The Bregaglia Range (commonly the Bregaglia) is a small group of mostly
granite
Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...
s in
Graubünden,
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
and the
Province of Sondrio
The province of Sondrio (), also known as Valtellina (the major valley of the province) is a province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its provincial capital is the city of Sondrio.
As of 2024, it has a population of 179,165.
History
The prov ...
,
northern Italy
Northern Italy (, , ) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four Northwest Italy, northwestern Regions of Italy, regions of Piedmo ...
. It derives its name from the partly Swiss, partly Italian valley, the ''
Val Bregaglia'', and is known as ''Bergell'' in German. Other names which are applied to the range include the
Val Masino
Val Masino (Western Lombard dialect, Western Lombard: ''Val Màsen'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sondrio in the Italy, Italian region Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about northwest of Sondrio, on the border ...
Alps and, to describe the main ridge, Masino-Bregaglia-Disgrazia.
Vicosoprano (1,067 m) is the main settlement in the Swiss part of the range.
The range is a popular mountaineering destination, and includes such peaks as
Monte Disgrazia,
Piz Cengalo
Piz Cengalo ( ʃ´ɛŋɡalɔ (3,369 m) is a mountain in the Bregaglia range of the Alps on the border between the Swiss canton of Graubünden and Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern a ...
and
Piz Badile
Piz Badile (3,308 m) is a mountain of the Bregaglia range in the Swiss canton of Graubünden and the Italian region of Lombardy. The border between the two countries runs along the summit ridge. Its north-east face, overlooking the Swiss Val B ...
. Well-known mountaineers who are associated with the area and have made significant first ascents in the range include
Leslie Stephen
Sir Leslie Stephen (28 November 1832 – 22 February 1904) was an English author, critic, historian, biographer, mountaineer, and an Ethical Culture, Ethical movement activist. He was also the father of Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell and the ...
,
D. W. Freshfield,
W. A. B. Coolidge,
Christian Klucker
Christian Klucker (28 September 1853 – 21 December 1928) was a Swiss mountain guide who made many first ascents in the Alps, particularly in the Bernina Range, the Bregaglia and the Pennine Alps.
Amongst his first ascents were:
:*''Gurgel ...
,
Paul Güssfeldt
Dr Paul Güssfeldt (spelled Güßfeldt in German) (14 October 1840 – 18 January 1920) was a German geologist, mountaineer and explorer.
Biography
Güssfeldt was born in Berlin, where he also died almost 80 years later. After attending the C ...
and
Riccardo Cassin
Riccardo Cassin (2 January 19096 August 2009) was an Italian Mountaineering, mountaineer, developer of Climbing equipment, mountaineering equipment and author, and an important figure in the history of rock climbing, alpine climbing and big wall ...
.
A cable-car service runs from Pranzaira to the
Albigna lake, and the Albigna hut (2,331 m) is a further 30–45-minute walk up the east side of the barrage.
Significant peaks
Glaciers
Main
glacier
A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...
s :
*
Forno Glacier
*
Albigna Glacier
Photo gallery
Image:Badile.jpg, Piz Badile
Piz Badile (3,308 m) is a mountain of the Bregaglia range in the Swiss canton of Graubünden and the Italian region of Lombardy. The border between the two countries runs along the summit ridge. Its north-east face, overlooking the Swiss Val B ...
above the Val Bondasca
Image:Pizzo Badile and Capanna Giannetti - Val Masino - Italy.jpg, Piz Badile from the south
Image:Soglio.jpg, Soglio
Image:Vicosoprano.jpg, Vicosoprano
Image:CimaCastello.jpg, Cima di Castello
Image:Albigna01.PNG, Albigna lake
Image:Forno.PNG, Forno Glacier
Image:CapannaForno.PNG, Forno hut
See also
*
Swiss Alps
The Alps, Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps, represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss Plateau and the Swiss portion of the Jura Mountains, one of its three main Physica ...
References
*Collomb, Robin G., ''Bregaglia East'', Goring: West Col Productions, 1971
*Collomb, Robin G., ''Bregaglia West'', Goring: West Col Productions, 1984
External links
The Bregaglia on SummitPostBregaglia Tourist Promotion BoardItinerary of the Via Bregaglia
{{Authority control
Rhaetian Alps
Mountain ranges of the Alps
Mountain ranges of Graubünden
Mountain ranges of Italy
Val Bregaglia