Sondrio between culture, wine and river landscapes

Sondrio between fortress, art and wine

Sondrio combines culture, wine, paths and river landscapes. Castello Masegra is Sondrio’s only surviving medieval military complex; it has remained intact and active to this day. In the central part of the building, the exhibition route is spread across three levels.

A Renaissance camera picta with a fresco cycle based on Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando furioso is located there.

The Museo Valtellinese di Storia e Arte was founded in 1947 and is located in Palazzo Sassi de Lavizzari in Sondrio’s historic centre. The building is accessible. The Arte Sacra section is an exhibition route with eight rooms and was established in 1961 as an outpost of the Museo Diocesano di Como.

The Collegiata dei Santi Gervasio e Protasio is Sondrio’s main church. Its Baroque nave, designed by Pietro Ligari in the 18th century, connects with a Neoclassical presbytery and a Neoclassical façade; significant paintings and frescoes are by Pietro Ligari, Antonio Caimi and Giovanni Gavazzeni. The present appearance of Palazzo Martinengo is typical of the 19th century and dates back to work carried out after the devastating flood of 1834. The monument was completed by Giuseppe Croff, a pupil of Canova, in 1839; it is considered an example of Neoclassicism in Sondrio. Torre Ligariana is a historic landmark and one of the city’s most representative sites of cultural heritage. Palazzo Sertoli is part of an architectural complex of three interconnected palazzi in Sondrio.

At Palazzo Martinengo, the Sale del vino welcome visitors and introduce them to Sondrio’s identity as a wine town. Videos about winegrowing are available in Italian, English and German; the installation includes a wine-tasting room.

Paths across gorges and through river landscapes

The 145-metre-long Passerella sulle Cassandre del Mallero hovers just under 100 metres above the mountain stream and crosses its gorges at Gombaro. It can be crossed on foot or by bicycle and is open daily around the clock. The Via dei Terrazzamenti is a hiking trail more than 70 kilometres long between Morbegno and Tirano, passing through Sondrio; Sondrio can serve as a starting point in either direction. Along the Via dei Terrazzamenti there are 40 rest areas with benches and bicycle racks in natural surroundings.

At the confluence of the Mallero mountain stream and the Adda River lies the approximately 20-hectare Parco Adda Mallero Renato Bartesaghi. It has cycling and walking paths, as well as a protected path connecting it with Sondrio’s city centre. The park includes areas for recreation, walks, running, relaxing and children’s play.

Understand nature and plan your stay

The Centro documentazione aree protette has a screening room that is free and open to the public, as well as numerous documentaries on the environment, nature and ethnography. SondrioFestival is an international documentary film festival about parks held annually in Sondrio in October. Sondrio’s Infopoint at Piazza Campello is open seven days a week and provides advice on attractions in the city and its surroundings. Choose your hotel according to your preferred focus: culture, wine, paths or nature at the confluence.

More places for planning your trip: Prata Camportaccio, Sassella, Rasura, Sondalo, Tirano, Prosto, Castione Andevenno and Delebio.

Back to the higher-level travel overview: Sondrio.