Webcams in Valchiavenna
Valchiavenna's webcams: Chiavenna, at 333 metres, where the roads to the Splügen and the Maloja part, and Soglio, the balcony of Val Bregaglia at 1,090 metres, just over the Swiss border.
Two cameras, two villages, two passes.
Places
The valley
Valchiavenna is a low, mild valley for the Alps: Chiavenna sits at 333 metres, and chestnut trees and vines grow on the valley floor. It has always been a valley of passage: from here the Splügen climbs towards the Rhine and Germany, and the Maloja towards the Engadin. The secret of the place is the crotti, natural cellars among the boulders of ancient landslides where the "sorel", a current of air that comes out of cracks in the rock at about 8 degrees all year round, keeps wine, bresaola and cheeses. At Piuro the Acquafraggia waterfalls were described by Leonardo in the Codex Atlanticus; higher up, in Bregaglia, Soglio is the village Segantini called the "threshold of paradise".
Getting there
- By car
- From Milan you take the SS 36 along Lake Como to Colico, then the SS 36 dello Spluga continues to Chiavenna. From Chiavenna: to the north the Splügen, closed in winter; to the east Val Bregaglia and the Maloja, open all year, towards St. Moritz. Customs are at Castasegna, just after Villa di Chiavenna.
- By train
- Trenord's Colico–Chiavenna line covers 26 kilometres in about half an hour, with connections at Colico from the Milan–Tirano and Milan–Sondrio trains. From Chiavenna, Swiss buses climb Bregaglia to Maloja and St. Moritz, passing below Soglio.
- Alpine passes
- Splügen (about 2,115 m): closed in winter, usually reopening between late April and May; 72 hairpins between Chiavenna and Splügen. Maloja (1,815 m): open all year, with steep hairpins on the Bregaglia side. The Chiavenna webcam tells you what the weather is doing in the valley; for the Splügen at altitude, rely on the notices from ANAS, which manages the SS 36.
When to go
Valchiavenna can be visited in every season, because the altitude is low: in Chiavenna snow in the town is rare, while at Madesimo, in the upper valley, skiing usually runs from late November to April. Spring comes earlier than in the rest of the Alps, with the Acquafraggia at full flow in the thaw. In spring the Splügen reopens the loop towards Switzerland. Autumn is the best season: chestnuts, the grape harvest on the terraces and the Sagra dei Crotti in Chiavenna, usually in September.
What to do
Winter
- Madesimo
- The ski resort of the upper valley, below the Splügen: pistes usually open from late November to April.
- Crotti in winter
- The sorel keeps the crotti at a constant temperature: in winter they are warmer than the air outside.
- Soglio in the snow
- The village at 1,090 metres faces south towards the Sciora group and the Badile: under snow it is the postcard view of Bregaglia.
Summer
- Acquafraggia waterfalls
- A double drop at Borgonuovo di Piuro, described by Leonardo da Vinci in the Codex Atlanticus; a natural monument since 1984.
- Cycling the Splügen
- 72 hairpins from Chiavenna to Splügen, on a pass route used since antiquity.
- Palazzo Vertemate Franchi
- The Renaissance villa at Piuro, which survived the landslide that wiped out the village in 1618.
- Soglio's chestnut groves
- Below the village begin the chestnut groves brought to Bregaglia by the Romans: the path between Soglio and Castasegna runs through them.
On the map
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Frequently asked questions
Which webcams are there in Valchiavenna?
Two: Chiavenna, on the valley floor at 333 metres, and Soglio, in Val Bregaglia, on the Swiss side of the border, at 1,090 metres.
Is the Splügen Pass open?
The Splügen closes in winter and usually reopens between late April and May: the date changes each year with the snow. The road climbs from Chiavenna in 72 hairpins to about 2,115 metres.
Is there snow in Chiavenna?
Rarely: Chiavenna sits at 333 metres and snow in the town does not last. For snow, look at the webcams in Soglio, at 1,090 metres, or at upper-valley resorts such as Madesimo.
What are the crotti of Chiavenna?
Natural cellars among the boulders of ancient landslides, where a current of air called the sorel comes out of the rock at about 8 degrees all year round. They have been used for centuries to keep wine, bresaola and cheeses, and many have become taverns.
How do you get to Chiavenna by train?
With Trenord: from Milan to Colico, then the Colico–Chiavenna line, 26 kilometres in about half an hour. From Chiavenna, Swiss buses continue to Bregaglia and St. Moritz.