Overview
The capital of the Valtellina, Sondrio, stands out as the most important economic centre of the Valtellina, a corridor between the north and south of the Alps, and also a land of sanctuaries and fine wines. It lies at the mouth of the Malenco valley , which communicates with Switzerland and is very popular with tourists, both in summer and winter for snow sports. Over the course of time, many have contended for this border location, which is coveted and marked with many testimonies: the Austrians, for example, 'bequeathed' the central Piazza Garibaldi, next to the course of the Mallero stream. Strolling along, one encounters 19th-century palazzi, elegant in their neoclassical façades, and then those of the 16th century, the Martinengo and Pretorio palaces... The ecclesiastical heritage is instead in the collegiate church of Saints Gervasio and Protasio, while putting everything on the timeline is the Valtellina Museum of History and Art , which reconstructs the history and identity of the area up to the present day. The latest addition is Cast, a multimedia 'narrative museum' dedicated to Alpine culture, housed in Masegra Castle.
