48 hours in Tirano

Nestled on the border with Switzerland, this Northern Italian town is a cultural and culinary gem. Here’s your dream itinerary for a two-day stopover in Tirano.

Tirano is the starting point for the UNESCO-listed Trenino Rosso del Bernina (find out more here), a spectacular train journey that whisks you over the Alps to St. Moritz. With panoramic windows in certain carriages, you can admire the stunning scenery that unfolds around every bend.

The train runs year-round, so there’s no “best” time to take the ride—it’s breathtaking in every season. Be sure to set aside a full day for this experience.

Warm up with a stroll around Tirano to see its array of beautiful palazzi and sacred sites. A real standout site is the Basilica della Madonna di Tirano, Valtellina’s most significant Renaissance building. Legend has it that the Virgin appeared here in 1504, vowing to end the plague, and the resulting basilica is a masterpiece inside and out. Take in its ornate stuccoes, sculptures, and the intricate grand organ.

Next, make your way to Palazzo Salis, Tirano’s most notable noble residence, which stands in the centre of Tirano. Built between 1630–1690, you can follow a tour around this baroque-style residence, which has 10 rooms that are all beautifully frescoed and overlooking the ancient courtyard known as the ‘Corte dei Cavalli’, the horses’ courtyard. There’s also an Italian-style garden and a charming baroque chapel dedicated to San Carlo Borromeo.

A short 20-minute trip from Tirano leads you to Villa Visconti Venosta in Grosio, a grand building that was once the official summer residence of the aristocratic Visconti-Venosta family. Today, its gardens are a public park, and inside, it houses the civic library and museum. Guided tours around the majestic rooms reveal lots about the noble Visconti-Venosta family through nicely preserved period furniture, precious pieces of art, heritage artefacts and mementoes from travels carried out over the generations.

Between Grosio and Grosotto lies the ROCK ENGRAVINGS PARK (click here for more information), the most important testimony of the passage of ancient populations in the Valtellina area. Among the malstone of the Park is the Rupe Magna, one of the largest engraved rocks in the entire Alpine range.

Near the Rock Engravings Park there are two other buildings of great historical interest: the Castle of San Faustino (also called the Old Castle), dating back to the 10th-11th century, and the New Castle, a mighty fortified structure, built between 1350 and 1375 for strategic and defensive reasons.

The hills between Grosio and Grosotto are where you’ll find the most important evidence of Valtellina’s history etched into stones at the Parco delle Incisioni Rupestri (find out more about the rock engraving park here). This extraordinary archaeological site houses one of the biggest engraved rocks in the Alps called the Rupe Magna. The very same hilltop park has two further fascinating sites to explore: the ruins of the tenth/eleventh-century Castle of San Faustino (Castello Vecchio / Old Castle) and the Castello Nuovo (New Castle), a defensive castle built between 1350 and 1375 for strategic purposes.

While you’re in Tirano, don’t miss out on a hike along the traffic-free Via dei Terrazzamenti (find out more here), which winds through Valtellina’s distinctive terraced vineyards (highly recommended in autumn when the colours really pop) as well as nice hike through the apple orchards along the Passeggiata tra i Meleti (find out more here) which transforms each spring when the blossom arrives.

Another impossibly pretty hike that winds up in Tirano is the Cammino Mariano delle Alpi pilgrimage walk (find out more here) that connects Marian shrines across almost the whole length of Valtellina.

Tirano has the recipe for great trips and any visit here will always warrant frequent stops for food. In addition to Valtellina classics like pizzoccheri, sciatt, and bresaola, make sure to try the local speciality, chisciöi. These crispy fritters made with buckwheat, white flour, Casera DOP cheese, and lard or butter are not to be missed.

 No meal here would be complete without a glass of local wine. Around Tirano, you’ll find wineries like Cà Bianche, Contadi Gasparotti, La Grazia, Marcel Zanolari, Plozza, Rupi del Nebbiolo, Tenuta Scerscé and Triacca, offering tastings and a glimpse into Valtellina’s rich winemaking tradition.