In 1593, the Venetian Podesta, Alvise Priuli, ordered the construction of a route that would connect the Po Valley with Valtellina and beyond the Alps: Via Priula, a route of great political and strategic importance that enabled the city of Venice to be connected with the passes of Spluga and Settimo, belonging to the Grigioni, without crossing the territory of the Duchy of Milan.
In those times, the Venetian republic, ruler of the entire province of Bergamo, needed to develop new trade links with the territories in the north. Until that time, the connections between the two areas were complicated and, to transport goods, it was necessary to skirt the mountain chain of the Bergamo Alps through Lecco and Lake Como in the land of the Duchy of Milan, then a Spanish possession in open competition with the Republic of Venice.
The enormous duties and the risk the goods would be seized en route were the main reasons for the construction of the Via Priula.
With the opening of this new route, which lay at an altitude of 1991 metres between the municipalities of Mezzoldo and Albaredo per San Marco, the Republic of Venice boosted trade relations with the countries beyond the Alps, Germany and Flanders.
Following the Via Priulia today, it is possible to reach Chiavenna on foot through the valley floor of the Val Brembana, the Valle del Bitto di Albaredo, the Bassa Valtellina, the Pian di Spagna and Valchiavenna, or other way, of course. This is a long route, a version of which can be covered by bicycle, which gives a cross-section of the Alpine world of Lombardy, filled with monuments, culture, gastronomic specialities, welcoming inns and hotels.
Part of the route follows the ancient mule trails, especially in the mountainous part; in the valley, there are mostly paved roads, tracks for cyclists and pedestrians and other paths.
The routes crosses the Passo San Marco, where the road reaches an altitude of 2,000 metres;there is an old roadman’s house and a memorial stone along the paved road.
The old track was replaced 40 years ago by the Transorobica, so-called because it crosses the Orobic Alps and foothills. A great deal of evidence survives, however, in the names of the places, the roads and the buildings.
The large covered porticos along the main road of the town recall the time when merchants stopped here, unloading their pack mules and horses and making their goods secure.
A varied route that elicits careful observation and serious reflection on the action of mankind in transforming the landscape.
Via Priula: Tappe a Piedi e in Bici - Itinerari Religiosi in-Lombardia
Via Priula: uno storico tracciato nella Val Brembana | Italia dei Cammini
Storia e descrizione della via priula - Lombardia in Cammino (camminidilombardia.it)
I cammini di Lombardia: la Via Priula - Gite in Lombardia
