The best cycling routes around Verdabbio

The old track bed is now a very beautiful cycle path.

Beautiful nature and many views that cannot be seen from the pass road

Picturesque place in the middle of the valley.

Station, Grono - (1907-2013) History of the BM With the inauguration of the new San Bernardino motorway (1970), the small, narrow-gauge Mesolcina railway, with no direct connection to the nearby Gotthard railway, appeared obsolete. Starting in 1972—amidst lively protests from the Moesa population—passenger service was discontinued and replaced by P.T.T. buses. After the loss of three out of five electric locomotives due to serious accidents (1969) and the damage to the Soazza-Mesocco section in the 1978 flood, the length of the railway line was significantly reduced on the Castione-Cama stretch. The Rhaetian Railway (which had absorbed the BM between 1942 and 1943 during the severe economic crisis) decided to store its rolling stock in a disused factory in the Grono industrial area, which became a large depot and workshop for overhauling the bogies. This space will be the starting point for the redevelopment of what remains of the Bellinzona-Mesocco electric railway for tourism. In 1985, the Friends of the Mesolcinese Railway Association (AAFM) was founded, and in the summer of 1995 the first Sunday passenger service was inaugurated, a service that continued every summer for the next 18 years. In 2000, the Association transformed into the Tourist Railway Operations Company (SEFT) and recovered an original BM electric locomotive (purchased by the Gotthard Railway Club in 1980), built in Prague in 1909 before being sold to France. In 2003, the Rhaetian Railway also discontinued its freight service, and SEFT was granted another decade of passenger transport. On October 27, 2013, the last tourist run between Castione and Cama took place, definitively ending railway operations in Mesolcina. Since 2020, a Swiss electric locomotive with first and second class seats (1933) and a Belgian freight car (1889) used by the BM have been on public display in the Al Pascolet industrial area on the site of Fratelli Censi SA Tecnica Ferroviaria, not far from the former SEFT depot-workshop. Text / Source: visit-moesano.ch https://www.visit-moesano.ch/sites/moesano/files/2024-04/Storia%20BM.pdf

Golena Pascolet, Grono The Pascolet area is now a forest reserve, a lowland hunting ground, and a fish sanctuary, covering an area of 25 hectares. This recreational and cultural area is suitable for families with children who want to learn important didactics, as well as for nature lovers. Plants, amphibians, fish, and birds can be found there. To reach it, hike along green country roads and, after crossing the bridge over the stream from the Val Leggia, circle the mountain slope at the edge of the forest. Text / Source: Graubünden Holidays, Alexanderstrasse 24, Chur https://www.graubuenden.ch/de/ausflugsziele/golena-pascolet

Cappella Santa Maria Assunta Sorte / Lostallo On October 7, 1611, the chapel of Sorte was consecrated in honor of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. The sacristy dates from 1656. If the bell, dating from 1526, does not come from another church, it is likely that a chapel existed earlier and was later replaced. The last restoration took place in 1960. The bell tower is covered with sails. The façade is decorated with frescoes in alternating registers in tympanum compositions, executed in 1611 by the same artist from Cabbiolo: Mary of the Assumption on the right flanked by kneeling women with Saint Margaret, and on the left by Saint George; above the blessing of the Eternal Father. Text / Source: Graubünden Holidays, Alexanderstrasse 24, Chur https://www.graubuenden.ch/de/ausflugsziele/cappella-santa-maria-assunta-sorte

Stage 7: San Bernardino – Bellinzona An exhilarating descent through the Mesolcina Valley. Eagerly absorbing the mild southern climate. In Mesocco, cyclists enjoy the largest ruin in Switzerland and, at the end of the tour, in Bellinzona, the defiant towers and walls of the tre castelli. Refreshed, they follow the rushing Moësa River out of the lively resort town of San Bernardino. The 46-kilometer-long tributary of the Ticino rises at the San Bernardino Pass and gives its name to the Mesolcina Valley (Misox). Although Italian is spoken in the valley, as in the Poschiavo and Bregaglia valleys, it has always maintained close ties to Graubünden. In the smaller villages, where many of the houses are covered with stone slabs, time seems to have stood still. You hardly stop on your bike during the rapid descent towards the south. Surrounded by rocky cliffs, you roar along a well-maintained road with countless skid marks. The highway, which practically hangs from the mountain, seems a bit surreal. Later, a varied side road leads down to Mesocco. Magnificent views of the valley are revealed. Below the village, perched on a rocky outcrop, are the ruins of the Castello di Mesocco, the 11th-century ancestral castle of the Count of Misox. It is considered one of the most important in Graubünden and the largest in Switzerland. Roveredo is the main town in the lower Misox Valley. And what could be nicer here than a break in a cool grotto, enjoying a typical lunch menu and a glass of local wine? The village also boasts several beautiful 17th-century houses, such as the one designed by local architect and builder Enrico Zuccalli. A secluded stretch follows near Lumino, just after crossing the highway and the river. A forest path leads along the Moësa River over hill and dale. Passing an inviting forest garden grotto and some secluded swimming spots, you reach Arbedo-Castione. Here, the Moësa flows into the Ticino River. Text / Source: Schweizmobil.ch https://schweizmobil.ch/de/veloland/route-6/etappe-7

Torre di Santa Maria The medieval residential tower was built in the 13th/14th century by the Counts of Sax. Overlooking the valley floor of the Misox, it was part of a territorial control system. The pentagonal tower is inspired by architectural models from central France. Text / Source: Raetia Association, grisun & romanisch https://www.visit-moesano.ch/de/chiesa-parrocchiale-santa-maria-assunta