Marian Way of the Alps Eastern Route - Grosotto Tirano Stage

From Bormio, the Via orientale alternately follows the banks of the Adda River, offering different landscapes until Grosotto, where a small bridge allows you to ascend the opposite side, through forests and small roads that climb to the Mortirolo. The trail joins the Sentiero dei Castelli and reaches Mazzo, an ancient parish seat. Here there is a sacred area with an octagonal baptistery (6th-7th cent.), an immersion baptismal font and the church of Santa Maria, an ancient Marian center with a valuable Renaissance polyptych.

Just above the village rises the Pedenale tower, while a detour leads to Bellaguarda Castle. Descending we come to the church of the Madonnina or Beata Vergine di Caravaggio, above Tovo S. Agata. The "sacred enclosure" also includes the medievalchurch of Saints Ippolito and Cassiano with a 16th-century gate and frescoes by Cipriano Valorsa. Outside, a Renaissance Marian fresco gave rise to the local cult and the construction in 1893 of the new church dedicated to Our Lady of Caravaggio.

The walk continues through the shady woods above Lovero. From the old parish church of Sant'Alessandro you pass to the new church of Santa Maria delle Grazie e dell'Assunta, rich in works of art, including frescoes by Muttoni and 18th-century wooden furnishings. You then enter the cultivated countryside of Sernio, with the Tower and the Homodei Palace. Along Via Strencia, which connects the districts, is the Madonna della Neve: simple on the outside, it preserves a precious wooden altarpiece by Giacomo Del Maino (late 15th century), perhaps intended for the parish church.

After a crossing on the valley floor, you reach the bicycle path to Tirano, among terraced vineyards bearing witness to the importance of viticulture. Before the sanctuary, one enters the old town from Porta Poschiavina: patrician palaces, ornate courtyards and Palazzo Salis tell of prosperity due to trade with Switzerland. Among cafes, stores and accommodations, one finally reaches the basilica of Madonna di Tirano, the landing place of the two Ways of the Marian Way of the Alps.