One day trip in Sondrio, Valtellina

Our blog goes on also during our holidays: we would like as always to suggest you new itineraries to discover the areas near to our Lake Como which can be visited starting directly from our hotel. Today you can find our one-day trip suggest where we will take you to Sondrio, Valtellina.

Sondrio is from the Hotel Posta about 100 km by car, a distance traveled by about 2 hours. The road that will take you in Sondrio is really panoramic because you can drive along all our Lake Como until Colico, then immerse yourself in Valtellina’s mountains. Sondrio is a city to be discovered all year round, it is ideal for hiking and skiing in winter (very close to a large number of ski plants). It is positioned in the valley, surrounded by greenery and is well-known city (along with the entire Valley) for the production of good wine and great food.

It is easy to find events or activities that unite the entire tourist offer, with short walking or bike trails that lets you try all the Valtellina’s food and easily switch between wine cellars to taste all the famous wines such as Valtellina Superiore, which is divided into five sub denominations: Maroggia, Sassella, Grumello, Inferno and Vagella; or allow you to discover the traditional Crotti (places where you stagionavano salami and cheese) to taste the traditional dried beef, or cheese such as Bitto, Casera and Scimudin, perhaps with a drop of typical honey.

You cannot certainly leave Sondrio without tasting the typical Pizzoccheri: black buckwheat and white corn flour pasta, cabbage, butter, cheese (which we propose it in our Restaurant La Veranda), or ‘Sciatt’, a dialect name for the toad, which are buckwheat flour’ balls with a melted cheese heart. Around Sondrio you will see chestnut and apple trees (with apples and chestnut are cooked many dishes) and give truly unique tones in all seasons. They are growing immersed in typical “Sondrio Rhaetian’s Terraces”, consisting of masses of stones and rocks taken from Alpine slopes and forests by man since the fifteenth century. This terraces can be visited thanks to endless trails that wind and climb on the walls.

Art, crafts including traditional shops

Sondrio is not only good food, but also art: it’s the result of the many historical influences, such as the Renaissance, baroque, neoclassical, modern and contemporary. The heart of town is Piazza Garibaldi, overlooked by the Social Theatre, known with the name of “Lazzaretto”,inaugurated during the carnival in 1824. For those who like to get lost in the narrow streets and admire the local handicrafts, in Sondrio you will have fun. Thanks to the beauty of the old town which also includes another square, called Quadrivio, with a central nineteenth century’s fountain, surrounded by palaces.

Into the Praetorian Palace in Piazza Campello, you could admire an ancient Stüa: a traditional living room with decorated and carved walls, wooden floor and ceiling, so called because at the time it was the place where families met to warm and where there was a stove (Stüa dialect). You can also visit the Castel Masegra’s Museum or the Mount Rolla Ecomuseum, that promote the knowledge of Valtellina’s cultural heritage, the Valtellina Museum of historical motorcycles or Valtellina Museum of History and Art that is collecting archaeological evidence.

The province of Sondrio, a marvel to discover

It takes at least a day for those who want to discover the Sondrio’s province also because there are natural wonders for which you need the right time to discover: from the Stelvio National Park (which is the largest of the Alps), to the natural Reserve of Pian di Spagna, the precious nature reserve of Bosco Bordighi, the Pian Grembo Reserve, up to the Alpine Eco-fauna Observatory (near Aprica), up to the Nature Reserve Postalesio’ Pyramids (small deposit moraine where it is visible to the earth pyramids’ phenomenon). All reality that allow you to observe rare and protected animal species in a wild place.

What to say? Sondrio and Valtellina itinerary are waiting for you to be discovered. When you arrive at the hotel, ask for it, we will be happy to give you any information to make your holiday special on Lake Como.