Magnificent mountain ranges, crystal-clear lakes, fertile valleys, these are the beauties of nature that make Grisons one of the most popular holiday regions in Switzerland, as well as the most sparsely populated canton in the Confederation.
With almost 10,000 inhabitants, Davos is one of the largest municipalities in Eastern Switzerland. It was here in the mid-19th Century that Alexander Spengler, a doctor from the German city Mannheim, discovered the healing properties of the mountain climate. Davos became world-famous for its healing properties and thus more than 30 sanatoriums are situated at an altitude of 1,600m today.
Through cooling forests lined with bubbling mountain rivers, the journey continues west from Davos to Alvaneu. Here, the springs from the surrounding mountains feed the pool with its sulphurous water. Past Tiefencastel and the Julier pass, past Marmorera reservoir, the route takes you to the Upper Engadine plateau lake land. Nestled between the lakes of Silvaplanersee and Silsersee, the town of Sils lies on a narrow 2 km strip of land. This was where Friedrich Nietzsche and Hermann Hesse once came to recharge their batteries and find inspiration.
The Malojapass takes you via Soglio into the Italyn Chiavenna, the point of intersection between Bergell and Val San Giacomo.
The first sizeable town in Italy is Chiavenna, a member of the Cittàslow, an organisation dedicated to maintaining the quality of urban living, for example, by excluding multinational fast food and fashion chains in order to preserve the traditional appearance.
Chiavenna is located next to the Mera River, which flows into Lake Como 20 km downstream. On the north-east shore of Lake Como, Colico and the Olgiasca peninsula invite you to rest, swim or contemplate. The Abbazia di Piona monastery with its fruit tree adorned park is well worth a visit.
The route heads eastwards through the province of Sondrio and the Veltlin famous for its wines. Lower Veltlin ends at Tirano, formerly a place of pilgrimage, with an impressive basilica still bearing witness to its former reputation. 40 km further on, and 800 m higher up, is Bormio, host to the Alpine Skiing World Championships in 1985 and 2005. In summer, as the snow retreats, the SS 301 takes you over the Foscagnopass through the lovely Violatal, lined with forests, meadows and rivers courses, to the ascent of the Passo d’Eira to Trepalle. Here, at an altitude of around 2,200m, is one of the highest permanently inhabited towns in Europe. Winding asphalt routes with 14% gradients take you downhill into the Livigno Valley the northern extremity of which is defined by the Luwinersee and the Swiss border.
After the Lago di Livigno reservoir, the Munt-la-Schera tunnel passes under the Stilfser pass national park, leading to the Ofenpass. From there, via the Swiss national park, you move on to Zernez in the Engadine. After stages taking in Susch and the Flüelapass the tour ends back in Davos.
