Strung together like a string of pearls, the vineyards of Valtellina occupy terraces along south-facing mountainsides in this spectacular Italian wine region. The vineyards climb vertiginously away from towns along the Adda River, up to villages clinging to the side of the mountain.
What I Learned
Italy is famous for its for wines, especially powerful, refined reds such as Tuscany’s Brunello, Valpolicella’s Amarones, and Piedmont’s Barolo and Barbaresco wines. The Valtellina region of Lombardy, Italy, also produces well-regarded, powerfully flavorful, red wines, and made from the same varietal that produces Barolo and Barbaresco. It also produces wine in a process similar to Valpolicella’s Amarones. Lovers of such powerful reds will find Valtellina’s DOCG red wines delicious and a good value for the money.
Trail Name: Via dei Terrazzamenti
Trail Type: Long distance; well-maintained, with a hard-packed, but occasionally uneven surface throughout, usually there is good marking on the trail, but it tends to disappear in villages and towns.
Length:
Total: 70 kilometers/43 miles (Morbegno – Tirano)
Mine: 14 kilometers/8.5 miles (Chiuro – Ponchiera)
Convenient to: Sondrio, or Tirano, Lombardy, Italy
Marking:
Words “Via dei Terrazzamenti” on a white background with a four-leafed clover design inside; sometimes associated with a metal yellow arrow.
White over red horizontal bars indicate a hiking trail generically
Note: The photo below shows all of the above, with the addition of an extra sign on the yellow arrow, (with a number thirty), indicating a different trail as well.
