Marian Way of the Alps Eastern Way

The Eastern Route of the Marian Way begins in Bormio, in Kuèrc Square, dominated by the collegiate church of Saints Gervasius and Protasius, mother of the parish churches that also included Valfurva, Valdidentro, Valdisotto and Livigno. Damaged by fire in 1621, it was rebuilt in the Counter-Reformation style. The oldest Marian images (late 14th century) are preserved in a walled lunette and in the covered passage to the rectory.

Next we pass through Combo, with the church of St. Anthony and the miraculous Crucifix, to the church of Sassello or Madonna della Pazienza, on a scenic rock overlooking Bormio. The original small ancon is now in the Museo Civico; numerous votive offerings decorate the walls.

The route descends to Frodolfo, where an old sawmill recalls the craft activities of yesteryear, then continues along the bike path into Valfurva. After Sant'Antonio, it heads back toward Bormio through pastures at the foot of the Réit, in Stelvio National Park, in the area known as Contrada dei Monti, where people once lived only in summer. The first church in the 17th century, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel, gave its name to the contrada, now called Madonna dei Monti. The old church is deconsecrated; the altar was moved to the new church built after World War II.

The trail climbs through the larch forest to the lower Casina malga, touching the crest of the Réit, then descends again to the church of Madonna della Misericordia di Uzza ("the Madonnina"), built between 1705 and 1717 incorporating a 16th-century frescoed image. Centric in plan, it has a frescoed dome and scenes from the life of the Virgin, financed by emigrants to Brescia.

Ascend along the Réit to the church of San Gallo, isolated in the plain between Bormio and Premadio, along the road to the Fraele Pass. Medieval in origin, it was rebuilt in the 15th century, preserving frescoes, wall loggia and a Madonna Enthroned (1482).

Crossing the Adda, one enters the Le Motte forest in Valdisotto. Just beyond, the church of Madonna di Caravaggio di Oga, built from 1718 on a cult related to the 1432 apparition, dominates the pastures halfway up the mountainside. The centered interior houses a sculptural group with the Scene of the Apparition (1885). A similar fresco is on a house near the village stone fountain.

The walk continues into the Cadolena Valley, then down to Cepina, where the church of Santa Maria Assunta, founded in 1356 and enlarged in the Renaissance, is located. A fresco from 1498 and a valuable Tyrolean-style Flügelaltar (1510-1520) remain from this era. Next to the church is a fine 18th-century ossuary with a wrought-iron gate and frescoes by Alessandro Valdani (1739).