Chiuro
Nino Negri
On the route · Tastings from €20 · 45 minutes
View wineryLombardy · Wine route · 2 days
Strada del Vino della Valtellina The signed 67 km wine road from Ardenno to Tirano, along the sunny north wall of the valley. It passes the five Nebbiolo slopes: Maroggia, Sassella, Grumello, Inferno and Valgella.
55
km end to end
2
days
8
stops, Ardenno to Tirano
3
denominations crossed
€20
tastings from
Why this drive: Nowhere else grows Nebbiolo like this: on terraces cut into a mountain wall, above a river, at up to 800 metres, with the Alps in every window. The five named slopes, Maroggia, Sassella, Grumello, Inferno and Valgella, sit in a line along one 67 km road. You taste them in the order the sun reaches them. And the road ends at Tirano, where the red Bernina train climbs into Switzerland. No other Italian wine road finishes like that.
The route, drawn
2 days, drawn in two colours
Tap a day in the legend to bring its legs forward. The map follows as you scroll the stops, and a press on any marker jumps to it.
Layers
Day 1
Day 2
Numbered stops
Estates near the route
Stop 1 of 8 · Ardenno
Day 1
Day 1 · Ardenno to Chiuro: Sassella, Grumello and Inferno
1
Stop 1 · Where the signs begin
Ardenno
The village where the brown Strada del Vino signs begin, at the western end of the terraces.
What to taste here
- Valtellina Rosso/Rosso di ValtellinaDOC The everyday Nebbiolo of the valley, lighter and released younger than the Superiore
- Chiavennasca The local name for Nebbiolo; the wine road is planted to almost nothing else
Nothing to book here: fill up, and look up. The first named slope, Maroggia, is the terrace above Berbenno, the next village east. The road climbs onto the sunny side of the valley from here and stays there.
2
Stop 2 · Sassella and Grumello above the town
Sondrio
ZTL city, see the driving notesThe valley's capital, sitting between the Sassella slope to its west and the Grumello slope to its east, with the wine consortium in town.
What to taste here
- Valtellina SuperioreDOCG Sassella, the slope west of town, is the name the valley is judged by
- Grumello The slope east of town, under the twin castle; firmer and stonier
- Alpi ReticheIGT The label the growers use for whites and for reds outside the Superiore rules
The old town is a 24-hour camera zone, so park outside it and walk. Castel Grumello, the twin castle on the Grumello slope, is 5 km east at Montagna in Valtellina. Entry is free, Tuesday to Sunday: 10 to 18 from March to September, 10 to 17 the rest of the year.
Where to eat
Pizzoccheri, taroz and polenta taragna
Cima 11. Via Bonomo Pelosi 3, under the bell tower in the old town, so walk in from the car park. No website; ring 0342 515040 to book.
3
Stop 3 · The Inferno terraces
Poggiridenti
The village under the Inferno terraces, the hottest of the five slopes.
What to taste here
- Valtellina SuperioreDOCG Inferno, the smallest slope at 55 hectares, named for the summer heat on its terraces
- Sforzato The dried-grape red can come from any of the terraces; ask who dries their own
Stop at the top of the village for the view down the walls. The Santa Casa sanctuary at Tresivio, the next village, stands among the vines and is visible from the whole valley.
4
Stop 4 · The valley's historic house
Nino Negri
The valley's historic house, in Chiuro since 1897, and the cellar behind Sfursat 5 Stelle.
What to taste here
- Sforzato di Valtellina/Sfursat di ValtellinaDOCG Sfursat 5 Stelle is the bottle that made the dried-grape style famous
- Valtellina SuperioreDOCG Ask for the Inferno and the Vigna Sassorosso side by side
Via Ghibellini 3, Chiuro. Tours run Tuesday to Saturday: 45 minutes from 20 euros, or two hours from 30 euros. The short one takes last-minute requests; the long one must be reserved on the estate's site.
Where to taste
Nino Negri
Tastings from €20 · 45 minutes
Booking required
Wines to Try
A few wines from the estates above.
Day 2 · Teglio to Tirano: Valgella and the Bernina
5
Stop 5 · Valgella's family cellar
Sandro Fay
Family cellar at San Giacomo di Teglio, farming the Valgella slope since 1973.
What to taste here
- Valtellina SuperioreDOCG Valgella, the easternmost slope, is the gentlest of the five and the one Fay has farmed since 1973
- Single-vineyard Valgella Eight named plots on the labels; taste two against each other
Via Pila Caselli 1, on the valley floor below Teglio. Sandro Fay founded it in 1973 and his children Marco and Elena have run it with him since 1998. Visits are by email request; the range is eight single-vineyard wines.
Where to taste
Sandro Fay
Booking required
Wines to Try
A few wines from the estates above.
6
Stop 6 · Pizzoccheri's home town
Teglio
The hill town that gave the valley its name and its dish: pizzoccheri, buckwheat ribbons with cabbage, potato and cheese.
What to taste here
- Valtellina SuperioreDOCG Valgella grows below the town; the terraces here run up to the highest vines on the road
- Bitto and Casera The valley's two DOP cheeses; Casera is the one in the pizzoccheri
The road climbs some 450 metres from the valley floor to the town at 850 metres. Palazzo Besta, a Renaissance house with painted rooms, is a state museum open Tuesday to Saturday, 9.30 to 13 and 14 to 16.30, 6 euros. The pizzoccheri festival is 24 to 26 July 2026.
Where to eat
Pizzoccheri, made to the Teglio recipe
Ristorante Combolo. Via Roma 5, run by the Valli family since 1905. Sittings 12.30 to 14.00 and 19.30 to 21.00; closed Tuesdays outside holidays.
7
Stop 7 · The last terraces before Tirano
Bianzone
A terrace village between Teglio and Tirano where the Valgella vineyards run out.
What to taste here
- Valtellina SuperioreDOCG The eastern end of Valgella, where the terraces start to thin out
- Sciatt Fried buckwheat cheese fritters, the valley's snack with a glass of young Nebbiolo
The Via dei Terrazzamenti path passes above the village; the section to Tirano is an easy walk if someone else is driving. Trattoria Altavilla, above the village, is the lunch.
Where to eat
Sciatt, bresaola and buckwheat crespelle
Trattoria Altavilla. Via ai Monti 46, Anna Bertola's trattoria above the village. Closed Mondays, open every day in August; booking welcome.
8
Stop 8 · The end, and the red train
Tirano
ZTL city, see the driving notesThe end of the road: the Sertoli Salis cellars, the Madonna di Tirano basilica, and the red Bernina train to Switzerland.
What to taste here
- Sforzato di Valtellina/Sfursat di ValtellinaDOCG Canua, the Sertoli Salis Sforzato, dries on mats in the loft until the end of January
- Valtellina SuperioreDOCG The last Superiore vineyards run right to the edge of town
Park on Via Calcagno, free, with an underpass to the stations. The old town centre is pedestrian with a rising bollard. Palazzo Salis on Via Salis 3 opens Monday to Saturday from May to September. The Bernina train reaches St. Moritz in about two hours fifteen.
Where to eat
Porcini in season, then the valley classics
Trattoria Valtellinese. Via Albonico 15, a family trattoria a short walk from the stations. Open 12 to 14.30 and 19 to 21.30; closed Tuesdays.
Before you go
The practicalities
Visit prices are set by the winery and availability should be checked before travelling. Bookings open on the estate page or the provider's site.
When to go
Harvest in October, drying rooms in November
Late September and October are harvest on the terraces, with pickers on the walls. The Sforzato grapes then dry indoors until at least the start of December. Come in October or November and you see both the picking and the drying rooms. The Valtellina Wine Trail sends 4,000 runners through the vineyard lanes on Saturday 7 November 2026, so drive the eastern half another day. Teglio's pizzoccheri festival runs 24 to 26 July 2026. Castel Grumello keeps shorter hours from October to the end of February (10 to 17) and the Bernina train runs all year.
Booking reality
Two estates, both by request
Two estates on this drive have visit data in our records, and both take visits by request rather than instant booking. Nino Negri runs tours Tuesday to Saturday. The 45-minute tasting, from 20 euros, takes last-minute requests; the two-hour tasting, from 30 euros, must be reserved. Sandro Fay takes visit requests by email. Book both a week ahead in October.
Driving notes
Brown signs above the fast road
The wine road is a signed tourist route, not a numbered road. It runs on local roads along the sunny north side of the valley. The SS 38 dello Stelvio, the fast road, stays on the valley floor below. Follow the brown Strada del Vino signs. The lanes through the terraces are narrow, and you will meet tractors and small vans in harvest weeks. Sondrio's old town is a 24-hour camera zone, so park outside it. Fuel is easy along the SS 38, harder up in the terraces, so fill up in Sondrio or Tirano. The direct legs between our eight stops add up to about 55 km. The full signed road is 67 km, because it wanders through the vineyard hamlets.
ZTL
Cameras in Sondrio, a bollard in Tirano
Sondrio's old town is a camera zone 24 hours a day, every day. The zone sits inside Lungomallero Cadorna, Via Alpini, Via Zara, Via Piazzi and Via Cesura. The gate camera is on Via Longoni, towards Piazza Cavour, and the fine arrives months later by post. Tirano has no cameras but something stricter. Via Mazzini, Piazza delle Stazioni and Piazza Santa Maria are pedestrian, and a rising bollard guards the old town. Park on Via Calcagno, the free car park with an underpass to the station, or in the Tania car park on Via Marconi.
Getting a car
Train to Sondrio, hire there, leave it at Tirano
Come by train and hire the car in Sondrio. Trenord runs direct trains from Milano Centrale about every hour; Tirano is two and a half hours away. Avis is at Viale dello Stadio 28 in Sondrio, and Hertz is at Montagna in Valtellina on the town's eastern edge. Both sit outside the camera zone. Ardenno is 19 km back west, so the first leg is a short backtrack. At Tirano the car is a liability: leave it on Via Calcagno and take the Bernina train to St. Moritz, about two hours fifteen each way.
Leave the driving out
Do this route with a guide
Some booking links earn italianwines.co.uk a commission. This never affects price or what we recommend.
Guided along this route
Someone drives the whole itinerary above
Private Tour In Valtellina Valley And Bormio Thermal Springs
Our journey will take us through the picturesque villages of Valtellina, each of which embodies its own unique Alpine identity, rich in history, art, and local culture...
10 hours
From €333
Book via
Before you ask
Strada del Vino della Valtellina, answered
It is a signed tourist route, not a numbered road. It runs 67 km from Ardenno to Tirano on local roads along the sunny north side of the valley. The SS 38 dello Stelvio, the state road, is down on the valley floor. Follow the brown Strada del Vino signs and you cannot go wrong.
About 55 minutes if you drove straight from Ardenno to Tirano on the fast road. About two hours on the wine road itself, with its detours through the hamlets. With two cellar visits, Castel Grumello and lunch in Teglio, it is a comfortable two days.
Nino Negri at Chiuro runs a 45-minute tasting from 20 euros that accepts last-minute requests, Tuesday to Saturday. Its two-hour tasting must be reserved. Sandro Fay at San Giacomo di Teglio takes visits by email request only, so write a week ahead.
Ardenno has no restrictions; park in the village. Sondrio's old town is a 24-hour camera zone, so use a car park outside it and walk in. At Tirano, Via Calcagno is a free car park with an underpass to the station. The Tania car park on Via Marconi is the covered option, Monday to Saturday.
Harvest, in late September and October, when pickers are on the walls. The Sforzato grapes then dry indoors until at least the start of December, so November shows the drying rooms. The Valtellina Wine Trail uses the vineyard lanes on Saturday 7 November 2026, and Teglio's pizzoccheri festival runs 24 to 26 July 2026.
A dry red made from Nebbiolo grapes dried for two to three months after picking, until at least the start of December. It was the first dry red from dried grapes to get DOCG status in Italy, in 2003. It ages for 20 months before release, at least 12 of them in wood.
Five named slopes of Valtellina Superiore, west to east. Maroggia is at Berbenno, Sassella just west of Sondrio, Grumello just east of it. Inferno is at Poggiridenti and Tresivio, and Valgella around Chiuro and Teglio. The wine road passes all five, in that order.
Yes. Trenord runs direct trains from Milano Centrale to Sondrio and Tirano about every hour. The Via dei Terrazzamenti is a 70 km walking and cycling path from Morbegno to Tirano, through the terraces, with 40 rest points. Walk or ride the section between Sondrio and Teglio, then take the train back.
Take the red Bernina train. It leaves from the station next to the Italian one and climbs to St. Moritz in about two hours fifteen, all year round. Palazzo Salis, on Via Salis 3, opens Monday to Saturday from May to September. The Madonna di Tirano basilica, begun in 1505, stands beside the tracks on the way in.
More drives in Lombardy
All Lombardy routes1 day
Strada del Franciacorta
The signposted loop through the Franciacorta DOCG amphitheatre between Brescia and Lake Iseo.
- Erbusco
- Bellavista
- Adro
- Guido Berlucchi
- Il Mosnel
- Iseo
Half day
Strada dei Vini del Garda
The Lake Garda southern shore route, from Sirmione's Lugana flats to the Valtenesi headland and its Chiaretto cellars.
- Sirmione
- Ca' dei Frati
- Costaripa
- Pasini San Giovanni
Take it with you
Save the 2 estates on this road as a trip
They land in a trip named after the route, in drive order. Reorder them, drop one, add a night, before you book anything.
You'll need to sign in, and we bring you straight back to this route.
