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 Thusis and Chiavenna. The viaSpluga mainly follows historic mule tracks, whose original structures have largely been 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.