La bella mulattiera che sale al Lago del Truzzo. Dalla parte opposta della valle si vede l'Alpe Lendine, seconda destinazione di questo lungo giro ad anello.

The fine mule track that climbs to Lago del Truzzo. On the opposite side of the valley you can see Alpe Lendine, the second destination of this long loop.

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Valchiavenna

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Hikes in Valchiavenna

Valchiavenna and Valle Spluga offer deep, narrow valleys to the south, and grassy plateaus between Madesimo and the Passo dello Spluga.

The westernmost part of the Province of Sondrio is made up of the Piana di Chiavenna, formed over millennia by the deposits of the Mera on its way to Lake Como, and the stern trench of Valle Spluga.

Once important valleys along the Via Regina and the Via Spluga, over the centuries they lost their strategic and commercial importance. All to the benefit of hikers, who can explore the beautiful high plateaus of the upper Valle Spluga without the crowds of Graubünden or Valtellina.

Thanks to its rolling terrain, Valle Spluga is dotted with a large number of particularly beautiful alpine lakes, from Lago Angeloga to the Emet, Lago Bianco at Pian dei Cavalli and the Laghi di Baldiscio.

Thanks to the density of hikes in these valleys, Valle Spluga lends itself well to a week's holiday based in quiet Madesimo. The best months: July, when the plateaus are at their greenest and dotted with alpine flowers, and the last two weeks of October, when the larches turn orange and the first snow whitens the peaks.

Good to know about Valchiavenna

Coming down from a hike in Valchiavenna often means ending up in a crotto, and it is worth knowing what one is: a natural cavity among the boulders of ancient landslides, from which a steady current of cool air called the sorel flows. For centuries the crotti served as natural refrigerators for wine, cured meats and cheese, and many are now taverns; in September, during the Sagra dei Crotti in Chiavenna, some private owners open theirs to the public. The same geology gave the valley its soapstone, pietra ollare, worked between Chiavenna and Piuro probably since the Iron Age and certainly since Roman times, and turned on lathes into fireproof cooking pots.

The Sentiero del Tracciolino, with its almost level line, has an industrial rather than a pastoral history: it was opened in the 1930s as a service track, with a small railway, to link the dams of Val dei Ratti and Val Codera. Further north, the Via Spluga is now also a waymarked trek of about 65 kilometres in four stages, from Thusis in Switzerland down to Chiavenna, which follows the old trade route and passes through the Cardinello gorge. On both routes landslides and maintenance work can close sections for months, so it is wise to check municipal notices and the official websites before setting off.