50.03 Splügen - Isola (I), ViaSpluga

The viaSpluga is a cultural and long-distance hiking trail in the central Alps which has linked the peoples of  the  German,  Romansh,  French  and  Italian-speaking  regions,  as  well  as  the villages  of  Thusisand Chiavenna. The viaSpluga mainly follows historic mule  tracks,  whose  original  structures  have  largelybeen preserved or restored. The viaSpluga stretches for a total distance of about 65 km.  

Stage  3  /  Splügen-Isola:  Today  we  reach  the culmination point of the tour, the Splügen Pass, which stands at an altitude of 2115 metres. It appeared as a mule  track  on  a  Roman  military  map  and was previously called "Colmen d'Orso", which means "Bear Pass".  From the  14th century  onwards, the  Splügen Pass  was  known  as  a  mule  route  from  southern Germany  to  the  Lombardy  lowlands.  Transit traffic across  the  Splügen  Pass  only  declined  sharply following the opening of the Gotthard railway in 1882. Travelling via Montespluga and the Cardinello Gorge, which was long regarded as the most hazardous part of  the  route  (it  is  all  well  developed  nowadays), today's stage ends at the village of Isola.