On the Grand Tour of Switzerland, the journey is the destination. The approximately 1,600-kilometre journey of discovery takes you through four language regions, over five Alpine passes, to eleven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, two biospheres and along 22 lakes. This tour offers a full load of Switzerland with scenic and cultural gems.
Roads: Transit traffic in the Viamala region
The Viamala region has always been characterized by international transit traffic and has been for over 2,000 years. Even the Romans traveled via Chiavenna and the Splügen Pass or via Bellinzona and the San Bernardino Pass to the Viamala Gorge and further north along the Rhine. They used these two routes as the most direct and fastest routes across the Alps and they left lasting traces. For example, in the heart of the Viamala Gorge, where the half-galleries carved into the rock by the Romans continued to be used centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire and are still partially visible today.
When the trade in goods across the Alps flourished in the Middle Ages and the local farmers along the Alpine transit routes of Splügen and San Bernardino formed transport cooperatives - so-called Porten - which from then on were responsible for both road maintenance and the transportation of goods, thus guaranteeing the farmers of the region a vital additional income, the muleteers followed the paths of the ancient Romans.
And these routes are still used today. But no longer for the transportation of goods. This is no longer done by packhorse over the former "bad roads" (las veias malas). Today, modern 40-ton trucks transport goods of all kinds at high speed along the modern A13 expressway and through the San Bernardino Tunnel from north to south and vice versa. The traces of the Romans, on the other hand, are still visible today and the historic paths have become a tourist attraction. In particular the cultural and long-distance hiking trail viaSpluga, which has been a highlight for hiking fans from all over the world for over a decade now.
The traces of the Alptransit history are omnipresent. And in a largely intact landscape. Cultural assets of national and international importance are waiting to be discovered by you! For example, the legendary Viamala Gorge, the impressive Roffla Gorge and the unique picture ceiling of St. Martin's Church in Zillis.
