Val Lia e Val Cardonè

Love the outdoors, but less keen on crowds? Despite being a paradisal spot with spruce, larch and stone pine trees, Val Lia is one of Valtellina’s secrets

 

From Isolaccia, the route heads straight into Val Lia. Stick to the tarmacked road until you reach Pezzel; you can even drive as far as Pian de li Astela if you acquire a permit from the tourist office in advance.

Follow the route as it climbs to the Madonna di Prescedont, where a narrow lane awaits, cutting a mellow, almost flat passage into the valley. After a few hundred metres, follow the signs and turn right to descend to the bridge over the Lia stream in a spot called La Corna.

Once over the stream, the route rises steeply towards the huts at Belvedere, where it then flattens out somewhat, threading into a larch forest and eventually landing at the first huts of Cardonè (by now, you’ve probably walked for an hour from the church). Catch your breath and soak up the almost peerless tranquillity of lower Val Cardonè, a beautiful and rarely visited site in Valtellina.