Bernina Express - Valposchiavo (Grisons, Switzerland)

A fantastic journey through Valposchiavo aboard the famous Bernina Express (UNESCO World Heritage)

TIRANO (429mt.)

Tirano is a small town located in the heart of Valtellina, along the course of the Adda River, on the border with Switzerland. The ancient village, with its remains of medieval walls and its many noble palaces, bears witness to its historical importance as a crossroads between north and south. 

BRUSIO (780mt.) THE HELICOIDAL VIADUCT

Near Brusio, the helical viaduct is a true symbol of the Bernina Line. The viaduct is the stone structure on which the Rhaetian Railway describes a quarter of a circle with a radius of 70 meters, and it is part of the general project that develops in a spiral. The purpose of the structure and its nine regular spans of ten meters each is to artificially extend the route and thus allow the difference in altitude to be overcome. The gradient here reaches 70 per thousand within a very narrow space as the Valposchiavo takes shape in its first few kilometers. In the construction of steam railways, it was calculated that from 50 per thousand, or from a gradient of 50 millimeters per meter, a cogwheel railway was necessary. The Bernina Railway was powered from the outset by electric current, this feature combined with the contact rails managed to overcome a gradient of 20 per thousand higher.

LE PRESE (965mt.) ORGANIC FARMING IN VALPOSCHIAVO

In the Le Prese area there are several BIOSUISSE certified companies. This is the result of the desire of local farmers, pioneers of a way of cultivating and raising livestock based on natural resources. The operators in the agricultural sector have based their work on quality rather than quantity due to the conformation of the territory, so converting to organic farming was the only response to the challenges of traditional agriculture. Today, shops and restaurants are the first supporters of this program, proposing raw materials and dishes cooked with local ingredients. The love and respect of the Poschiavo people for the land has allowed them to maintain high quality in the primary sector, evident to the inhabitants and tourists who live and travel through this pleasant territory.

POSCHIAVO (1014mt.)

Located at an altitude of 1014 m, the village, like the whole valley, is of Italian language and culture. The town is crossed by the Poschiavino torrent and is surrounded by green meadows, orchards, vegetable gardens, and gardens. Walking through the streets of the center, one is immersed in the history of this village in every corner, in every building, in every church. 

CAVAGLIA (1692MT): The Glacier GardenA natural park with sculptures of nature

The Glacier Garden is a natural park located in Cavaglia, in Valposchiavo, Switzerland. Here you can admire the "giant's pots", real sculptures of nature. These cylindrical holes of considerable size, dug into the rock by the millennia-old erosive action of gravel and sand pushed by the water coming from the Palù Glacier. The Glacier Garden Association, with the help of volunteers, has freed the pots from rocks and debris to make them visible to visitors. 

ALP GRUM (2091mt.) THE HYDROELECTRIC SECTOR IN VALPOSCHIAVO

For over a hundred years the waters of the Valposchiavo natural basin have enriched this alpine region. Hydroelectric power has made a fundamental contribution to the economic development of the Valley. With the construction in 1904 of the Campocologno power plant, at the time the largest high-pressure hydroelectric power plant in Europe, the history of the hydroelectric company began. 

Only the availability of electricity allowed the construction of the Bernina line, which considering the great steepness was conceived from the outset as an electric railway. The dams of Lago Bianco and the power plants located at different altitudes (Palü, Cavaglia, Robbia, Campocologno) still bear witness to electricity production. 

BERNINA OSPIZIO (2253MT); the Bernina Pass, a linguistic divide

In addition to being a natural border, the watershed also marks a linguistic and cultural frontier. In fact, Romansh is spoken in Engadina, while Italian is spoken in the Poschiavo Valley. Romansh is a language with an ancient tradition that, together with Dolomite Ladin and Friulian, constitutes the Rhaeto-Romance linguistic group formed by Romance languages. Since 1938 it has been the fourth language of the Swiss Confederation alongside German, French and Italian.