The Rusca Trail, a toponym given to it by the Sondrio Valtellina Mountain Community, traces in large stretches the centuries-old itinerary that, in historical archival documentation, is referred to as the valley road and known as the ancient Valmalenco road or the Via del Muretto. It starts from Sondrio at 306 meters above sea level and touches the villages of Ponchiera, Arquino, Torre di Santa Maria with many of its hamlets, Chiesa in Valmalenco, Chiareggio and finally the Muretto Pass at 2,562 meters above sea level. From the pass it is possible to continue to the Maloja Pass and then to Chiavenna or to Switzerland to Saint Moritz. The first part SONDRIO-CHIESA IN VALMALENCO is shown in this itinerary. The start of the route takes place in the small square in front of the Church in Piazza Campello where the illustrative board is located. The stretch from Sondrio to Arquino is mixed-use, climbing from Via Scarpatetti to the junction with the municipal road to Ponchiera, which you follow for a short distance before turning right onto an inter-modal road. Then follow the signs (yellow signs and trail identifier No. 304) to Arquino where the exclusive bicycle/pedestrian route begins. You ride the pleasant hairpin bends climb of the Turniche' also called by locals ''Piccolo Stelvio'' to then tackle the stretch of about 10 km, entirely renovated, paved and made safe by the Sondrio Valtellina Mountain Community of Sondrio, which is enjoying enormous success among the residents of Valmalenco but also by the inhabitants of the valley floor and tourists. This section runs along the Mallero stream until it reaches Chiesa in Valmalenco at loc. Vassalini. In addition, in the loc. Vassalini it is possible with ease and safety, thanks to special bridges and underpasses, to reach the bicycle path that leads to Lanzada and its hamlets higher up. Currently, the bike path that will connect Lanzada to Caspoggio is also in an advanced state of planning, presumably to be built in 2019.
Rusca Trail Part One - From Sondrio to Chiesa in Valmalenco
Itinerary details
Trekking
8:15 h
28.07 km
807 m
807 m
Moderate
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