Built on the spot where the Virgin appeared in front of local resident Mario Omodei on 29 September 1504, it’s separate from the fortified town and sits strategically at the junction to the ancient church of Santa Perpetua that dominates the Tirano basin on a hilltop shaped by vineyards.
The alluvial fan of Sernio, deposited in an immense landslide in remote times, is etched with roads connecting the various fruit orchards and bustles in the fall with tractors laden with precious apples and other produce.
From the stands of chestnut above the town, the church of Sant’Alessandro continues its vigil over the inhabitants of Lovero; its distinctive profile now represents the entire area.
Both slopes in this part of the valley are blanketed with lush vegetation, concealing even the most representative historical buildings, such as churches and fortifications.
Built in the Romanesque period, the church of Santa Maria was a Marian centre of reference for the area, well before the foundation of the Grosotto sanctuary.
In the 15th century, the Bündner (people of the Swiss canton of Graubünden or Grisons) took control of the passes north of Valtellina and descended to take the entire valley itself, which was renowned for its wines and would give them a corridor to Lake Como and the Po River Valley.
Grosio is still characterized by its lively town life; the main street is lined with shops and cafés which have always been the favorite gathering places for the locals (“Grosini”).
Nel Medioevo da Tiolo si staccava una mulattiera per il passo del Mortirolo e la chiesa della Visitazione a fine Quattrocento disponeva già di un’osteria per offrire ristoro e ospitalità ai viandanti.
La prima chiesa era molto più piccola e ai suoi piedi si estendeva il borgo fortificato.
Costruita a margine della vecchia strada per Bormio, nel punto in cui si staccava la mulattiera per la Val di Rezzalo, la chiesa era co-intitolata alla Madonna e a san Michele arcangelo, ma col tempo ha finito col prevalere l’intitolazione mariana.
By the end of the Middle Ages, almost every village in the Bormio area had its own church.
The traditions of Lombardy feature many Marian apparitions.
San Gallo stands isolated between Bormio and Premadio, along the old Roman strada regina leading up to the Fraele Pass.
In 1660, the builder Stefano Panizza from Trentino left the nearby Val di Sole and followed his father-in-law to Valtellina.
After crossing the bridge over the Frodolfo and passing through the village of Sant’Antonio, the Cammino Mariano makes a hairpin turn and returns to Bormio through pastures in the Stelvio National Park at the foot of Monte Réit.
Bormio is subdivided into five wards, of which only Combo lies on the left bank of the Frodolfo River, which once provided irrigation for crops on the Alute plain.
Seventy-two kilometers of verdant trails from Bormio to the Madonna di Tirano sanctuary.
