Bernina: Glacial Landforms, Railway and Culture

At the Cavaglia Glacier Garden, numerous giant potholes tell the story of past glaciations. Together with the Bernina Railway, historic buildings and museums in Val Poschiavo, Bernina offers a variety of starting points for your trip. Whether you are mainly interested in discovering landscapes, hiking, or learning about local history and crafts, each place and experience has its own focus.

Glacial Potholes and the Bernina Railway

The Glacier Garden is in Val Poschiavo. A trail along the Cavaglia Gorge leads to more glacial potholes and striking formations shaped by erosion. This way, you can explore the landscape beyond a single viewpoint: the trail reveals additional geological features. The Glacier Garden is accessible on the Rhaetian Railway’s Red Train from the nearby Cavaglia station.

The Bernina line connects St. Moritz with Tirano. It is the highest transalpine railway line and one of the steepest adhesion railways in the world. The train journey offers its own way to experience the region, while the path through the gorge draws attention to the sculpted rocks. If you include both the train journey and the natural sights in your plans, you can treat them as different focal points of your trip.

The Circular Viaduct and the History of Construction

The Brusio Circular Viaduct is on the southern edge of Brusio, just a few minutes’ walk from the station. The Bernina train passes beneath the seventh arch, making an open loop. The structure is one of the Bernina Railway’s major attractions; the railway is part of the Rhaetian Railway’s UNESCO World Heritage site. Unlike Cavaglia’s natural formations, the focus here is on engineering: you can follow the train’s route directly at the viaduct.

Museums and Living Craft Traditions

The Museo Poschiavino presents the history, art and culture of Val Poschiavo through documents and historical artefacts. It is housed in Palazzo de Bassus-Mengotti, a building of architectural and art-historical significance dating from 1655. The museum also offers a glimpse into the story of the people of Poschiavo: it focuses on their lives, work and emigration.

Casa Tomé is an Alpine farmhouse dating from around 1350 and is one of the oldest and best-preserved farmhouses in the Alps. It has been listed as a protected building since 1993 and offers a glimpse into rural life in the past. Traditional activities can be carried out at Casa Tomé, including baking bread in the oven, wool processing, handwashing, and making butter and cheese.

Mulino Aino also brings traditional crafts to life: this historic, still-operating centre includes a grain mill, sawmill and forge, all powered by the same water source. It houses the only hydraulically powered sawmill in Graubünden. At the Vitruvian grain mill, three millstones grind buckwheat, wheat and maize. Casa Console adds to these insights with paintings, drawings and sketches from the German Romantic period; the foundation regularly hosts chamber music concerts and other artistic events.

Hiking and San Romerio

The hiking trail network in Val Poschiavo includes more than 250 kilometres of marked trails. Its stated range extends from snow-covered Piz Palü at 3,905 metres to Campocologno, on the border with Tirano, at 429 metres. The multi-day Bernina Tour covers a different scale: it circles the Bernina massif in Switzerland and Italy and is designed for hikers and trail runners. Its route passes through the three cultural regions of Engadin, Valmalenco and Val Poschiavo.

San Romerio combines mountain scenery with a historic site. The alp lies on a suspended terrace 800 metres above Lago di Poschiavo and offers views towards Tirano. The mountain church was consecrated in 1106. San Romerio is a 20-minute journey from the Viano-Piaz PostBus stop; the service runs there from Brusio. Check seasonal information for the PostBus service before planning your trip. PubliCar takes travellers from Brusio to Viano, the starting point or endpoint of the hike to the church.

The Via Valtellina also passes San Romerio, specifically the former hospice. The route connects Vorarlberg with Tirano. From San Romerio, mountain bikers can ride along mountain roads and high-altitude trails. When choosing a hotel, you can first consider whether the train journey, culture in Val Poschiavo or hiking will be the main focus of your trip.

Discover more destinations: Le Prese, Brusio, Poschiavo, Moesa, Albula, Maloja, Surselva, Hinterrhein.

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