left and proceed along the large road to reach the centre of Colico, a particularly active tourist centre and well equipped for all the typical lake sports (centres and beaches with services for windsurfing, kitesurf- ing, etc.). After just a short section however our trail turns off to the right along Via ai Forti di Fuentes, which ends at the railway line with no way across. You therefore have to turn to the left along Via al Monteggiolo. Follow this as far as the junction with the road to the right that takes you onto the over-bridge and allows you to cross the railway line. Then turn left, walking now among meadows and fields, and you come onto the road that leads to Forte di Fuentes. We warmly reccomend a brief detour from the trail, to reach a hill with the remains of the ancient fortress. It is a very evocative sight. Built in 1603 to defend the Duchy of Milan from its Graubünden enemies, the fort owes its name to the Spanish condottiere Pedro Enriques de Acevedo, Count of Fuentes. It was constructed in record time by the military engineer Gabrio Brusca, and nobody ever dared attack it until 1706, when the defenders forced the invaders to surrender. The Fort was then dismantled in 1796, by order of Napoleon Bonaparte. The route veers to the left along Via Adda until it reaches the cycle track that for a short stretch goes alongside the Adda River. When you arrive at the over-bridge, go up right (signpost) and for some metres follow the state highway 36. Don’t worry, the

Madonna di Valpozzo Natural Reserve of Pian di Spagna e Lago di Mezzola

95 View southwards nearby the Church of San Rocco above Dorio

trail immediately heads off down to the left, and enters the natural reserve of Pian di Spagna e Lago di Mezzola. This is a wetland of international interest, mainly formed by an extensive overflow from Lake Mezzola. The vegetation is dominated by beds of reeds, stands of a variety of broad-leaved trees, and wide agricultural areas devoted to pastures and plots of maize. Recognised as a nature reserve in 1983, Pian di Spagna lies in the migration corridor of the Splügen Pass, one of the easiest crossings for birds in the whole arc of the Alps. During the winter season the reserve welcomes various species of birds that can be admired from the numerous observation points on the nature trails that wind through the wetland. When you are across, walk along the bank or on the path – which becomes a gravel road – until it passes a yard. Turn right here, following the Percorso Naturalistico Sud (Southern Nature Trail, marked with signs), enjoying the views of nature along the way, until you come to Fortino d’Adda, the little Adda Fort. Here you meet the road again, which turns left and brings you to a bridge, the Ponte del Passo which crosses the Mera River. You are now in the Province of Como, on the Via Regina, one of the historic commercial roads of the Como arm of the Lake (carrying a particularly heavy load of traffic nowadays since it is the only road that all the villages along the shoreline) and used by our trails too. The trail to Sorico winds along the cycle and pedestrian track dubbed “Nuovi Orizzonti” (New Horizon) which follows a long stretch of the Mera River and offers picturesque rest areas with panoramic views. All you do now is cross a last footbridge over the Sorico Stream, and here we are in the centre of the village (at Piazza Cesare Battisti), the end point of this stage.

96 RECREATIONAL TRAIL D VIA FRANCISCA

According to various historical records and academic studies, it would seem that Via Fran- cisca also has very ancient origins and that, over the course of centuries, it has undergone alterations both in the route it has followed and the name by which it has been called. Its history is closely linked to that of the Via Regina, the road of Roman origin that from Como went up to Sorico and then continued on to Chiavenna. The stretch of the Via Francisca, although it existed, did not have its own name since it was a natural contin- uation of the main route. The Via Regina continued northwards from Sorico, entered Valchiavenna in the districts of Dascio and Albonico and, passing a mountain that in those times was called Monte della Francesca, went through Brentaletto and Alpe di Teolo, continuing on to Samolaco. According to some documents of Roman times, this road had another one running parallel to it on the eastern side of Lake Mezzola and the Adda River, also leading to Chiavenna (this other road was called the “Strada dei Cavalli”, the Road of the Horses). The two options were equally valid as a trade route from the Italian peninsula to the countries of northern Europe through the Alpine passes, although it must be said that most of the traffic went across the lake. During the Early Middle Ages, the great access routes built by the Romans, among them the Via Regina to Valchiavenna, were set aside and fell into disuse. In all probability, the Roman track of today’s Via Francisca was destroyed during the wars between the and Lombards in the first decades of the 7th century (there are indeed records showing that Ghedin, the general of the Frankish King Childeberto II, went through these areas to go onto the Isola Comacina to protect the Byzantines from attack by the Lombards). The route came back into use when commercial traffic revived, and received a new name during the 13th century, Via Francisca, the name it is still known by. At that time there were many roads over the Alps baptised with this same name (in ancient French, “franchir” meant to cross or go over, and “franchissement” signified passage or crossing), for example the San Bernardo road by which descended into Italy in 774 A.D., or the road that ran through Valle Mesolcina. According to tradition, Barbarossa travelled the Via Francisca as he sought refuge in the Colombée Tower of Samolaco during one of his descents into Italy (it is thought that he passed through this area from Chiavenna a number of times. He did in fact have a dear friend, Gilberto Grasso, who offered him hospitality, guaranteeing safe passage through the Splügen and Septimer Passes. It was in Chiavenna that Barbarossa appar- ently met his rival cousin Henry the Lion shortly before the Battle of Legnano in 1176). An historical document records that in 1254 the Comune of Chiavenna, in agreement with the Comune of Sorico, undertook to make a general repair of the road, construct- ing two bridges, one over the Liro, between Chiavenna and Mese, and one perhaps over the Mengasca at San Pietro di Samolaco. For a long time the road remained a vital arterial road also for the strategic defence of the valley. In 1323 the defences of the Castle of Samolaco were reinforced, and a few years later the Comune of Como funded some repair works, still visible north of the church of San Fidelino, not far north of Teolo. In 1483 the road was used by the

97 Map of Trail D-Via Francisca

98 Graubünden soldiers aiming to invade the territory of the Three Parishes of Alto Lario; and in 1525 the Graubünden once again, in strife with Giangiacomo Medici called “il Meneghino” (the Milanese), destroyed the castle of Sant’Andrea (in Samolaco) to prevent him using the Forcola Pass as a connecting route between his possessions of Valle Mesolcina and those of Musso Gravedona and Sorico. With the consolidation of the domination by the Graubünden, Via Francisca was once again reduced to having a minor role, almost exclusively at local level, used by the inhabitants of Albonico and Samolaco and the raisers of livestock around the lake, who transferred their animals up to the Alpine pastures of the Splügen Valley. In that period, the Samolaco plain was often difficult to cross because of the unpredictable course of the Mera River, which washed away many sections. Thus, the passage along Via Francisca over Boggia Stream bridge, a point controlled by the tower named Torre di Segname, became very important. Between 1620 and 1640, during the Spanish domination and the wars for control of Valtellina, Via Francisca returned to prominence, and the Spanish themselves con- sidered it necessary to fortify the Francisca Pass to defend themselves against enemy attack (there were clashes, some bloody, some less so, along Via Francisca, for exam- ple in the contest for control of the area around the Archetto in Samolaco, the frontier point between the State of Milan and the dominions of the Graubünden). During the First World War too the Francesca Pass once again became the scene of military fortifications, when Italy feared an invasion through Switzerland or, more probably, a break-through via the Stelvio. In our days, the old road retains its ancestral fascination, where the remains of human endeavour combine with the wonders of nature.

Lake Novate from Dascio 99 D-Via Francisca Stage 01

100 San Fedelino

D.1 - STAGE FROM SORICO TO SAMOLACO – BASIC INFORMATION

LENGTH 13.70 km

TIME AND LEVEL 5 hours approx – difficulty T OF DIFFICULTY

By car: from both Como and Colico follow state highway 36 REACHING to Sorico. Park at Sorico in Piazza Cesare Battisti THE START POINT FROM By bus: from both Como and Colico ASF bus number C 10, COMO / COLICO Sorico bus stop in Piazza Cesare Battisti

By bus: ASF bus number C10 (Como - Colico), Dubino bus stop Ponte del Passo LEAVING THE TRAIL SPTS bus number A3 (Chiavenna - Gordona - Samolaco), Casenda BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT bus stop

By train: Samolaco train station

Train: www.trenord.it, www.trenitalia.it

Bus: www.asfautolinee.it (g Lines and timetables) PUBLIC TRANSPORT TIMETABLES www.stps.it (g Timetable)

All public transport: www.muoversi.regione.lombardia.it

WHERE TO EAT Sorico, Dubino, Dascio, Albonico, , , AND WHERE TO SLEEP Samolaco

101 Pian di Spagna and Legnone

The trail begins at Sorico in Piazza Cesare Battisti in front of the Town Hall. As you go out of the Piazza, cross the road and follow the red asphalt walkway that runs paral- lel to the state highway. When you come to a little bridge over Sorico Stream, turn left onto a cobbled stretch of the old Via Regina. Continue along this road, going over another small footbridge, until you come to a restored tower, Sorico’s Torre Nuova. We don’t know the exact date when it was built, but historians agree that it was used in the past as a check point or a place where customs duties were collected on the old Via Regina. The trail continues on a mule track and then, after going about 700 m uphill, joins the asphalt road (Via Palate) leading to Albonico. As an alternative, it is possible to go to the left of Torre Nuova up a long paved flight of steps leading to the church of San Miro. Go round the church, and continue on while enjoying a fine view over the lake and Mera until you rejoin the trail on the road near the houses of Masina. Go left on asphalt road that winds up to houses of Masina where you might like to catch your breath. Now there is a fairly level section, followed by a descent that brings you to Prati Meriggi. A strange electric tower-cum-cabin is your reference point for turning right. After a few dozen metres you abandon the asphalt road to take the mule track that goes downhill, indicated with a small wooden sign that says “Sentiero del Giubileo 2000”, the path commemorating the Papal Jubilee of 2000. The mule track enters the wood on the descent for a long stretch until it comes out, after about one and a half kilometres, at the entrance to the village of Dascio, on the bend of Via Bruga. At the stop sign continue uphill to the left. The asphalt road continues on for a little while and ends after a small watercourse. Here another stretch of mule track begins, heading away form the village taking you to Sasso di Dascio, a wonderful rocky spur offering a splendid panoramic view over Pian di Spagna. The benches and fountain certainly invite you to enjoy a brief stop. Some illustrative panels help explain the his- tory of the place, while a little chapel built by the Brigade complete the setting. After you leave Dascio behind, follow the sign for the “Sentiero Life Alpi Retiche” (Life Path of the Rhaetian Alps): when you come to a junction, turn right going gently downhill until you reach the “Borzi houses”. Go through the clearing, and the road narrows and becomes a path. A section through the rocks leads you into the narrow

102 valley of the Acqua Bianca Stream, where you use the picturesque bridge, the Ponte delle Valene, to cross. Once across, climb up a steep section that, after a tight bend to the left, leads to the remains of some old houses. At the junction the track bends to the right, going gently downhill, then continues on level ground between ruins of old cottages. After the pylons for the electricity and tele- phone wires you go through some dense vegetation and descend between dry-stone walls. A further steep descent leads you to the Acqua Marcia Stream, which you cross on a wooden bridge. By climbing a series of steps you reach a plateau. From here you continue climbing between the remains of some old quarries (there are lots of half-worked blocks of granite along the road), and arrive at Dosso del Brentaletto, the summit of the Bren- taletto, the highest point of the route. Some concrete steps mark the beginning of the descent that zigzags down until it reaches a crossing with a signpost indicating “Percorso storico della via Francisca” (Historic Via Francisca Trail)”. The next stretch, which passes alongside a rocky ridge with some exposed sections, has to be nego- tiated with care. You soon reach the “Scalone”, a flight of steps connecting the trail to the path parallel to the Mera River), and you turn right in the direction of the little church of San Fedelino, which you reach after 15 minutes walking, going up the last spur of rock with some iron steps. The church is a little jewel of Romanesque archi- tecture set in an atmospheric natural setting on the shore of Lago di Mezzola (which can be reached across the lake from Sorico, from Dascio and from Novate Mezzola). The small oratory was built on the place where the relics of Fidelis were found. He was a soldier devoted to the Roman Emperor Maximian who then was converted to Christianity and martyred around 303 A.D. Over the centuries the church has had to put up with quite a few indignities: the Spaniards turned it into a little fort, then it was used as a shelter for animals, and in more recent times it was used as a storehouse and kitchen by the stonemasons in the nearby granite quarry. In 1905 however the church of San Fedelino was acquired by the parish of Novate Mezzola, which

San Fedelino Mera River

103 arranged for the first restoration work to be done. The interior was once completely frescoed: there remain the paintings in the apse with Christ Pantocrator flanked by two adoring angels (11th century). In the immediate vicinity you find the picturesque little beach of Mòt di Béch with a small harbour for the boats that arrive here from the other side of the lake. After enjoying a relaxing stop with a great view, keep going on the path that passes high above the Mera River and you reach the flight of steps going up to Alpe di Teolo in the Pradella district (before the route via the low path, the track through Alpe di Teo- lo was the only one to get to San Fedelino: it now retraces the ancient route of the Via Regina as far as Teolo). Follow straight along the path, first crossing the “Della Franc- esca” track and then Valle della Porta. This valley, the present-day border between the Provinces of Sondrio and Como, was also, until 1797, the political and customs border between Swiss Graubünden and the Duchy of Milan (on the left you can in fact still see the ruins of some old buildings). At this point the trail leaves the Mera River and, once you have crossed a rocky crest, it turns in the direction of the church of San Giovanni all’Archetto. Just before reaching the evocative building the path takes you past the remains of two old “calchere” or lime-kilns, natural ovens in which the mineral was cooked to produce lime. You have now arrived at the remains of the church of San Giovanni all’Archetto, one of the most important proofs of the ancient origin of Samolaco. The walls are to a large extent buried by the debris carried down by the Casenda and Meriggiana Streams that are nearby, a reminder of the numerous floods and slips that over the years swept away the old buildings of Samolaco. The apse is orientated to the east as in most of the really old churches, and is kept up by fine Romanesque masonry. On the north wall, the little bell tower has remained, retouched on various occasions from the 17th to the 19th centuries. According to the documentation left by the historian Pietro Buz- zetti, it would seem the walls of the apse were entirely decorated with 16th-century frescoes, of which only a few traces on the walls can be glimpsed today. By contrast, prominent on the façade is a well-preserved fresco of last century by the local painter Prevosti, depicting St. John the Baptist. Near the ruins you go along, then cross the Roggiolo, a canal that connects the Mer- rigiana Stream to the Mera River. Follow the gravel road, turning left towards Vigazzu- olo (a signpost indicates the way). Pass a group of houses and you come to the bridge of the Casenda Stream. The trail turns to the left and then goes up between vineyars and ruins until it comes to a piazzale. You go on until you reach the rustic houses of Stalla. Descend on the right and as soon as you have passed a crotto (or “crott” in Lombard dialect, meaning a natural cave) take the little road that leads to Fontanedo. Towards the end of the village, at the junction with the abandoned mule track for Cusciago, you will see a curious truncated building, with the remains of frescoes. This is the surviving apse of an ancient little church. Follow the asphalt road out of the village which touches the rustic cottages of the hamlet of Montenuovo, leading into the centre of the town of Samolaco. Here you can find places to eat at and spend the night (although choice is limited). Otherwise, the SPTS bus number A3 quickly takes you to Gordona and Chiavenna, and the A2 bus (from Samolaco station, outside the town) takes you to Novate Mezzola, Verceia and Colico. Be aware however that the bus is not very frequent.

104 San Giovanni all’Archetto

105 D-Via Francisca Stage 02

106 D.2 - STAGE FROM SAMOLACO TO GORDONA – BASIC INFORMATION

LENGTH 8.37 km

3 hours approx. with low route – difficulty T TIME AND LEVEL 4 ¼ hours approx. with high route – difficulty E OF DIFFICULTY From Gordona to Chiavenna 1½ hours approx.

By car: from Colico follow state highway 36 in the direction of Chiavenna until you reach Samolaco. After Samolaco railway station, take Via Biseé and stay on the main road (Via Trivulzia) as far as the roundabout at the junction with Via Roma, where you can find a car park near the cemetery. REACHING Take the flight of steps in front of the cemetery to reach Via THE START POINT alla Chiesa FROM COLICO By bus: from Colico STPS bus number A2 (Colico - Chiavenna, buses are infrequent). Get off at Semolaco station bus stop and follow the directions given above

By train: Samolaco train station (then follow the directions given above)

By bus: SPTS bus number A3 (Chiavenna - Gordona - Samolaco), bus stops at Era, Nogaredo, San Pietro Stalle, Boggia Bivio, LEAVING THE TRAIL Gordona BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT By train: from San Pietro go to San Cassiano Valchiavenna railway station

Train: www.trenord.it, www.trenitalia.it PUBLIC TRANSPORT Bus: www.stps.it (g Timetable) TIMETABLES All public transport: www.muoversi.regione.lombardia.it

WHERE TO EAT Samolaco, Gordona, Mese, Chiavenna AND WHERE TO SLEEP

From Samolaco (where we advise you to stock up on food and drink) you reach Mon- tenuovo, following the winding asphalt road that leaves from Via alla Chiesa. At the junction turn right along a mule track that passes some houses and becomes a path, entering a wood across Val di Mòort, and passing a little chapel with a fountain and then the attractive rural buildings of Sur l’Era. A straight cobbled ramp of steps helps you get down to the village where, at the junction called Bivio dei Mulini you meet one of the first shrines of the Stations of the Cross, which go up to the church of Sant’An-

107 Cabin along the path At the foot of Rupe di Segname drea. If you are interested in making a brief detour, we recommend that you follow the Stations of the Cross up the Via Crucis, where quite soon (but after a climb) you will come to Sant’Andrea. The church is situated on a hill commanding a splendid panoram- ic view of the valley. In the presbitery there are frescoes by Gian Giacomo Macolino dating back to 1632. The church has recently undergone restoration by a group of volunteers who in 2002 contributed to mending the roof in order to save the paintings. From Bivio dei Mulini the trail continues through uncultivated forests, and you ford the river of Valle dell’Era, pass Luoghi and descend to the hamlet of Nogaredo. After an easy ford of the Bolgadrégna Stream you pass between the houses of Schenone. A lane takes you through Val Morana. Continue on the cart track to the right until you come out onto the Pedemonte road as far as a signpost on the right with yellow signs. Here you go left, down the flight of steps of the little old “road of the fountains” which takes you into the village of San Pietro. Along the way, it is worth pausing to see the church of San Pietro and the medieval tower of Culumbée nearby. The tower, with a 5-metre square base, is 15 metres high, and could have been a watch or signal tower (like Torre di Segname on the mountain facing). According to tradition, it was used in medieval times to house Barbarossa on one of his descents into Italy. It is probable that the tower also served for the counting of sheep – in the presence of the Administrator of Chiavenna – as they were being driven to pasture on the grassy Pian di Mezzola. Today there is an ethnographical museum in the tower (for information contact the Chiavenna Tourist Office) which collects photographs of the life of the village and objects and equipment from the past. When you come to the main square of the village, you have two options for reaching Boggia. The first route is less demanding: it descends to the plain and goes along the Mera River, passing at the foot of the Segname crag (on top of which stands the Torre di Segname). The second route is much more difficult: it remains at higher altitude and after touching the houses of Ronscione it reaches the Torre di Segname on top of the crag before continuing on to Boggia. If you decide on the first, easier route, go down Via Overina and take the cart road on the left (there is a junction with a shrine there). Cross the Mengasca River and continue on the flat between the meadows as far as the ruins of Cesura, with the remains of a 17th-century farm, the church of Sant’Orsola, the stables and the tower house. The cart road continues as far as the shrine of Casletto, then becomes a a cobbled and paved

108 path that runs along the slope at the foot of the Segname crag. A flight of steps leads to the ruins of Muntée (from where you can enjoy a great view over the valley), and you then continue on the flat as far as the little chapel of Boggia, where you join up again with the path coming down from the Segname Tower. If on the other hand you choose the second, more challenging route, then from the cen- tral piazza of San Pietro you go uphill to the left in Via Tonaia, and follow the signs for Ronscione. You cross a bridge over the Mengasca River and continue on the asphalt road as far as the end of the village of Ronscione (near a piazzale for parking). A path leads off from here (look out for the Torre di Segname sign) which ascends again and leads to Cà Vanoni, with examples of fine rural architecture amid vineyards. You enter the little valleys of Val Carletta and then Val Carin, and then bend to the right circling the hill with the demolished ruins of Roncàsc. The path goes back into the wood and becomes more severe, slightly bending to the left and climbing along a wide ridge, as far as the ruin of an isolated chalet. Behind the ruin we find a junction with a sign. Take the right-hand turn and ascend to the Torre di Segname by one of two possible paths. The direct route is a narrow path but it is very strenuous and suited to experienced hikers, while the gentler route is along a wide mule track on the left (in any case, the two routes meet further up, at an altitude of 550 m, near a ruin). From this ruin you turn right to tackle the last push up to the Torre di Segname. The construction of the tower probably goes back to the 10th century, at the time of the in- cursions of the Hungarians. The name Segname derives from his function as a strategic point for signalling across the valley. It was also called “Panperduto” however (“Lost bread”), probably recalling some disastrous siege. It was never the theatre of any particular battles but we may suppose that important messages leaving this strategic point were able to be transmitted, using smoke or flag signals, from tower to tower as far as Milan in less than an hour. Grant yourself a short rest to get your breath back, while you admire the panorama of the Mera plain, and why not have a snack too.

Waterfall of Boggia Stream Torre di Segname

109 From here you descend towards the north following the crest until you reach the Ponte sul Torrente Boggia bridge and the Boggia Chapel, set on a massive rock with some in- scriptions. Notable among these is the one commemorating the visit made in 1816 by the Archduke Ranieri, brother of the Emperor Francis I of Austria. The Boggia bridge, commonly referred to as “Roman” although it was rebuilt in 1766, is particularly im- portant for the history of Gordona. In earlier times the arched bridge overhung a fine waterfall formed by the river. This was destroyed by a flood in 1983, but has since be reconstructed using a slab of cement. From here you continue along a wide and ancient road that reads to the first houses of Gordona in Via Penduglia. The historic centre of the village is reached by keeping to the right and going along this road and then Via Piazzoli. In the central piazza, it is worth stopping to look at the church of San Martino, one of churches of Valchiavenna that is richest in silverware. The present appearance of the church is the result of major extension work commencing in the 17th century (for example the 1494 bell tower was raised), and continuing through the whole of the 18th (with the piazza in front of the church designed by the Ticino architect Giacomo Martinoia). Follow Via Scogli and, at the roundabout, turn right into Via Mera where you rejoin the mule track on the left (Via Santa Caterina). This road has evocative 18th-century shrines of the Stations of the Cross, and logically enough leads to the church of Santa Caterina. The little church was annexed to a castle which rose on the hill already back in medieval times and was then dismantled by the Graubünden (all that remains today is a turret). The “official” stage ends here in Gordona (a village where the Adventure Trails also starts from, winding up into the mountains and crossing the border into Switzerland). If you sitll have time however and a desire to keep walking, we recommend a detour to Chiavenna (about 5 km long - you can also get there on the STPS buses, numbers A2 and A3). Chiavenna is the most important tourist centre in the valley. Continue following the signs for the “Via Francisca”, and as you leave Gordona, cross the Crezza River and reach Coloredo. Just short or the village itself, near the chapel of Mondadizza, you find a path leading you very soon to the village of Mese. Going through the centre you will see the parish church of San Vittore, whose existence was already documented in 1153, and which has been subsequently enlarged. Worthy of notice in the church are the side alter on the right dedicated to our Lady of Mount Car- mel – the Neapolitan influencee is evident – and the carved wooden statues. When you leave the village, in the district of San Mamete, follow the detour on the right which, once you have passed the Livo Stream (on an asphalt road, quite dangerous at the beginning), leads you directly into the centre of Chiavenna (along Via A. Volta).

NOT-TO-BE-MISSED IN CHIAVENNA The Collegiate Church of San Lorenzo. The origins of the church date back to the 5th century A.D. Already dedicated to St. Laurence in 973, it became a parish church in 1042 and a basilica in 1098. In 1537 a fire destroyed the oak roof. Rebuilt in the following year, the vaults were enlarged and majestic granite columns were added. The baptistery is particularly fine, built of soapstone adorned with mid-relief sculptures representing the blessing of water and baptism. The ornaments and interior frescoes are also of interest.

110 Waterfall of Boggia Stream

111 Museo del Tesoro di Chiavenna. This museum of the church treasury in situated in the collegiate church of San Vittore. It holds a vast array of sacred vestments and orna- ments and a very rare musical codex of the 11th century. The highlight is the “Pace di Chiavenna” (“Peace of Chiavenna”), the cover of a 12th-century copy of the Gospels in embossed gold, jewel, pearls and enamels. According to tradition it was donated to Chiavenna by a German or French bishop, perhaps by Christian Archbishop of Mainz who accompanied Barbarossa to Chiavenna in 1176. Palazzo Balbiani. Known as “the Castle”, it is therefore situated in Piazza Castello. It is a compact square stone building enclosed by two cylindrical towers. Used as a res- idential palace by the Counts Balbiani, the feudal lords of Valchiavenna, it was built before 1477. Of the orginal structure, only the perimeter walls and towers remain, while the rest, knocked down by the Graubünden, was reconstructed in 1930. Parco archeologico botanico Paradiso. The Botanical and Archaeological Paradise Park is situated on the cliff that rises behind Piazza Castello. It preserves particular species of flowers and plants, and various archaeological and historic remains, as well as artistic and architectural creations in soapstone. Near the Torrione (Turret), it is housed in the nature section of the Museo della Valchiavenna.

Piano di Chiavenna

112 RECREATIONAL TRAIL E THE BOCCHETTA DI CAMEDO AND THE BORDER CROSSING

Besides its main route along the shores of the Lake, the historic Via Regina had some important branches that offered direct connection and transit between Lake Como and the bordering territories of Switzerland. The major ones were the San Jorio Pass Road that led from Gravedona/Dongo to Bellinzona; the Val Menaggio road that crossed Lario and Ceresio and continued towards Lugano; and the Valle d’Intelvi and Mendrisotto Road that permitted passage from Como to Lake Lugano via . Perhaps the most important of all these branch roads, both historically and com- mercially, was the San Jorio Pass road (along the chain of the southern Mesolcina mountain range, the Catena della Mesolcina). Leaving from Gravedona and Dongo, it went up through the Liro and Albano Valleys and arrived in the Graubünden valley of Moesa. The road, probably already operating in Roman times, was rearranged and much used for commercial traffic in the medieval period. Although the most re- cent historical studies have thrown some doubt on the matter, it does seem likely that in the age of Charlemagne the San Jorio road was periodically trodden by caravans of Teutonic monks coming from the monastery of Reichenau (on Lake Constance) and descending to Gravedona and Domaso to collect oil and wine from estates in their possession. Again in medieval times, it seems that the road was also used for the trade exchange of cereals with the territory of Berne, as well as for traffic in iron minerals. The strategic and economic importance of this pass for commercial traffic was well understood by the De Sacco family (the historical feudal lords of Valle Mesolcina). From the 13th century onwards, pursuing their intention to extend their domains towards the Larian lands of Como, the De Saccos took control of the road, imposing their own tolls on traders. In this context, Enrico II De Sacco had the Emperor Fred- erick II grant him dominion over Monte di Dongo in 1220, and later on, in the 15th century, one of his successors, Alberto De Sacco, formed a string of alliances with the comunes on the shores of Lake Como (Garzeno, Germasino and Gravedona) to keep control of the area and retain the tolls. Wayfarers of all kinds transited on this road – local and foreign merchants with all sorts of goods (wool, spices, and skins), herders of animals taking their oxen, cows, horses and mules up to the Alpine pastures and back; and peddlers who participated in the famous annual fairs of Bellinzona and Gravedona. The stage presented in this chapter is closely connected with the history of this commer- cial road. The traverse to the San Jorio Pass offered, in the district of Brenzio, a branch route that established a direct connection between the Larian towns and Roveredo and Mesocco in Mesolcina, i.e. the short cut through the Bocchetta di Camedo, the Came- do Saddle or Pass. Historically, it was a secondary route, used mainly by herdsmen and hunters, joined later by the spalloni, the local smugglers, who used it intensively for the cross-border trafficking from Gravedona and Dongo to Roveredo.

113

E-The Bocchetta di Camedo and the border crossing

114 E-The Bocchetta di Camedo and the border crossing E - STAGE: RIFUGIO VINCINO (IT) - BOCCHETTA DI CAMEDO - ROVEREDO (CH) BASIC INFORMATION ITALIAN SIDE

LENGTH 15,4 km (total)

2 ¾ hours approx: Rifugio Vincino – Passo Camedo

6 ¾ hours approx.: total route Italy-Switzerland

difficulty E TIME AND LEVEL Getting to Rifugio Vincino OF DIFFICULTY 5 ¾ hours approx: Garzeno – Rifugio Vincino 1 ½ hours Consiglio di Rumo (Ponte di Maiavacca bridge) – Rifugio Vincino

Ponte di Maiavacca is at the end of the road that comes up from Consiglio di Rumo

REACHING THE START POINT FROM COMO

By car: A2 motorway as far as Bellinzona Nord, then A13 motorway (Roveredo exit); cantonal road to Cama

By train: railway line Milano - Chiasso - Bellinzona - San Got- tardo to Bellinzona station (continue by bus, see below); TILO LEAVING THE TRAIL regional trains to Arbedo-Castione station (continue by bus, BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT see below)

By bus: bus number 214 Bellinzona - Grono - Mesocco - San Bernardino (-) from Bellinzona or Castione railway sta- tions to Cama Municipio [Town Hall] bus stop

Bus: www.asfautolinee.it (g Lines and timetables) PUBLIC TRANSPORT Boat: www.navlaghi.it (g Como Lake g Timetable) TIMETABLES All public transport: www.muoversi.regione.lombardia.it

Dongo, Garzeno, Germasino, Stazzona, Dosso del Liro, Consiglio di Rumo, Gravedona WHERE TO EAT AND WHERE TO SLEEP N.B.:to eat/sleep in the Rifugi (mountain huts) you are advised to always telephone first to make sure they are open and to check availability

115 BASIC INFORMATION SWISS SIDE

5 hours approx: Roveredo – Passo Camedo

7 hours approx: total route Italy-Switzerland TIME AND LEVEL difficulty E OF DIFFICULTY Note: the total times for the Switzerland-Italy and the Italy- Switzerland crossings are different because the gain in height is greater on the Swiss side than on the Italian side

By car: A2 motorway as far as Bellinzona Nord then A13 motorway (Roveredo exit)

By train: railway line Milano - Chiasso - Bellinzona - San Got- tardo to Bellinzona station (continue by bus, see below); TILO REACHING regional trains to Arbedo-Castione station (continue by bus, THE START POINT see below)

By bus: bus number 214 Bellinzona - Grono - Mesocco - San Bernardino (-Thusis) from Bellinzona or Castione railway sta- tions to Roveredo Posta [Post Office] bus stop

By bus: bus stops at Roveredo LEAVING THE TRAIL BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT By car: Roveredo (San Fedele); Diga della Roggiasca [Roggiasca Dam]

Bus: www.autopostale.ch (g Timetable)

www.ti.ch/dt/dstm/sm/Temi/Trasporti/ PUBLIC TRANSPORT (g Ricerca orari) TIMETABLES www.fahrplanfelder.ch/en/welcome/

All public transport: www.muoversi.regione.lombardia.it

WHERE TO EAT Roveredo, S. Vittore, Grono AND WHERE TO SLEEP

116 The Val Camedo traverse is one of the options offered by this Guide to cross the bor- der and reach Swiss territory. It is the one “Recreational” trail that includes a border crossing, although is certainly more challenging than the other Recreational Trails. N.B.: Please note that this stage, which we repeat is challenging, has no intermediate places where you can spend the night.

The trail leaves from the Rifugio Vincino, above the village of Consiglio di Rumo, runs through Val Camedo and crosses into Swiss territory in Alta Val Traversagna, the Up- per Traversagna Valley, continuing on towards the town of Roveredo in the Mesolcina Region (Canton of Graubünden). The Rifugio Vincino mountain hut is in the immediate vicinity of the Via dei Monti Lariani trail (previously described in this Guide), and can by reached in two different ways: 1) Leaving from Garzeno Follow all the first part of stage B.6 Garzeno - Peglio de- scribed in this Guide, along Via dei Monti Lariani. When you arrive at Piazza, bend to the left along the stepped mule track going up to Monte Vincino and the Rifugio (about 5¾ hours walking from Garzeno). 2) From Consiglio di Rumo (since 2011 this has formed a single Comune with Ger- masino and Gravedona). Go up a narrow winding asphalt road to the high districts of the village and then to Monti di Lara, until you reach the Ponte di Maia- vacca bridge near the confluence of two branches of the Liro Stream (there are not many spaces available for parking). From here continue up a steep dirt track till you come to a large piazzale (only reachable by off-road vehicles), then follow the signs for the Rifugio through a wood. At this point you meet up with stage B.6 of the Via dei Monti Lariani trail leading to Piazza (about 1½ hours from here to Rifugio Vincino.)

Rifugio Vincino is an ex-barracks of the Customs Police. Be advised that there is no custodian. The Refuge is managed by the Comune of Gravedona e Uniti (to book and pick up the keys at the offices of the Comune of Gravedona e Uniti, tel. 0344-85291). From the Refuge you take the path that enters a beech wood and leads gently up Val di Camedo. Cross a couple of small valleys and you come to a fairly steep section with a ruined Alpine hut near the top. From here you gradually come out of the beech wood and find yourself first of all in the pastures of Alpe di Camedo at 1539 metres and then Alpe di Prato Fiorito (1558 m). The path narrows to a faint track. Heading north you arrive near the ruins of Alpe di Corte di Mezzo at an altitude of about 1700 metres. Another uphill section takes you to Alpe Malpensata, a place in a condition of extreme abandonment. Here you meet the path of Alta Via del Lario, the High Larian Way, which you should follow in the direction of Giovo (look out for the waymarker arrows). One last push, about 15 minutes of walking, brings you to the Passo (or Bocchetta) di Camedo at 1973 metres, where a boundary stone marks the transition to Swiss territory in the Alta Val Traversagna (Canton of Graubünden). From the saddle you have a fine view of the route to follow as you descend on the Mesolcina side. Down at the bottom of the valley below you can see the villages of Roveredo and San Vittore. You go down bearing to the left in the direction of the natu- ral amphitheatre of Aian in a landscape that first of all is grassy slope with loose rock

117 and then has very thick green alders, an ideal habitat for the adder or Vipera berus. The pastures of Alpe d’Aian are in part overgrown with rhododendra and ferns. You cross the stream to continue on the right side of the Traversagna, and on an easy almost flat path you go through a fine beech wood that leads to the Poggio di Lanès, Lanés hill (1270 m). This is a great position, offering a wonderful panorama over the villages of Roveredo and San Vittore and, in front, the chain of mountains dominated by Pizzo di Claro, separating the Moesa and Ticino valleys. Almost all of the twenty or so farmhouses and stables of Lanés have been restructured to make summer holiday homes. The meadows too are in general well cared for or transformed into flower gardens around the dwellings. Note the presence of isolated trees near the buildings, many of which have a corrugated iron roof sloping two ways. It seems that smugglers brought the sheets of corrugated iron up here on their backs during the Second World War. There is a possible alternative to the descent to Roveredo along the route of the Boc- chetta di Camedo. You can instead take the path bearing left (without any sign, but easily recognisable) that begins near the top station of a small cableway to transport material, and descends to the Diga di Roggiasca dam (956 m). Go through the barrier and you get onto a road open to cars, which branches off from the road going from Roveredo up to Monte Laura. Go along this road for about two kilometres and you come to a well-marked path coming down from the San Jorio Pass across Valle Albion- asca and descends to Roveredo on the left bank of the Traversagna. You go along the mule track, in some sections very well visible, which connected Roveredo with Dongo, and at an altitude of 557 m you cross the March Stream, going over a fine stone arch bridge. This historic route is also called the “Maria Theresa Road”, named after the Austrian Empress who was sovereign of Lombardy, and in whose reign the road on the Larian side was repaired around 1770. This route joins the Bocchetta di Camedo trail at Roveredo. If however you stay on the Camedo trail, the descent to Roveredo continues along the sort of track that can be used by small landrovers, still on the right bank, in a very wooded area, interrupted only by the clearings of Volin, Pertisc and Soltima. Like Lanés, in the past these rural settlements were perhaps inhabited the whole year round. Straight after you reach the clearing of Tecc Bianch (645 m), a signed path bending right leads in a few minutes to the Torre di Boggiano (693 m). This is a me- dieval signal tower, difficult to date, in a dominant position on a rocky spur above the gorges of the Traversagna, from where you can enjoy a splendid panorama over much of Valle Mesolcina. What has been preserved is the ruin of a four-storey tower on a square ground plan. Beyond the ruin itself you see the ruins of a surrounding wall, which leads us to suppose that a much larger fortified space existed on the rocky terrace. The name Boggiano can be connected to the De Boiano family from Gravedona, whose names appear quite frequently also as Bogiano in documents of the 13th and 14th centuries. Various documents show that the family had connections with Mesolcina. It is plausible that the “maggenghi” (areas of pasture, the local name of which is connected with the word for the month of May) on the right side of the Traversagna from Motta Garlenda to Lanés were inhabited through the whole year. Perhaps the construction of the Boggiano Tower is also an indicator of year-round habitation, given

118 the presence of chestnut and walnut trees and vines, and because no other fortification in the Moesa district is situated so far from settlements. After leaving the tower, there is a brief descent along a signed path and you get back onto the main route at Motta Garlenda in the district of Pianasc. The final part of the trail above the gorges of the Traversagna winds quite steeply. You cross a wood dom- inated by very old and bizarrely shaped chestnut trees with partially hollow trunks. The final part of the stage, leaving Valle Traversagna, takes in one of the most pic- turesque and evocative places in all of Mesolcina – the church of the Madonna del Ponte Chiuso, called also the Church of St. Anne. This is an impressive, harmoniously proportioned Baroque building which forms an attractive ensemble with the stone arch bridge over the Traversagna and the old wayfarers’ hostel. On the site of a little church that was documented in 1524, the church that we see today was built at the beginning of the 17th century. Consecrated in 1656, completion of the interior ornamentation extended however through to the end of the century. The church is one of the most important ecclesiastical building in Mesolcina for its architecture and ornamentation. It consists of a long Baroque body adorned with pilasters and graffito architectural dec- oration. The interior consists of a nave without aisles, transformed around the middle of the 17th century with three couples of side chapels. The nave with its cross vault is an early example of the Wandpfeiler design (pilasters on the walls, repeated in rhyth- mical sequence). This style was perfected in Vorarlberg, initially in collaboration with builders from Mesolcina. There are abundant stuccoes, paintings, and ornamentations of the altars and chapels. Cross the bridge, and a cobbled little street will lead you into the hamlet of San Fedele (Roveredo) where, near a large parking area, the Albionasca track from San Jorio converges. In the hamlet of San Fedele, where our modern wayfarers will find lots of cellars and restaurants where they can eat and drink, do take note of the church of San Fedele set among the houses of the old centre. Mentioned in 1419, extended in 1630, deconsecrated in 1911 and stripped of its ornaments, it is now the restoration workshop of the Professional University School of Italian Switzerland. The façade has a round-arched portal and some traces of graffiti imitating oval windows. On the right wall of the nave there used to be remains of a Last Supper, with some influences of Leonardo Da Vinci. The painting (1440-1550 approx.) was detached in 1937 and can now be found in the choir of the church of San Giulio (see the following pages).

119 Map of Trail F-Valle Mesolcina

120 RECREATIONAL TRAIL F VALLE MESOLCINA

S. Martino in Soazza 121 F-Valle Mesolcina Stage 01

Arrival of the station of Cama 122 F.1 - STAGE FROM ROVEREDO TO CAMA – BASIC INFORMATION

LENGTH 6.83 km

TIME AND LEVEL 2 hours approx. – difficulty T OF DIFFICULTY

By car: A2 motorway as far as Bellinzona Nord then A13 motorway (Roveredo exit)

By train: railway line Milano - Chiasso - Bellinzona - San REACHING Gottardo to Bellinzona station (continue by bus, see below); TILO regional trains to Arbedo-Castione station (continue by THE START POINT bus, see below)

By bus: bus number 214 Bellinzona - Grono - Mesocco - San Bernardino (-Thusis) from Bellinzona or Castione railway sta- tions to Roveredo Posta [Post Office] bus stop

LEAVING THE TRAIL By bus: bus stops at Grono Paese, Grono Nord, Leggia Paese, BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT Cama Municipio [Cama Townhall]

Train: www.ffs.ch

Bus: www.autopostale.ch (g Timetable)

PUBLIC TRANSPORT www.ti.ch/dt/dstm/sm/Temi/Trasporti/ TIMETABLES (g Ricerca orari)

www.fahrplanfelder.ch/en/welcome/

All public transport: www.muoversi.regione.lombardia.it

WHERE TO EAT Roveredo, Grono, Cama AND WHERE TO SLEEP

Roveredo, with its approximately 2,400 inhabitants, is the main town in Mesolcina, and most of the public services and numerous entrepreneurial activities are located here. It also serves as the local capital of the Moesa district, formed by the Mesolcina and valleys. Recent archaeological excavations have found that a settlement on this spot – in the Valasc area – already existed in the Bronze Age (about 4,000 years ago). After an interruption of a millennium, there is evidence of the presence of human beings in the Iron Age (2,500 years ago) which continued in Roman times and the Early Middle Ages. Roveredo became important in the Late Middle Ages, also because of the Camedo/ San Jorio traverse that guaranteed connection with Lake Como. We know that in the second half of the 15th century there was an annual fair. Trivulzio, lord of Mesolcina

123 Ponte del Ram in Grono from 1480 on, installed his administrators in the palace that once belonged to the De Sacco family and also opened a mint at Roveredo. The borgo became the centre of the “Vicariate” or “Jurisdictional Comune”, one of about sixty comunes upon which the State of the Three Leagues was founded, lasting into the 19th century. The Comune of Roveredo had jurisdiction over Bassa Mesolcina (the lower Mesolcina valley from San Vittore to Cama), and also, initially, over Calanca. In the 18th century, thanks to the generosity of some of its illustrious citizens, Roveredo acquired a number of excel- lent educational institutions. A sign of the importance of Roveredo was also the Ponte di Valle (which appeared in the comune’s coat-of-arms). The bridge is a majestic four-arch construction that joined the districts on the two banks of the Moesa River. The mercantile road passed along the right bank and that was where all the businesses servicing the transit, such as shops, taverns, inns and later saw-mills and iron-workers were located; while on the left side there were various districts, the parish church and the cemetery, and later still the public schools and offices of the comune. The bridge, built in 1486 to replace a previous structure, was damaged a number of times by floods, and was then restored until it was finally demolished in 1954. For a long time it had been deemed inade- quate for modern transport, and had suffered severe damage from a flood in 1951. The ancient borgo was badly disfigured in the 1960s by the construction of the A13 motorway right in the centre of the town. A ringroad tunnel is currently being built, which should allow the requalification of the centre. Let us begin our visit of Roveredo from the districts of Piaza and Sant’Antonio on the right bank of the Moesa River. At the head of the of stone railway bridge are the few remains of the Palazzo Trivulzio. Documented from the beginning of the 14th century, and once belonging to the Counts De Sacco, in 1480 the Palace passed to Gian Gia- como Trivulzio who had it extended and modernised to make it the residence of his ad- ministrators. It was a fortified palace surrounded by water and with splendid gardens. All that remains of this now is the stump of a tower which served as an entry gate. Along the cantonal road into the old district of Piaza is the church of Sant’Antonio Abate, documented in 1419, enlarged around 1620. The parvis has an hexagonal fountain of 1869. The interior is notable for altars with stuccoes and altar screens in Rococo style, a fragment of a mural painting dating from the middle of the 14th centu-

124 ry (in grotesque style), and a Last Supper from the end of the 16th century influenced by Leonardo. The district of Piaza has over time undergone significant changes. The numerous tav- erns and inns bound up with the transits and trades of the past have disappeared. The most interesting building along the road is the Casa Tenchio, a mid-17th-century proto-Baroque house, horseshoe-shaped in the style of Italian palaces. The façade of the inner courtyard has arches and Doric columns. On the second floor you can see a wooden loggia, typical of the Mesolcina houses. If you wish, you can go up from Piaza onto the Carasole Hill. The name, containing the word “sole”, signifies how sunny this district is, exposed as it is to the south, with numerous vineyards. Isolated on a prominent height is the church of San Rocco. Men- tioned in 1481 and refurbished in the 17th century, it has a nave with a flat ceiling and a cross-vaulted choir. On the north wall traces have been found of a Last Supper, from the Seregnesi workshop (2nd half of the 15th century. In the niche of the altar there are wooden sculptures attributed to the workshop of the Bavarian sculptor Ivo Strigel (1510 approx.). Crossing to the left bank of the Moesa River, you arrive at the new bridge in the district of Piazeta. This has become the throbbing centre of the borgo, with lots of shops, bars and restaurants, banks, pharmacies, the post office and a bookshop. We also find some porticoes, as well as two of the most interesting buildings not connected with the church, although in a precarious state of conservation. They are the Casa Zuccalli (the Zucallis were a dynasty of famous builders active in Austria and Bavaria), which has a round-arch porch with diamond-pointed ashlars and allegorical graffiti on the walls (end of the 16th century); and the Casa Mazio, adjoining Casa Zuccalli, built in 1568 for Giovanni Pietro Mazio, the Podestà of . It has the same porch as the Zuccalli House, with the family’s coat of arms. Further south, in a slightly raised position, the district of Rugn has kept its distinctive rural look, with paved lanes and peasant houses with their characteristic wooden galleries and external stone stairs. In one of these little streets is the Casa di Gabriele de Gabrieli (1671-1747), who was the architect at the court of the Prince Bishop of Eichstätt (Bavaria). The edifice is formed of three older rural dwellings joined together and refurbished in the 18th century. A college was subsequently installed there, insti- tuted in accordance with De Gabrieli’s will in 1746. Further down, the district of San Giulio is dominated by the imposing bell tower of the parish church of San Giulio. It is a large medieval building with a polygonal choir of the Romanesque-Gothic period (circa 1300), flanked by side chapels. Mentioned in 1219 on the occasion of the foundation of the chapter of San Vittore, to which it was subordinate, the church was re-consecrated in 1430, and in 1481 it was raised to the status of a parish church. The choir is decorated with Renaissance pictures by Gerola- mo Gorla (1545, saints, prophets, church fathers, scenes of Jesus), while on the south wall you can see a fragment of a St. Sebastian (1479). There are also some 17th and 18th-century paintings. In the painting of St. Matthew you can see the ancient bridge and the building that housed Trivulzio’s mint. The imposing post-Romanesque bell tow- er attached to the south side of the nave has blind arches on the three upper storeys. Near the church is the Palazzo Comacio, a massive square edifice on three levels, built around 1670 by Tommaso Comacio. It is perhaps the only civic building which

125 the Magister (Master Builder) of a place himself designed and whose construction he supervised. The singular shape, with its four angles protruding like towers, gives the building, which stands in the centre of a huge garden, the look of a residential fortress. If willing to do a detour from the main trail, it is worth venturing as far as San Vittore (278 m), the last southern village of the Mesolcina Valley. To do so you follow the signed path leaving San Giulio on the left bank of the river and which continues mostly in the wood. When you come to the bridge over the Moesa, cross it and you reach the village by the little road running through the vast countryside (about 40 minutes walk from San Giulio). If you want to save time, you can get to San Vittore in just a few minutes by bus. San Vittore used to be the religious capital of Mesolcina ever since a chapter was instituted there with six canons and a collegiate and parish church, to which all the churches of the valley were subject. Today the Comune of San Vittore has 700 inhabit- ants. Beyond the village, on the opposite side to Roveredo, there extends a vast, fairly level stretch of land, part of which is an industrial zone, while the hilly areas looking south are mostly occupied by vineyards. Conspicuous in the village, because of its size and its slightly raised position, is the collegiate church of Santi Giovanni Battista e Vittore. Built in the 13th century as a hall church, it underwent important transformations at the beginning of the 16th and also of the 18th centuries. It is a large rectangular space, divided into a nave with two aisles of equal height, and a polygonal choir with an umbrella vault. The interior was transformed according to Baroque taste in 1731. Notable among the various wall paintings are the proto-Renaissance pictures of the Holy Cross over the altar (1498), and numerous paintings on canvas (17th-18th centuries), among them a Crucifixion, painted by Nicolao Giuliani (1680). Anyone wishing to know about the history of the region is advised to visit the Museo Moesano, which is housed at Palazzo Viscardi. Built near the Collegiate Church in 1548, and transformed between 1680 and 1700 by Giovanni Antonio Viscardi, the architect at the court of the Prince-Elector of Bavaria. It is a rectangular building of noble proportions, three storeys high, with the space for the staircase vaulted. The present appearance of the Palazzo is the result of restoration work carried out in 1948 to make room for the Museo Moesano, inaugurated in 1949 as an ethnographical museum. Today, the Museum especially illustrates the work of the “magistri moesani” the local master architects, workers in stucco, builders, etc. active in the German area in the 17th and 18th centuries, responsible for some masterpieces of Baroque architecture. Important relics and faithful reconstructions of archaeological finds, ac- companied by explanatory illustrations and videos, narrate the story of the population of the region, from the Mesolithic period to the Middles Ages, also giving prominence the inclusion of Mesolcina in the network of trans-Alpine roads. The principal buildings of San Vittore are arranged along the cantonal road from east to west. Leaving from the collegiate church, explore the city by heading west, towards the opening of the valley. At the centre of the town we find the Casa Romagnoli (17th-18th centuries), an angular building with an entrance that imitates the style of a castle, with two lateral towers that have purely decorative loopholes. Besides this original residence, San Vittore also has, like many villages in the valley, some smaller mansions built by well- off families in the 18th and 19th centuries. One of these is the Palazzo Togni, an elegant rectangular four-storey building with mezzanine (1798) and a surrounding garden wall

126 with an entrance arch, in a position set back up the slope away from the main road. A little further on, the chapel of San Lucio is unmistakeable, with its Rotonda erected on a rock shelf beside the cantonal road. It is one of the oldest buildings in Mesolcina, unique of its kind in the region. It is connected to a square oratory, decorated with mu- ral paintings, works of the Lombard masters in the second half of the 14th century. The oratory, probably of the 14th century, was enlarged and modified in the 17th century, while the rotonda, reminiscent of a baptistery, is of the Carolingian age (8th century). Also on a ledge of rock, the Torre di Pala, reading above the district from which it takes its name, dominates the village. It was erected probably towards the end of the 13th century and enlarged in the following century. It is a six-storey rectangular building with a crenellated top, part of a much larger fortified dwelling complex, of which only a few ruins remain. It was the residence of the de Sacco family, the lords of the valley, or of their officers, but was abandoned in the 15th century. Along the main road at the end of the village, before you arrive at the famous caves, you will find Casa dei Gerb, a typical rural dwelling in Lombard style, probably dating back to the 17th century, with a wide portico facing the countryside, surmounted by a loggia with pretty stone columns. From Roveredo (298 m) you leave from near the bridge going over the Moesa (signpost) and turn onto the left bank along the road that follows the track of the Sentiero di Valle. You pass under the arch of a stone bridge for the railway and then left under a small footbridge. From here, follow the path as far as the crotto (cave) where, again keeping left you walk along a mule track that soon bears to the right as it ascends, and becomes a path entering a wood. The trail does a little detour, with some wooden steps, to get past the building site for the ringroad round Roveredo, and then runs across the slope along a watercourse. In about half an hour you arrive at an iron bridge at the beginning of the floodplain of the Pascolet area (342 m), and this allows you to reach the village of Grono in just a few minutes. Grono (950 inhabitants) is the confluence point of Valle Calanca. It became important in the 19th century as a industrious village, with lots of commercial outlets and artisan workshops and industrial factories. Architectural evidence of that activity is the Vecchia Birreria, a horizontal late neo-Classical building (now being restored) along the cantonal road, with a piazzale lined with trees and the tower of the old Tognola brewery.

Railway bridge over Moesa River in Roveredo

127 S. Lucio and Torre di Pala in S. Vittore

The most ancient monument in the village is the Torre Fiorenzana (at the beginning of the carriageway for ), dating from the end of the 12th century and known to be the property of the De Sacco family from 1314. The five-storey residential tower is built on a quadrangular plan with the corners reinforced with large slabs, topped by a double sloping roof with crenellations. Still inhabited in the first half of the 20th century, the Fiorenzana Tower is now an art gallery. Situated in an exalted position above the village is the parish church of San Clemente, already mentioned in 1219. The choir was rebuilt after 1633, and the nave lengthened and lifted in 1666, with a painted coffered ceiling (end of the 17th century). It has a Roman- esque bell tower, and on the outside two 17th-century painted sundials (one with an allego- ry of death). Inside, there is a choir with rich late-Baroque stuccoes and three Rococo altars, and on one wall of the nave there is a preparatory drawing (St. George and the dragon) of the 15th century. The church of Santi Rocco e Sebastiano is a Baroque oratory (rebuilt in 1615, with additions and new ornamentation dating from 1690-1715), well integrated into a small piazza in the village centre. It has paintings on the façade, a Nursing Madonna and the patron saints of the church. There are ornate Baroque stuccoes in the choir. Among the noteworthy houses and smaller palaces worthy of interest, you will see on the central piazza the Casa de Sacco, built about 1660 for Captain Pietro de Sacco, and renovated around 1725 (a cube-shaped building with five ranks of window deco- rated with painted tympana); and also the Ca Rossa, an imposing mansion with vault-

128 ed corridor, built in 1721 as the town house for the Togni family (fine stucco ceilings with decorative cornices and paintings of allegories and mythological and biblical scenes. In the drawing room there is a soapstone stove of 1722). Worthy of interest too is the Ponte del Ram, to the south of the village at the turn-off for Valle Calanca. It is an elegant two-arched stone bridge over the abandoned bed of the Calancasca River, probably dating from the Trivulzio epoch (end of the 15th century). The bridge was widened in 1822 when the San Bernardino carriageway was built. It forms a picturesque scene with the terraced vineyard and small octagonal pavilion in the background. You can also reach Grono from Roveredo in about 20 minutes, leaving from the church of Sant’Antonio and following the cantonal road (some short sections are with- out a pavement) passing near the Ram bridge. From Grono you can climb on foot to the villages of Castaneda (750 m) and Santa Maria (955 m) which juridically are part of . The signed route leaves from the bus stop in the centre of Grono and first touches the hamlet of Nadro. The two villages can also be reached by the postbus (Grono Paese and Bivio Calanca bus stops) For an excursion to Castaneda and Santa Maria (also by bus) you need to calculate at least 3 extra hours. At Castaneda, set on an enchanting, sunny terrace, important archaeological finds have been made, of a Neolithic settlement (ca. 3200-2500 B.C.) and a necropolis from the Iron Age (circa 600-300 B.C.). The parish church of Santo Stefano is men- tioned in 1544, but the present edifice dates from 1633, renovated with additions to the nave and bell tower in 1932. In the choir there is a painting of 1636 in the original Renaissance frame, depicting Christ the Saviour. The village of Santa Maria is dominated by the promontory with the tower and the church, from where you can enjoy a spectacular view over the mountains and valleys. The parish church of Santa Maria Assunta was the Mother Church of Calanca. It is an important, significant sacred building of medieval origin, with precious ornaments, mentioned as existing in 1219. The choir was built between 1385 and 1416, while the nave was enlarged in 1606 with a round-arched stone portal and a richly painted coffered ceiling. Worth noting are the three large 17th-century paintings on canvas, one of which depicts the Battle of Lepanto, while there are numerous wall paintings and precious painted wooden altars. In the south-west corner of the parvis, beside the portal, there is a monumental lime-tree, about 300 years old, with a trunk about 130 cm in diameter. The whole complex is completed by the Ospizio, a rectangular con- struction built around a closed courtyard with a well. It was erected between the 16th and 17th centuries on the south side of the church. For centuries a hospice run by the Capuchin friars (1640-1921), it now houses civic offices. The fine hall has Baroque pannelling. The Torre, in a strategic position on high ground behind the church, is 30 m high and so allows an excellent panoramic view. This tower is all that is left of an ancient fortification (13th-14th centuries), and is pentagonal on the outside but square on the inside, with stairs hollowed out in the thick wall. It is a rare example in Rhaetian territory of an embattled tower modelled on those of central-northern France. Continuing the hike along the Sentiero di Valle, return to the iron bridge over the Moe- sa at the beinning of the Golena del Pascolet, a floodplain of 25 hectares, obtained by demolishing, on both sides of the Moesa River, the stop-banks built at the beginning of the 20th century. The floodplain has become a forest reserve, where hunting is forbid-

129 den and fish are protected. You continue along country lanes, cross the bridge over the stream from Val Leggia, and skirt the side of the mountain at the edge of the wood. Near a cluster of barns, a path turning to the right (the turn-off is not marked) allows you to go up towards the chapel of San Remigio (549 m), set on a panoramic hill. Mentioned in 1219, the chapel is a small medieval hall, with a semicircular apse at the end that is grafted into the hillside. Continuing along the bottom of the valley, you cross the Moesa again in Leggia (337 m), the smallest village in Mesolcina (133 inhabitants), with a compact centre above the cantonal road. We have evidence that the parish church of Santi Bernardo e An- tonio Abate existed in 1419, but the new building dates from 1513, and was trans- formed in 1686 (with cross-vaulting of the nave). Outside, there is the late medieval bell tower and the Baroque bell chamber, while the interior has paintings by Francesco Antonio Giorgioli (ca. 1680) and finely worked stucco altars (end of the 17th century). Down from the road is the old now disused station of the Bellinzona-Mesocco railway line (1907), very well preserved. The building for travellers is typical of intermediate stations, with a double-pitched roof, and low-arched doors and windows. The trail continues (after crossing the road) on the right side, gently uphill till you come to a last terraced section going down to Cama station. The Comune of Cama (460 inhabitants), includes not only the village formed of two groups of houses on both sides of the Moesa River, but also the hamlet of Norantola. The layout of the village il- lustrates the role that transit roads played in the way that settlements have evolved. The new commercial road (1820) went through an area free of buildings on the right bank of the Moesa, between the original medieval centre around the church and the group of houses over on the left bank. In just a few decades a district sprang up around the “big road”, including the school and town hall and numerous public offices. Our own trail now passes in front of the parish church of San Maurizio, in an elevated position among the vineyards, where we also find a very beautiful stone fountain. The church is already mentioned in 1219 even if the present edifice is Baroque. The nave, perhaps dating from 1611, has a barrel-vaulted roof of about 1860. The side chapels and bell tower date from about 1656-62. One feature that is very common in Mesolcina (and also in the neighbouring region of Chiavenna) are the “grotti”, historic cellars built against the mountain or under the cliffs, used in the past for preserving wine and food products. Of particular interest are the Grotti di Cama, about fifty small stone constructions with a rectangular section (17th-19th centuries) on the lower margin of a chestnut wood. The group of cellars as we know them today probably date from the 19th century. They have recently been restored and may be visited, thanks to an itinerary that has been created, with direc- tions displayed on information panels. On the “Via dei grotti” (Path through the caves) that connects Cama with Gordona, see our Adventure Trail through the Bocchetta del Notar. From Cama you can climb in less than an hour to Verdabbio (604 m), a village of 160 inhabitants clinging to the sides of the mountain, in a favourable position for the cultiva- tion of vines; it is no accident therefore that a bunch of grapes appears in the Comune’s coat of arms (a bus service connects Verdabbio with Grono). The parish church of Santi Pietro e Lorenzo is documented from 1219, but once again the church underwent a Baroque transformation (1668). The wooden roof of the original nave dates from the

130 17th century. Worthy of attention are the high altar in polychrome stucco and, on the vault of the choir, paintings of the four Evangelists by Bartolomeo Rusca. An alternative to the visit to Verdabbio is to call in at the small rural village of Valdort (houses, stables, farm buildings including a ruined mill). It stands on a natural terrace in the middle of a chestnut forest. Here you will find the chapel of Santa Maria Imma- colata, a church that is just a single space (end of the 17th century) with a cross-vault- ed choir. To get up to Verdabbio you can also follow the signed route that leaves from the Piani di Verdabbio (by the Bivio per Norantola bus stop).

Torre Fiorenzana in Grono 131 F-Valle Mesolcina Stage 02

132 F.2 - STAGE FROM CAMA TO SOAZZA – BASIC INFORMATION

LENGTH 13.84 km

TIME AND LEVEL 4 hours approx. – difficulty T OF DIFFICULTY

By car: A2 motorway as far as Bellinzona Nord then A13 motorway (Roveredo exit); cantonal road to Cama

By train: railway line Milano - Chiasso - Bellinzona - San REACHING Gottardo to Bellinzona station (continue by bus, see below); TILO regional trains to Arbedo-Castione station (continue by THE START POINT bus, see below)

By bus: bus number 214 Bellinzona - Grono - Mesocco - San Bernardino (-Thusis) from Bellinzona or Castione railway sta- tions to Cama Municipio [Town Hall] bus stop

By bus: bus stops at Bivio per Norantola, Piani di Verdabbio, LEAVING THE TRAIL Sorte, Lostallo Posta, Lostallo Paese, Cabbiolo Sud, Cabbiolo BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT Chiesa, Cabbiolo Ara, Soazza Boffalora, Soazza

Train: www.ffs.ch

Bus: www.autopostale.ch (g Timetable)

PUBLIC TRANSPORT www.ti.ch/dt/dstm/sm/Temi/Trasporti/ TIMETABLES (g Ricerca orari)

www.fahrplanfelder.ch/en/welcome/

All public transport: www.muoversi.regione.lombardia.it

WHERE TO EAT Cama, Norantola, Lostallo, Soazza AND WHERE TO SLEEP

From Cama the Sentiero di Valle continues a little to the left of the small station, gain- ing altitude, and then you follow a path through a wood that joins the road near a stream. Here you continue on the asphalt and descend until you cross the main road, and after a few metres you turn right, cross the river and head for the hamlet of Noran- tola, a group of houses at the foot of a wooded hill on where we find the ruins of the Castello di Norantola, a substantial fortress mentioned in 1324 among the possessions of the De Sacco family. It passed to the Trivulzios in 1480 and was destroyed in 1483. Some remains of the fortified complex still exist, in a very evocative setting. The site was stabilized in 1950 and 1989-1996, and remains of an irregular surrounding wall and part of a residential tower are now visible. On a rise south of the castle there is

133 Old railway route Castello di Norantola

the church of Santa Lucia, a small church already mentioned in 1419, even if it is now a new building consecrated in 1633. Note the square, cross-vaulted choir and the painted panels from a late-Gothic altar from the workshop of Ivo Strigel (1510). Leaving the road in the vicinity of the last houses, you walk along a mule track right by the river and cross a wooded area before meeting up with the little road that descends gently between meadows to bring you to the Sorte bridge. Just before you arrive there used to be a wall that marked the historical border between Alta (Upper) and Bassa (Lower) Mesolcina. On the left bank you come to the village of Sorte (a hamlet in the Comune of Lostallo) with the church of Santa Maria Assunta, a small edifice with a square choir, consecrated in 1609; the overhanging dual-pitched roof forms an open portico resting on two columns. The church has mural paintings and paintings on canvas from the 17th century. You cross the bridge, continuing on the right bank of the Moesa River. The path bends to the right, goes past a fountain, and continues on a track running through the meadow as far as the little road which, still on the right, goes into the Zona golenale Rosera (a floodplain covering 20 hectares). Since 1995 it has been regenerated, by removing the stop-bank on the right and lowering the ground by extracting some of the rocks. A natural, wild space was thus created, a meeting point of flowing water and dry land. The reserve contains about 1,500 different plant species, and a great variety of insects, amphibians, fish, birds and mammals. Leaving the floodplain, you turn left and cross the cantonal road continuing on foot up the steep slope of the right side of the valley. After 45 minutes walk from Sorte, at the south entrance to Lostallo (439 m), near some caves, you pass by the Prato della Centena, a meadow on which in ancient times, on April 25th, the elective and legisla- tive assembly (called the “Centena”) of Comungrande used to meet (the gathering of the communities of Mesolcina and Calanca). The commemorative fountain here was inaugurated in 1996, to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Moesa being part of the Grey League. Lostallo (700 inhabitants) situated halfway along the valley, was there- fore the legislative capital of the Moesa district, as well as the stopping place for riders on mule-back and horseback. The Comune of Lostallo includes not only the village of Lostallo itself, but also the hamlets of Sorte and Cabbiolo.

134 Here you go up to the left and reach the parish church of San Giorgio, dating back to 1219, though the longitudinal Baroque church that we see today was constructed in 1639-56. It is a very rare example in the Graubünden territory of a Baroque church whose external cladding (with graffito decorations and quoins) is preserved almost intact. There are some curious illusionistic mural paintings with drapery (1670-80); a chapel contains a 17th-century statue of the Black Madonna of Loreto; and the church also preserves a valuable processional banner of 1611, painted on both sides, a gift from some Lostallo citizens who had emigrated to Rome. The church of San Carlo, with its rectangular choir, was consecrated in 1633, and is a testimony to the spread of the devotion felt for Carlo Borromeo, who had visited Mesolcina in 1583. The choir has some illusionistic paintings by Francesco Antonio Giorgioli (1686). In the centre of the village there is the interesting Ca di Pizzit (house no. 10), built in the 16th century with a typical wooden loggia under the roof. On the façade you can see two paintings (St. George killing the Dragon and St Anthony the Abbott, probably by the same hand that executed the paintings in the churches of Sorte and Cabbiolo. At the north exit from Lostallo you pass by the chapel of Santa Maria d’Aquate, a votive chapel that an emigrant from Lostallo had built and dedicated to the Madonna of Einsiedeln. It was transformed into a mortuary chapel in 1999. The name Aquate (“Downpours”) derives from the processions that the people used to make in times of drought to invoke the rain. The hilly area between the church of San Giorgio and the chapel of Santa Maria d’Aquate is occupied by a terraced chestnut forest with dry- stone walls of medieval origin. Thanks to extensive restoration work (care of the trees, cleaning up the land, restoration of the dry-stone walls) the chestnut forest of Lostallo now constitutes an important record of the agrarian history and material culture of Mesolcina. At the beginning or the 20th century, there were about 500 hectares of chestnut forests in the valley, which were then abandoned over the course of the cen- tury. The forests consisted of trees grafted with varieties of fruit, well spaced out one from another in pastures or meadows. Some of these forests are now being restored and regenerated. Going across the countryside in the direction of Cabbiolo (446 m) you can admire the Stalle di Cabié, a group of 13 stables of great historic and cultural, as well as scenic, significance. They form an harmonious group of rural buildings, included in the national list of sites to be protected. They are bare stone constructions with slate roofs, identical in structure and orientated towards the east. Notable in the hamlet of Cabbiolo is the church of San Nicolao, consecrated in 1611, which forms a pictur- esque Baroque ensemble with the old hospice. The church is a simple longitudinal building with a rectangular choir. The exterior has mural paintings (ca. 1611) which have been heavily touched up, while inside there are Baroque paintings of 1676 and a Deposition influenced by Rubens as an altarpiece. Detouring from the main trail, you can take a farm road leading from Cabbiolo across the Moesa and crossing the motorway with a flyover. You arrive at the ELIN electric power station of Rura, an example of an industrial building of real architectural value, with a rectangular plan and a façade that is broken up by alternating red pilasters and large windows, with a jutting flat roof. It was built in 1958 by the engineer Giovanni Lombardi, to a design by the architect, painter and designer Carlo Basilico. After Cabbiolo, our path mostly uses the old track of the Bellinzona-Mesocco electric

135 railway, inaugurated in 1907. The passenger service was suppressed in 1972 and the line was dismantled after the damage sustained by the flood of 1978. You go round the zone of Ara with its hydroelectric power station, following along the Moesa River, and after a short rise you come to the bottom of the Cascata Boffalora waterfall in a wild setting. When there is sufficient water, the Boffalora Stream forms this foam- ing cascade, admired and painted by travellers of the past. After a level section along the river, the path bends to the left to cross the cantonal road, and starts to rise again along the old railway route. On the right you can see the access mouth of the Valle della Forcola and you realise the devastating force that the Giovegna Stream can have in cloudbursts. The most dramatic flood was that of 27 August 1834, which swept away stables, bridges, roads and cultivated lands, changing the whole look of the area. The trail becomes particularly attractive, also because you are walking through scenery containing interesting old railway works – bridges, small viaducts and short tunnels. After walking for about an hour and a half from Cabbiolo, you arrive at Soazza, a village in an elevated position (620 m), announced by the church of San Martino, visible from afar. To reach the village, you can follow the old railway track as far as the old station, or else, from the foot of the San Martino promontory walk for about a hundred metres along the old mule track of the Gardanell, carefully restored. The track leads you to the foot of a flight of steps that rises to a fine panoramic hill on which you now come to the church you have already seen, the parish church of San Martino. Mentioned in 1219, the sacred building was transformed in 1626-39 into a proto-Baroque church with a single undivided space inside. Worthy of note are the tall bell towers with two- level belfries (second half of the 17th century), the nave with its 17th-century painted beamed roof, and the 16th-century painting of Christ in Judgement. Of great interest is the historic organ, assembled in 1894 by the organ specialists Giuseppe Vedani from . It is a rare instrument, in excellent condition, with cymbals, bass drum and bells. The chapel of Santa Maria Addolorata, at the foot of the flight of steps, is a Baroque construction of 1751, with the original triangular turret. The whole building is notable for the harmony between its architec- ture, painting and stucco ornamentation. From the parvis of San Martino you have an excellent view over the village (320 inhabitants) with a very well preserved centre and some steep cobbled alleys. It has a number of interesting buildings, besides some 19th-century neo-Classical mansions with their characteristic central corridors. These other buildings include the town hall and the school, recognisable from its turret with the school bell. Casa Zuri, a partly stone, partly wooden building, is distinguished by a mural painting (1757) in a stucco frame depicting St. Florian, patron saint of chimney sweeps, such as Vittore Eghelberto Zuri himself, who emigrated to Vienna and was probably the first owner of the house in question. The Palazzo a Marca was built in the 17th century by the Ferrari family. It was inherited by Clemente Maria a Marca, the last Graubünden governor of Valtellina. Renovated in 1809 and 1931-39, the mansion looks cubic, but in fact was formed by joining two separate buildings together. It has a terraced garden with a pavilion. Villa Mazzoni, built in 1916 in the southern part of the village by Giuseppe Mazzoni, the owner of a painting business in , is a villa with a garden in romantic, exotic style.

136 The Ospizio above the village, built after 1636 for the Capuchin mission, is now a parish house. This hospice is a cubic building with a brick bell-gable tower. It has a picturesque entrance courtyard with paintings by Francesco Antonio Giorgioli. The interior has various artistic references to the work of the Capuchins. The church of San Rocco is a longitudinal Baroque building (1633) in the centre of the village, with a rectangular choir that has rich stuccoes (mid-17th century). The barrel-vaulted side chapels have stuccoes and sequences of pictures with episodes from the lives of the saints (among them St. Carlo Borromeo). The old railway station has been enlarged and restructured to house the Centro culturale di circolo, the cultural club centre. The building includes a municipal and regional library, and two small permanent exhibi- tions, one devoted to the processing and production of wool, the other to soapstone (and its use for making cooking pots). The irrigation ditch that comes down into the centre of the village used to power a doz- en or so mills, some lathes for working the soapstone, a forge and a fuller (buildings that have now disappeared or been put to other uses), as well as feed three fountains and three wash troughs still existing as a reminder of Soazza’s agricultural and arti- sanal past. It is worth remembering that Soazza was the centre for the extraction and working of soapstone. Great round lumps of this stone were extracted in the quarries, and work on the lathes then produced various types of receptacles, especially the well known “laveggi” used in food preparation. If you wish to know more about the rural life of the past, we recommend a visit to the chestnut woods of Mont Grand. A circular itinerary taking about 2 hours starts out from the village, and allows you to explore these forests that have great imprtance for the landscape and ecology of the area. The cultivation of chestnuts was essential for feeding the population before the introduction of the potato. The area includes a num- ber of monumental chestnut trees (age-old trees with a circumference of more than 7 m at a height of 1.3 m above ground level), as well as stone buildings, terraced land, and an education centre that caters for school children and groups.

S. Giorgio in Lostallo Stalle di Cabié

137 F-Valle Mesolcina Stage 03

138 F.3 - STAGE FROM SOAZZA TO SAN BERNARDINO VILLAGE – BASIC INFORMATION

LENGTH 16.11 km

TIME AND LEVEL 5 ½ hours approx. – difficulty E OF DIFFICULTY

By car: A2 motorway as far as Bellinzona Nord then A13 motorway (exit 36 Mesocco); cantonal road to Soazza

By train: railway line Milano - Chiasso - Bellinzona - San REACHING Gottardo to Bellinzona station (continue by bus, see below); THE START POINT TILO regional trains to Arbedo-Castione station (continue by bus, see below)

By bus: bus number 214 Bellinzona - Grono - Mesocco - San Bernardino (-Thusis) to Soazza bus stop

LEAVING THE TRAIL By bus: bus stops at Castello, Mesocco station, Pian San Giacomo BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT Paese, San Bernardino Posta [Post Office]

Train: www.ffs.ch

Bus: www.autopostale.ch (g Timetable)

PUBLIC TRANSPORT www.ti.ch/dt/dstm/sm/Temi/Trasporti/ TIMETABLES (g Ricerca orari)

www.fahrplanfelder.ch/en/welcome/

All public transport: www.muoversi.regione.lombardia.it

WHERE TO EAT Soazza, Mesocco, San Bernardino AND WHERE TO SLEEP

From Soazza (near the car park and bus stop) the valley path winds along the track of the old railway and ascends a regular slope towards Mesocco. As you walk, you realise the extent to which Valle Mesolcina is still today an important transit route. The cantonal road and the “semi-motorway”, the A13, almost seem to weave together as they climb towards the rocky promontory with the imposing ruins of Mesocco Castle. The scenery changes too, becoming decidedly Alpine. In less than an hour you arrive just a few steps away form the castle ruins. Due west of the cliff, the excavations car- ried out when the motorway was being built brought to light traces of the presence of humans from the Mesolithic Age (almost 9,000 years ago). As we have already noted, the prehistory of the valley is illustrated in the archaeological section of the Museo Moesano, the Moesa Museum in San Vittore. You should definitely not miss the church of Santa Maria del Castello under the eastern

139 Cebbia Mesocco Castle

bastion of the Castle, since it is one of the most beautiful in Mesolcina. The church is in Romanesque style, and was mentioned in 1219. It has a rectangular nave and two apses, replaced by a choir as a result of an extension in 1627. There is an admirable 6-storey Romanesque bell tower. The church has a remarkable collection of paintings (very well preserved) from the second half of the 15th century, attributed to the Sereg- nesi workshop, including a cycle of the months which depicts some typical activities of the region such as cultivation of the vines and the chestnut . On the façade there is a monumental figure of St. Christopher (ca. 1469). The Castello di Mesocco stands on a rocky height (752 m), dominating and con- trolling the valley. The castle was the principal fortress of the Graubünden and one of the largest fortified complexes in Switzerland. Originally constructed in the Early Middle Ages, it was enlarged on a number of occasions (in the 12th and beginning of the 14th centuries) by the De Sacco family, the lords of Mesolcina, and then trans- formed into a Renaissance fortress by Gian Giacomo Trivulzio at the end of the 15th century. Having lost its strategic importance, the fortress was dismantled at the wish of the Rhaetian Leagues in 1526 and for centuries left in a state of abandonment. The ruins were consolidated and restored in 1925-26 however, and again at the end of the 20th century. The curtain wall is fortified with five protruding towers. The remains of the central nucleus of the castle are well visible along the western bastion, in par- ticular the plinth of the fortress which was destroyed by lightning in the19th century. The spacious internal courtyard, which has an irregular pentagonal plan, contains the ruins of the church of San Carpoforo, with remains from various periods and the harmonious bell tower dating from 1066-67. The dedication to St. Carpophorus indicates strong ties with Como. Resuming your walk after the visit to the Castle and the church, it will take you about 25 minutes to get to the old Mesocco station (766 m) no longer in use. The Comune of Mesocco is the largest in Mesolcina and also includes the tourist destination of San Bernardino. To be precise, Mesocco is made up of the main centre, Crimeo, and another 9 hamlets: Benabbia, S. Rocco, Anzone, Leso and Cebbia, which, like Crimeo, are on the right bank of the Moesa River, while Deira, Logiano, Darba and Andergia are on the left. Mesocco has little more than 1,200 inhabitants but in

140 the past it was the most populous and important comune in the Moesa valley. The inhabitants of Mesocco successfully bred livestock, thanks also to the numerous and excellent Alpine pastures, and they controlled much of the traffic through the San Bernardino Pass. There was however a significant migration of shopkeepers and chimney-sweeps away from Mesocco in the past centuries, especially towards the German-speaking area. The parish church of Santi Pietro e Paolo, stands in a panoramic position. From Ben- abbia you get to it up a flight of steps with the Stations of the Cross. Mentioned in 1219, the church (which has been the parish church since 1611) now has a Baroque appearance, following renovations and additions made in the 17th and 18th centu- ries. The bell tower is from the first half of the 17th century, with an onion dome (1720- 30) unique in the Moesa district. Worthy of note in the interior are the choir with fine moulded ornamentation, the stucco altars and the white marble baptismal font, and numerous paintings from various periods. From the piazzale of the old station, now no longer in service, it is well worth de- scending a few hundred metres along the little road leading to a bridge, the Ponte Purlingheni. This single-arch stone bridge over the gorge of the Moesa River has kept most of its original, medieval features intact, since it has escaped the destructions caused by floods and landslides. In the 19th century it was already considered an essential “valley bridge”: the maintenance of which was the responsibility of all the communities of the Moesa Valley. Along the main road at Crimeo we find two important residences of the A Marca family. The upper one, the lordly Casa del Maggiorasco, was perhaps built in 1564 for Colonel Giovanni a Marca, and refurbished in 1792. It has a round-arched main entrance crowned by a balcony with balustrade; inside there is a room with bed with baldaquin in which it is said Carlo Borromeo slept in 1583. The other, the Casa a Marca inferiore was probably built in 1668. It stands facing the Maggiorasco, but ori- entated in such a way as to form an open space that was used for public assemblies. The interior has rich furnishings. With its other buildings and the grounds (stables, gar- dens, orchards) the house testified to the importance of the family, active in commerce, politics and military affairs. Not far from here, still on the cantonal road, is the Casa di Circolo, a late neo-Classical edifice with a pyramid roof, built in 1859. The importance and role of the A Marca family are also demonstrated by the Fon- dazione Archivio a Marca, an historical archive for the Moesa District, housed in an ancient stable and storeroom for merchandise, annexed to the lower house. The objects kept here have to do with the Mesolcina and Calanca valleys in particular, but also with the Cantons of Graubünden and Ticino, Chiavenna and the Valtellina, plus some localities in every part of Europe. You resume the Sentiero di Valle at the piazzale of the old station. A few minutes walk on the village road takes you to the church of San Rocco, built towards the middle of the 16th century. The addition of two chapels in 1671 and other transformations between about 1715 and 1730 have turned it into a Baroque church, renovated in 1935. The interior has paintings by Francesco Antonio Giorgioli. In 1658 the church and the adjoining hospice (ca. 1650) were ceded to the Capuchins. Valle Mesolcina Valley is rich in “massi cuppellari”, large cup-shaped boulders that have hand-made engravings on the top. Their date and significance are still unknown.

141 Discovered in 2002 but already mentioned in a document of 1462, the Sass Lombard is one of the most important of these boulders found in Switzerland. On an indented surface of about 10 square metres here are 370 incisions in the rock. It is in a stand of firs beneath Stabiei (coordinates 738’512 / 140’044), along the old path that leads from the hamlet of Logiano to Alpe di Barna. Continuing on the trail, the climb towards San Bernardino begins after the compact village centre of Cebbia which you reach by walking parallel to the river with a gentle ascent. As you ascend you cross, and for brief stretches you actually use, the commercial road built around 1820, the route of which has remained largely unchanged. Of the modern road works, the two arched bridges on the A13 motorway deserve a mention. They were built of reinforced concrete in 1966-67, having been designed by the engi- neer Christian Menn, internationally renowned for the aesthetic quality of his work. After walking for about an hour and three quarters you come to a path that really does climb now, cutting through some wooded scrub and winding uphill. You come to Pian San Giacomo, with at the centre a large grassy plain at an altitude of 1,170 metres. Numerous holiday homes are scattered through the area, some of them new buildings, and some restructured farm buildings. The Chiesetta di San Giacomo, on the right side of the valley, was first mentioned in 1419. It has a simple longitudinal body with a bell-gable tower, transformed in 1683 and restored in 1961. The path first crosses a small floodplain, and then begins to climb the slope on the right bank along a farm road. You go up the “ladder” that leads to San Bernardino after about two and three-quarter hours of walking, climbing through “maggenghi” mountains (i.e. mountains with Alpine pastures), woods of conifers interrupted by grassy clearings, and beautiful waterfalls (the Pignela waterfall is particularly impressive). You keep walking, al- most always on farm and forest paths, and it is worth taking a look at the mountain chain on the left side of the valley. Here you can easily recognise the saddle of the Balniscio Pass between Piz Curciusa and the Cima di Balniscio peak. The Pass connects Pian San Giacomo with Isola, in the Alta Val San Giacomo. At Caurga a brief detour is marked leading to a “ponte romano” (in reality this “Roman bridge” is an arched bridge made in the 19th century), and immediately after the sign you come across a curious natural feature (about 50 metres off the track, sign-posted with an explanatory panel): a columnar red fir (Abies magnifica). This tree is very rare (there are only three similar examples in the whole of Graubünden), and is probably the result of a natural genetic modification. It has very thin branches that droop near the trunk, and this gives it the form of a column with a wavy trunk (for further details see the information panel on the spot). After a last climbing section you get to Lake d’Isola (1603 m). This is the most impor- tant reservoir in the Moesa Valley, with a capacity of 6.5 million m3 of water. The curved dam is 45 metres high and was built in 1960. The Sentiero di Valle now continues straight round the lake on a gravel road through the fir-trees. There is an interesting alternative to the trail at this point. You can cross the dam and use the walkway to get across the motorway, arriving at San Bernardino in about 45 min- utes passing Alpe Portela. From the dam you have a fantastic panorama over the wide opening of the pass and, to the right, across to the unmistakable pyramid of Pizzo Uccel- lo, which recalls the ancient name of the area and the crossing – “Culmen de Ouxello”, bird’s peak. You can distinguish quite clearly the path followed by the carriageway and

142 pick out the other possible tracks for crossing the pass on paths and mule tracks. After going round the side of the lake you can reach the village of San Bernardino either by turning right and going over the motorway (following the track with the sign “Sentiero di Valle”) or by proceeding in the direction of Alpe Fracch. San Bernardino (1608 m) is the tourist destination of the Mesolcina Valley, the one that everyone has heard of. It was discovered as a place to holiday at by the Milanese during the 19th century, when a number of hotels were built. The village, set in a wide basin between stands of pine and Alpine pastures and a spectacular crown of mountain peaks, underwent major changes to its town planning in the 1960s with the arrival of mass tourism and the construction of the motorway and the road tunnel (1967). The oldest and most fascinating monument in the village for the harmony and sobri- ety of its style, is the chapel of San Bernardino, a building planned as a cube with a square choir, plus the sacristy and a low, robust bell tower with a pyramid roof, docu- mented in 1467 and restructured in the 17th and 18th centuries; inside, the repainted figures originally date back to the second half of the 15th century, and are attributed to the Seregnesi workshop. The chapel, which when it was built gave its name to the pass and the village, was originally dedicated to two saints, Bernardino and Sebas- tian. This sacred building is unfortunately almost hidden from sight by the voluminous Chiesa Rotonda, also dedicated to St. Bernardino. The Rotonda church is a building with a centralised plan and drum dome, accessed by a staircase. It is a church that was built between 1867 and 1897 on the model of the church of San Carlo al Corso in Milan. In the principal niche can be seen an oil painting of 1809 depicting St. Bernardino, attributed to Giovanni Battista Bagutti. The town’s attraction for tourists is also explained by its mineral waters. There still exists the Antica Fonte minerale, an edifice that a wealthy Milanese merchant, Paolo Battaglia, arranged to be built in 1829. It has been altered and enlarged on various occasions. A medallion placed above a spout from which the mineral water gushes out (accessible to the public), commemorates Battaglia’s initiative, which was to the benefit of the town and the development of its tourism.

Chapel of S. Bernardino Mule track between S. Bernardino and Pian S. Giacomo

143 In the centre of the town is the Hotel Ravizza/National, currently not in use. It is a build- ing in neo-Classical style with a pyramid roof, constructed around 1825, immediately following the opening of the commercial road to the pass. A commemorative plaque on the façade recalls that Cavour stayed here in 1858. San Bernardino offers a wide variety of different excursions. The information panels along the various itineraries, and the materials available at the Tourist Office, give you all the necessary details. If you wish to discover the natural wonders of the area, we recommend a trip to Lake Doss and the Torbiera di Suossa. Lake Doss can be reached in less than an hour by following a number of signed paths. It is a roundish stretch of water, situated in an open bowl to the south of the village. The adjacent area figures in the list of peat-bogs of high national imporance. The lake, which is swimmable in summer, is a precious ecosystem because it is a low lake (6 m deep) situated at an altitude of 1600 m. Suossa Peat-bog can be reached from the lake in a little over 30 minutes heading south. With a surface area of ca. 2.8 hectares, this bog originated about 10,000 years ago when a glacial hollow was interred. It is an extreme environ- ment to which some special animal and plant species, found only here, have adapted. The peat-bog is also a natural “archive” which preserves the pollens deposited in the ground for thousands of years, and makes it possible to reconstruct the history of the repopulation of the area after the Ice Age. Acting as an enormous sponge absorbing water, the peat--bog helps prevent flooding. From Suossa you can return to San Ber- nardino using the Alpe Portela trail mentioned previously. If you are interested in the history of these paths though the mountains, we suggest that you make an easy excusrsion to the ruins of Ponte Vittorio Emanuele (it is strongly recommended not to venture on the unstable ruins of the building). Near Pont Nef, on the road to the pass, an information board tells you how to reach the remains of this bridge over the Moesa, along the original route of the carriageway. The bridge was named in honour of King Victor Emmanuel I, King of Sardinia from 1802 to 1821, and co-funder of the San Bernardino road. The arch of the bridge (which was inaugu- rated in 1824) had a span of 21 m and a height of 30 m. Because of the danger of avalanches, a winter route was used after 1858 on the other side of the valley, and in 1864 this first route was completely abandoned with the construction of a new route leaving from the Pont Nef (“new bridge”) already mentioned. Unstable from the very beginning because of some defects in its construction, the Ponte Vittorio Emanuale collapsed in 1869. Nowadays you can still see the right shoulder and the remains of the galleries that protected it against avalanches. If you can, you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to walk up to the San Bernardino Pass itself (2065 m). It will take you about two hours (from June to mid-October, daily bus trips from and back to the Ospizio are available, see below). Various routes are pos- sible, which in part retrace the old tracks of which some signs are still visible. Do not be deceived by anachronistic signs such as “strada romana” – there is no Roman road hereabouts. The excursion to the top also gives you the chance to admire the 1823 commercial road (intelligently restored) with its admirable road works (retaining walls, manholes, kerbstones), and to cross areas of great botanical interest. On the pass, near Lake Moesola, stands the Ospizio. The famous San Bernardino hospice is today a restaurant. The building is a prism in neo-Classical style, constructed in 1824-25, with a pyramid roof, originally with a carriage road through the centre.

144 Arrival at S. Bernardino 145 General map of the Adventure Trails

146Passo della Crocetta 3 ADVENTURE TRAILS

147 This chapter presents three “Adventure Trails”. These trails are much more demand- ing than those described hitherto, and have been devised for experienced hikers who are physically fit.

The decision to include these trails in this Guide is a natural response to two important factors: - The first is the very morphology of the territories involved, that is to say the border areas between upper Lake Como and Valchiavenna in Italy and the Mesolcina Re- gion in the Canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. These are by definition mountain areas, where the only way to cross the border is by climbing mountains and going over saddles and passes. The decision is therefore “inevitable” by the terrain itself and by our desire to provide continuity between the trails linking the two countries. - The second factor governing our decision is that we aim to offer the widest and most diverse experiences to tourists, meeting the demands not only of recreational walkers (mostly families or people who choose to pass a day or two in the open air, combining exercise, enjoyment of nature, and discovery of the local culture) but also those who are into mountain sports, experienced and well-equipped hikers and mountaineers who give priority to ascents of the Alpine peaks, as a test of their physical fitness and technical skill.

Experienced mountain travellers do not mind so much how many points of interest lie along a route (though it must be said that all of these trails are to be treasured for the natural phenomena on display), as in where they want to get to and how challenging the route is. For this reason, the descriptions in this section are not so full as for the recreational trails. Some information is given on the places touched and places where travellers can eat and overnight. Otherwise, we limit ourselves to describing the route.

We would however emphasise that these trails too have their own historical dimen- sion. Ever since 1800 the Forcola Pass and the Notar and d’Agnon Saddles have been used more or less continuously for crossings by smugglers, the Italian spalloni, carrying huge weights of contraband goods on their shoulders across the border be- tween Switzerland and Italy. The history of some routes extends much further back into the past. It would seem, for example, that the way through the Forcola Pass, as a connection between Valchiavenna (Gordona, Mese and Chiavenna) and Valle Mesolcina (Soazza) was known and used for military purposes ever since the Middle Ages (and probably earlier). In the 17th and 18th centuries, the mule track was widened and travelled by merchants who, unable to transit through lands belonging to the State of Milan wished to trade with Swiss towns and the Republic of Venice. In this period the route used to be called “the salt way” and was employed over a longish period as a natural extension of the Priula Road (the road linking Bergamo to Morbegno and continuing eastward). Via della Forcola was also involved in some rather macabre incidents in the period of the plague in the 17th century. Along the route, at the entrance to Chiavenna, you still find a design of a key sculpted into the stone. This is the “Key of the Plague”, the place at which, according to tradition, the guards prevented beggars suspected of carrying the plague from entering the city.

148 The three Adventure Trails we describe are: G) From Gordona (in the Province of Sondrio) to Soazza through the Forcola Pass H) From Gordona (in the Province of Sondrio) to Cama through the Notar Saddle I) From Livo (in the Province of Como) to Cama through the Agnon (or Cama) Saddle

The initial and final point of each Adventure Trail coincides with a place that is on the Recreational Trails. This means that there is a continuous walking track, one trail lead- ing into another. Thus the paths from Gordona link up with Via Francisca (D.2 - Stage from Samolaco to Gordona) and the path from Livo crosses Via dei Monti Lariani (B.7 – Stage from Peglio to Sorico). The second and third of the Adventure Trails are connected by means of a “link path” which provides a direct passage through Val Bodengo and Val Darengo and connec- tion with both the Province of Como (and its routes along Via dei Monti Lariani) and the Province of Sondrio (and the Via Francisca trails).

The mule track leading to Corte Seconda in Val Bodengo

149 Adventure Trail G Passo della Forcola

BASIC INFORMATION

12 hours approx. total route on foot

6 ½ hours approx. from Gordona (Coloredo) to Passo Forcola TIME 4 hours approx. driving to Voga, then walking to Passo Forcola

5 ½ hours approx. from Soazza (area Druna) to Passo Forcola

DIFFICULTY E

Passo della Forcola separates Valle della Forcola on the Italian side, which you access from Gordona, from Valle della Forcola on the Swiss side, which opens on the left side of Valle Mesolcina. The route establishes a link between Via Francisca (at Gordona) on the Italian side and Sentiero di Valle in Mesolcina (at Soazza) on the Swiss side. The trail is therefore described in both directions.

150 Leaving from Gordona: From Gordona you can reach the hamlet of Coloredo by car, driving up the nu- merous bends that lead to the chalets of Voga around 1000 metres in altitude. The path can also be completed on foot also from Coloredo along a trail that follows the road at some points and cuts across it through the woods. As in other cases, we recommend that you start from the bottom only if you are planning a hike lasting a number of days and linking up with the paths at the bottom of the valley. The trail to follow is the D4, indicated by signs and waymarkers with white and red stripes. From the small car park in Voga (1057 m), you climb to the bend above and take the track that goes up into the wood, emerging higher where it again crosses the road in the section where vehicles are only allowed to transit with a permit. You continue between woods and meadows as far as the chalets of Dàrdano (1334 m) which occupy a grassy basin surrounded by trees. Near the first chalets and a fountain, the path bends right and goes back into the wood, gaining in height. It then cuts across the slope and comes out at the foot of the hill where there are the stone cottages of Alpe Buglio (1544 m). You find yourself on a fantastic panoramic balcony with a view that covers the whole Piano di Chiavenna. A spring and a great rock with a table are perfect for a short stop, even if there is not far to walk now. The path abandons the meadow and returns among the trees, but the slope is gentle. The val- ley narrows and the track approaches the other side in view of Alpe Forcola. If you look up you’ll see the Forcola Pass in front of you, but don’t be deceived, the section awaiting you requires at least an hour’s climb to cover the remaining 400 metres in altitude, and the gradient makes it pretty strenuous going. Continue up the always well-marked path, ignoring the detour to the left (along a footbridge), in scenery that becomes increasingly stony and bare, until you reach Passo della Forcola (2227 m). Here you can finally look down the other side and admire the panorama of the mountain peaks of Switzerland.

Leaving from Soazza: Passo della Forcola can also be reached from Valle Mesolcina, and connects up with the Sentiero di Valle just before the village of Soazza. From here you go along the right side of the valley, skirting the stables in the farmland of Druna just above 600 m in altitude, and a little higher you enter a narrow gorge, walking beneath imposing walls along a section excavated in the rock. You then cross the stream and come up on the opposite side and stay there all the way until you reach your goal. You zigzag up through the trees and then complete a long traverse that leads you to the most open, green part of the valley, where among the meadows you find the chalets of Alpe Crasteira (1419 metres). Among these stone buildings you also find a tiny emergency refuge that is always open, and the arrival point of the counterweight cable-car used in the past. You continue up a moderate slope until you get onto the terrace of Alpe di Quarnei at 1753 metres, where there is a stable and a small emergency refuge with a stove. You leave the last trees behind you and walk towards the wide high-altitude pastures of Paligneira until you reach a hollow of loose rock. From here, one last push will get you to the top of the pass.

151 Adventure Trail H Bocchetta del Notar

BASIC INFORMATION

13 hours approx. total route on foot

6 ½ hours approx. from Gordona to Bocchetta del Notar TIME 3 hours approx. driving to Corte Terza, then walking to Bocchetta del Notar

6 hours approx. from Cama to Bocchetta del Notar

DIFFICULTY EE

The Bocchetta del Notar (Notar Saddle) establishes a connection, at high altitude, between Val Bodengo which is accessed from Gordona on the Italian side and Valle di Cama accessed from the village of Cama on the Swiss side. The route is known as the “Via dei Crotti” (Road of the Caves) and offers opportunities for delicious meal breaks at the typical mountain eateries.

152 Leaving from Gordona: The path takes off from the top of the village of Gordona. Walk up Via degli Emigranti, and where it becomes Via Cimavilla turn left into Via Crotti di Sopra. You soon reach a car park with a little chapel, and the trail itself starts from here. Alternatively, to cut down the hours spent walking, it is possible to get into Val Bodengo by car (you have to pay to transit; buy your pass at Bar San Martino) on an asphalt road as far as Bodengo village, or else as far as the end of the road (which becomes a gravel road) near Corte Terza (1190 m), where there is a parking area. The paved mule track enters the wood and firstly by walking uphill and then up a section with steps you arrive at a panoramic terrace coming out right in front of Crotto Dunadiv (737 m). Ignore the mule track that keeps going forwards and instead turn left, following along a section of the asphalt road until you come near to a hairpin bend towards the right where you will also see notices advertising canyoning. Here you veer left, onto a paved mule track that leads you down to the evocative stone bridge, a little way past the gorge formed by the Boggia Stream. From this point on you resume climbing, gradually passing the chalets of Bedolina and arriving in the shade of a wood on the asphalt road suitable for vehicles at Pra Prince (917 m). Turn left without leaving the road which will take you through some bends to the houses of Bodengo (1030 m) with its finecrotti (caves) visible on the opposite side where the valley begins to open out. When you arrive at the ford over the stream leave the asphalt and keep to the right where you take the path that rises and immediately bends left into the wood, then continuing across the slope a little above the water- course. Before the chalets of Corte Terza (1190 m) you come out of the trees and walk through the meadows to reach the Alpine pasture. On the opposite bank there is the car park where the road for cars stops. You keep going along the gravel track which goes up the valley with a moderate gradient, and reach, with no possibility of going astray, Corte Seconda at 1389 metres and, beyond a wooden gate, the Alpine pasture of Corte Prima (1540 m). The track becomes a path and begins to climb more steeply, gaining the first grassy ledge through the high pastures and areas with great boulders that announce your arrival in the stony landscape of high altitudes. The path is still well marked with a white-red trail sign but you must be absolutely sure that you keep looking for the signs among the rocks and do not lose the trail. As you go up you see a turn off to the right (an arrow and indication on a stone) that leads off, almost at the top, to Alpe del Notaro (1882 m), where there is the new Rifugio Notaro, self-managed, where it is possible to spend the night (for info ring Marco on: 329.08.57.655). Keep climbing west until you reach the cut through the rocks that is Bocchetta del Notar, the Notar Saddle, at 2098 metres between Piz d’Uria and Sasso Bodengo. From the saddle you look out over Val Cama.

Leaving from Cama: You reach the village of Cama by driving though the bottom of the valley from Rovere- do in the direction of San Bernardino where, as soon as you are among the houses, you turn right, downhill. Cross the Moesa River and the motorway, heading for the hamlet of Ogreda (were you can leave the car in a large car park with trees). That is where you pick up the path which immediately enters a thick beech and chestnut wood, and proceed quite steeply uphill along a series of bends as far as a

153 small chapel. From here you keep going up a steep hill along a terraced section. You reach the farmhouses of Provesc (800 m), where the valley levels out and becomes gentler. The path runs on the right side of the valley along a long section parallel to the stream in a wild landscape between the narrow sides of the valley. To the right you can admire the Cascata della Fontana Fregia falls, and further on you go past two enormous boulders that seem to bar your way. You pass Promegn and hike up through the trees as far as the grassy clearing with the chalets of Alp di Besarden at an altitude of 1036 metres. The trail goes back into the wood and comes out quite suddenly into the hollow occupied by Lake Cama (1265 m) protected from the mountains above by impressive rock ramparts. It is possible to have lunch or to overnight in one of the buildings here. You go round the shores of the lake to the east, on the left of the Rifugio Miralago, pass Alp de Lumegn, and resume climbing entering the Canalone del Valon, the Valon channel, to the left of the head the valley. The trail requires greater attention and expe- rience at this point. Cross the stretches of broken rock at the foot of Pizzo Campanile and cross a watercourse, and then you have to tackle a steep section fitted with iron supports (nicknamed the “Scala Santa” or Holy Stairs). Go up a stony slope and veer left, heading for the mountain saddle.

Lago di Val Cama

154 View over Val Darengo

155 Adventure Trail I Bocchetta d’Agnon

BASIC INFORMATION

14 hours approx. total route on foot

7 ½ hours approx. from Livo to Bocchetta d’Agnon TIME 6 ½ hours approx. driving to Dangri, then walking to Bocchetta d’Agnon

6 ½ hours approx. from Cama to Bocchetta d’Agnon

DIFFICULTY EE

The Bocchetta d’Agnon (the Agnon Saddle, also called the Cama Saddle) is the high altitude crossing between Italy and Switzerland that makes it possible to reach Valle di Cama from Val Darengo (through the Passo del’Orso, or “Bear’s Pass), via a fairly long trail reserved for experienced hikers who are confident in high mountainous terrain.

156 Leaving from Livo: From the houses of Livo, a walk of about an hour along a mule track going gently downhill will take you to the Ponte di Dangri, otherwise you can get there by car paying a toll for the transit. The bridge (at an altitude of 650 m with refreshments available) crosses splendid natural water holes moulded by the green waters of the Dangri River. Cross the bridge and ascend into the wood along a steep paved mule track as far as a sanctuary, the Santuario della Madonna di Livo, and green pastures with the stone chalets of the village of Baggio (930 m) where you can refresh yourself at a fountain. Once you are past Alpe Baggio, the deep furrow of Val Darengo appears before you. The track cuts across the slope on the left side of the river until it descends to the Ponte di Borgo bridge at the foot of Monte Croce di Rabbi that dominates the confluence with Val di Ledù. Across the stream you start climbing again, reach the chalets of Borgo (1069 m) and continue on the right side of the valley, walking alongside the river. Go through some clearings and you arrive at a little stone bridge (1250 m), from where you can reach Rifugio Pianezza, a mountain hut only a short distance away. Proceeding on the trail however, you climb to the wide basin of Alpe Darengo (1378 m). Go through some meadows, continuing to follow the white-red trail signs, turn right, and begin to climb again up a fairly steep shoulder as far as Rifugio Daren- go. Just a few more metres on and you are on the shores of Lake Darengo (1780 m) with the hill on which stands Capanna Como (Como Hut). This Rifugio, belonging to the Como section of the Italian Alpine Club, is equipped with 22 sleeping bunks, a kitchen, and showers. It is self-managed, and to use it you need to get the keys at Livo (for info phone 335/7806842). Our advice is to spend a night at altitude before resuming the trail, which is quite strenuous. To reach Switzerland, follow the red posts toward the Giovo Pass on the right side of the valley. With the Como Hut behind you, climb a shoulder on the left leading above the rocky outcrop that dominates the lake. Here, ignore the path leading to Passo della Crocetta (and into Val Bodengo), and veer left as you climb up towards the rocks until the cross the crest at the Passo dell’Orso (2165 m). You are now at the top of Valle del Dosso. Descend among the rocks excavated by the smugglers to facilitate their passage, losing height until you reach traces of the Sentiero della Scatta, the Scatta Path. Proceed, cutting across the steep slope, and you come to a junction. Here you abandon the Alta Via del Lario (the High Larian Path which goes down to the left), following instead the stone markers leading you to the base of the rocky spur of Pizzo Caurga, where the path zigzags up to Bocchetta di Cama (2272 m).

Leaving from Cama: The trail coincides with that described in the preceding pages (ADVENTURE TRAIL H – BOCCHETTA DEL NOTAR) but leaving from the village of Cama as far as Capanna Miralago, the Rifugio on the shores of Lake Cama (1265 m). Now follow the path that runs along the eastern shore of the basin and you reach the Alp de Lumegn (here it is possible to spend the night, although the farmhouse is currently undergoing alterations). You continue on towards the bottom of the valley, where you come to a junction. Keep to the right. The track begins to climb quite steepy on the right side of the Ria di Agnon Stream, which you cross after you have gone

157 over the first rocky outcrop, bearing right to Alpe d’Agnon where you find a recently remodelled farmhouse that is always open and can be used as a mountain hut at high altitude. Continue in the direction of the saddle as the going get steeper until you enter a rocky bowl. The last section is on a scree slope and you must exercise care (also because of any icy snow that can last well beyond winter). The slope narrows to a channel leading finally to the Bocchetta del Notar.

Capanna Como

158 Val di Cama

The cabins of Baggio at the beginning of Val Darengo

159 Link path Adventure Trails H-I

View over Val Bodengo from Corte Prima

160 The Adventure Trails connecting the village of Cama in Mesolcina to the villages of Gordona and Livo in Italy through the Bocchetta del Notar and Bocchetta d’Agnon are connected at altitude by a link path that, while remaining in Italian territory, permits a direct route between Val Bodengo and Val Darengo. Along the way, this link path crosses the Bocchetta del Notar trail (in the rocky part at altitude), which you must avoid. Near the boulder that, with an arrow pointing to the right, indicates the path leading to Alpe del Notaro (ADVENTURE TRAIL H – BOC- CHETTA DEL NOTAR), continue on your track, ignoring this sign. You must instead tack- le slopes that become steadily steeper until you leave the last tufts of grass and arrive on the scree below the peaks. The Passo della Crocetta (2201 m) is in view in front of you, and you need to make one last push to get there. Picking your way through the large boulders with the care that comes from experience, you cover this last section rising steeply near the fissure in the mountain, and reach the top, from where you can enjoy the well-earned view down the other side including Lake Darengo. A track descends towards the lake and, bending right, skirts the rocky shoulder of the peak. You lose height and traverse the upper part of the great bowl in which Lake Darengo is situated, now passing through grassy areas and great slabs of rock. Con- tinue on downhill from here as far as Capanna Como (a self-managed mountain hut, see ADVENTURE TRAIL I – BOCCHETTA D’AGNON).

Climbing from Gordona

161 BIBLIOGRAPHY

FOR THE SECTIONS RELATING TO ITALY

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162 Brenna G., Mesolcina e Calanca. Montagne che stregano il cuore, Bellinzona, 1998 Cassinelli S., Mastalli P., Lungo i sentieri del contrabbando. Storie, testimonianze, appunti di viaggio, Varese, 2006 Ciocco A., Peduzzi D., Tamoni R., Valle Mesolcina e Valle Calanca, Bern, 2000 Ciocco E., Riflessi dalla pietra al barocco, San Vittore, 2004 Federici-Schenardi M. (a cura di), Viaggiatori nel tempo. Guida alla mostra permanente della sezione archeologica del Museo Moesano, San Vittore, 2010 (bilingual Italian/German) Gabuzzi M., Capanne e rifugi del Ticino e della Mesolcina, Bellinzona, 2009 Gogna A., Recalcati A., Mesolcina Spluga. Monti dell’Alto Lario, Milano, 1999 (Guida dei monti d’Italia 22) Mantovani P., I laveggiai di Soazza. L’estrazione e la lavorazione della pietra ollare nel Set- tecento, Coira, 1992 Mantovani P., La strada commerciale del San Bernardino nella prima metà del XIX secolo, Locarno, 1988 Meyer W., Castelli del Ticino e del Grigioni italiano, Zurich, 1982 Mozzanica I., Itinerari sui monti dell’Alto Lario Occidentale, Milano, 2002 Peduzzi D. (a cura di), Andiamo ai grotti, Cama, 2009 Santi C. (a cura di), Alle pendici del Piz Pombi. Studi in occasione del 25° della Fondazione Archivio a Marca di Mesocco, Tipografia Menghini, Poschiavo, 2007 Santi C., Emigrazione in Mesolcina e Calanca, in Col bastone e la bisaccia per le strade d’Europa. Migrazioni stagionali di mestiere nell’arco alpino nei secoli XVI-XVIII, Bellinzona, 1991, pp. 83-97 Santi C., La Mesolcina e la strada del San Jorio in una relazione del 1775, “Quaderni grigio- nitaliani”, 1987, n. 4, pp. 296-308 Stäuble A. e M. (a cura di), Scrittori del Grigioni Italiano. Antologia letteraria, Locarno, 2008 Storia dei Grigioni, Coira – Bellinzona, 3 voll., 2000 Tagliabue S., La Signoria dei Trivulzio in Valle Mesolcina, Rheinwald e Safiental, Lugano, 1996 (anastatic reprint of the original edition of 1927) Tamò S., Su e giù nella Valle Mesolcina e nella Val Calanca. 45 escursioni alla scoperta della natura alpina nelle due vallate del grigionitaliano, Bellinzona, 2010 Zendralli A.M., I magistri Grigioni – architetti e costruttori, scultori, stuccatori e pittori – dal 16° al 18° secolo, Poschiavo, 1958 Castello di Mesocco passato e futuro (numero speciale “Quaderni grigionitaliani”, n. 2, 2010) Guida d’arte della Svizzera italiana, a cura della Società di storia dell’arte in Svizzera, Bel- linzona, 2007 Itinerari a scambi transalpini. Atti dell’incontro di studio. Chiavenna, 13 maggio 2000, “Ar- chivio storico ticinese”, n. 128, dicembre 2000 (also available as an extract) L’antica Via Regina. Tra gli itinerari stradali e le vie d’acqua del comasco. Raccolta di studi, Como, 1995 Rezia antica e moderna dall’Adda al Reno (“Quaderni grigionitaliani”, numero speciale, dicembre 1991)

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