Attractions and Places To See around Soazza - Top 20

Stage 7: San Bernardino – Bellinzona An exhilarating descent through the Mesolcina Valley. Eagerly absorbing the mild southern climate. In Mesocco, cyclists enjoy the largest ruin in Switzerland and, at the end of the tour, in Bellinzona, the defiant towers and walls of the tre castelli. Refreshed, they follow the rushing Moësa River out of the lively resort town of San Bernardino. The 46-kilometer-long tributary of the Ticino rises at the San Bernardino Pass and gives its name to the Mesolcina Valley (Misox). Although Italian is spoken in the valley, as in the Poschiavo and Bregaglia valleys, it has always maintained close ties to Graubünden. In the smaller villages, where many of the houses are covered with stone slabs, time seems to have stood still. You hardly stop on your bike during the rapid descent towards the south. Surrounded by rocky cliffs, you roar along a well-maintained road with countless skid marks. The highway, which practically hangs from the mountain, seems a bit surreal. Later, a varied side road leads down to Mesocco. Magnificent views of the valley are revealed. Below the village, perched on a rocky outcrop, are the ruins of the Castello di Mesocco, the 11th-century ancestral castle of the Count of Misox. It is considered one of the most important in Graubünden and the largest in Switzerland. Roveredo is the main town in the lower Misox Valley. And what could be nicer here than a break in a cool grotto, enjoying a typical lunch menu and a glass of local wine? The village also boasts several beautiful 17th-century houses, such as the one designed by local architect and builder Enrico Zuccalli. A secluded stretch follows near Lumino, just after crossing the highway and the river. A forest path leads along the Moësa River over hill and dale. Passing an inviting forest garden grotto and some secluded swimming spots, you reach Arbedo-Castione. Here, the Moësa flows into the Ticino River. Text / Source: Schweizmobil.ch https://schweizmobil.ch/de/veloland/route-6/etappe-7

Mesocco Castle San Bernardino Castle Mesolcina Calanca The ruins of Mesocco Castle stand on top of an imposing rocky hill that rises steeply from the valley floor. This imposing fortress stands in the center of the valley, forcing the Moesa River into a wide bend in a narrow, impassable gorge, leaving only a narrow passage to the west. Mesocco Castle is protected on three sides by steep cliffs. Only to the northeast, on the upstream side of the valley, does the slope slope more gently. Climbing up the old access road to the castle from the north side, you first reach the Church of St. Maria del Castello and are already on the castle grounds, which were once surrounded by a defensive wall. The impressive ruins consist mainly of the remains of defensive works built in the last decades of the 15th century, i.e., during the final phase of the castle's life. Among them are numerous ruins from earlier eras, so that the castle's current appearance reveals its eventful history, which has its roots in the early Middle Ages. Graubünden Ferien, Alexanderstrasse 24, 7001 Chur https://www.graubuenden.ch/de/ausflugsziele/castello-di-mesocco

After a short climb you reach the entrance

Portone di Santa Maria, Chiavenna since 1741 City gate (Portone), which was built in 1741 in honor of the Graubünden commissioner Ercole Salis Text / Source: wikivoyage.org https://de.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Chiavenna

Chiavenna Located at the intersection of the Bergell and the Val San Giacomo, Chiavenna (formerly German Cläven, Kleven) is the center of the Valchiavenna, which together with the Valtellina makes up the present-day Italian province of Sondrio. Chiavenna, mentioned in the Itinerarium Antonini and in the Peutinger Table as Clavenna, was conquered by Augustus' troops in 16 BC and connected to Chur by two roads - one over the Splügen Pass, the other over the Septimer, Maloja and Julier Pass. The county probably came into being in the 10th century, at the beginning of the reign of Otto I, who in 960 assigned the Bergell from Villa upwards to the diocese of Chur and thus drew the border line between Italy and Switzerland that is still valid today. Text / Source: Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (HLS) https://hls-dhs-dss.ch/de/articles/007043/2015-05-07/

Collegiata San Lorenzo – Chiavenna The Collegiate Church of San Lorenzo It is believed that in the fifth century the first Christian church in Chiavenna was built in connection with the evangelization of the area, but it was not until the ninth century, with the organization of parish churches in Carolingian times, that a larger and more functional building was built. Already in 973 the church was dedicated to the protomartyr San Lorenzo. In 1042 it was mentioned in documents as a parish church and in 1098 it was called a basilica. The first priest appears in 992 and in 1016 he is called archpriest. Already in 1107 important extension works are documented on the church, which was restored in 1176 and 1179. At the turn of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries a pronaos appears in front of the main entrance. In 1172 the bell tower, which was located in front of the left aisle, is mentioned for the first time. It was rebuilt between 1597 and 1603 in front of the main gate. In 1537 the oak timber-framed roof burned down, so the following year the vaults were demolished and the building raised. In 1698-99 the portico was added to the façade, which until then had retained its original features, and was built to protect the cemetery, but also for processions and to house noble tombs. On the side facing the church, it is worth mentioning a high relief depicting the Pietà, made in soapstone in May 1433 by Guglielmo de Catello and coming from the church of San Bartolomeo. To allow passage through the portico, the octagonal Romanesque church that housed the baptismal font was destroyed and rebuilt in the same shape but higher and further back, thus reusing the old monolithic soapstone basin with sculptures dating back to 1156. Text / Source: Museo del Tesoro - Piazza Don Pietro Bormetti 3 - 23022 Chiavenna https://www.museodeltesorochiavenna.it/la-collegiata-di-san-lorenzo/

Chiavenna is a particularly charming town - not only as a destination - the journey there is an experience

The baptismal font is made from a soapstone basin.