Grosotto, centre of the attractive valley Val Grosina in the beautiful Valtellina in the province of Sondrio in northern Lombardy located in direction of the famous Bormio, notorious destination for its fantastic ski facilities and not far from the well-known town of Tirano famous for its Sanctuary and gateway to the Swiss Canton of Graubünden.
Visiting this locality will undoubtedly be a wonderful experience to remember for all those who love tourism admiring the enchanting landscapes of the Alps and also for gourmets, in a perfect day to taste its unique gastronomic products as the famous Bresaola, an indisputable symbol of the entire province of Sondrio consisting in a cured meat highly appreciated worldwide.
Once you reached in Grosotto you can enjoy the panoramic beauty of the local landscapes of this town located at 600.0 meters of altitude with the images of the peaks of Cima Sasumer and Dos Cornin which with their 2.840 and 2.775 meters of altitude respectively majestically dominate the entire scene.
A further highlight is the central nucleus of this Valtellina municipality characterized by traditional houses developed using rough stone and wood as the main building materials.
The first stop will be dedicated to the refined, eighteenth-century Palazzo Omodei and the picturesque fountain-washhouse used by local housewives since ancient times to wash clothes, becoming over the years a meeting point for the community.
Along the central Via Patrioti with the spectacular view on the horizon of the Dos Dornin continuation towards the lever wine press dating back to the 18th century emblem of the winemaking activity of the municipality.
Later continuation in the square that was once called Torraccia and with the small Baroque Chapel dedicated to San Rocco who is said to have stopped in this place during a return trip from France.
The elevated chapel on a hexagonal plan with openings on five sides containing an altarpiece depicting the Virgin and Child Jesus and Saints John Nepomucene and Rocco, a work dating back to the 17th century attributed to Francesco Piatti di Mazzo.
From here you will soon reach the Oratory of the Holy Crucifix built in 1752 by Giovanni Dell' Acqua
Continuation with the Parish Church of Sant'Eusebio, a church already existing in 1257 largely redeveloped between 1699 and 1707 by the Lugano architect Bartolomeo Solari.
The façade consists of two overlapping orders, the lower one has six pilasters flanking a semi-column portal made by the local artist Antonio Robustelli Test in 1723 while the upper order has two pilasters with a large window in the center crowned by a tympanum.
The adjacent bell tower developed with two floors of three-light windows with a dome supported by an octagonal drum made in 1900 by the engineer Pinchetti.
The interior is basilica-shaped, with three naves divided by six green stone columns with capitals worked with foliage, boasts valuable stucco decorations depicting busts of angels and at the entrance, on the right side, there is a marble stoup carved in 1725 by Pasolino di Vezza d'Oglio.
On the counter-façade there are paintings depicting the Via Crucis and a panel depicting the Deposition of Jesus Christ in the tomb made in 1549 probably by the artist De Barberis and a canvas with the Adoration of the Magi dating back to the 16th or beginning of the 17th century of the Venetian school.
A notable local highlight is undoubtedly the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of Graces dating back to the 15th century as a thanksgiving for the narrowly escaped danger of destruction of Grosotto by the troops of the Three Leagues.
The Sanctuary was then extensively launched compared to its original structure with expansion works in 1534 and redeveloped between 1609 and 1634 by Gaspare Aprile and Sebastiano Scala, both architects from the Canton of Ticino in Switzerland.
The façade, bordered by a pediment and two pilasters in the center, has a serliana located above the entrance portal sculpted in 1639 by Giovanni Battista Aprile , while on the side walls a series of thermal windows were built.
On the north side of the religious complex stands a bell tower dating back to 1500 but then rebuilt between 1645 and 1705 and which boasts a concert of five bells.
The interior, with a single nave divided into three bays with a rectangular presbytery as a terminal element, is covered by a barrel vault with splendid frescoes and stuccoes made by the Valtellina artist Eliseo Fumagalli and has a wonderful organ with a seventeenth-century wooden case with carvings and handcrafted engravings manufactured in the 18th century.
Other works of considerable importance are the frescoes in the chapels made by Ferdinando and Giuseppe Crivelli and a wooden Marian statue attributed to Giacomo del Maino and his collaborators dating back to 1490.
At the end of the visit, I recommend visiting a company dedicated to the production of the iconic Bresaola, a product that falls within the circle of raw unsmoked salami and which, depending on the geographical area, can be produced using different types of meat, namely venison, beef, pork and also using horse meat.
The original Bresaola Valtellinese is considered one of the cured meats with the lowest fat index, typically characterized by its very vivid reddish hue and made from mature beef brought to the slaughterhouse.
The most orthodox tradition provides for specific cuts that can be in the magatello, under the rump but above all at the tip of the hip called in jargon "Zebu meat".
The proceeds are introduced into a dry steel tank for salting that lasts between 10 and 20 days depending on the size of the piece, a fundamental process where the meat is totally sprinkled with salt adding black pepper, natural flavors and in some cases wine or even sugars.
Other stages of processing concern the change of containers by removing the brine, the massage to make the salt penetrate the Carnic tissue, the washing to eliminate excess waste, the stuffing into casings, the drying which takes place at temperatures between 20.0 and 30.0 degrees with humidity indexes between 35% and 65%.
This is followed by the seasoning which will last between two and four months at constant temperatures between 12.0 and 18.0 degrees with air humidity values between 70% and 90%.
Another salient process is the legendary protection of the brand and geographical origin in defense of the original native product with the famous IGP stamp .
The destination of the excess discarded meat, corresponding to that near the bone tissue that gives off a very intense flavor, seasoned for about a month, is used to create another product called Slinzega, a cured meat that in one of its stages of elaboration is spiced with different ingredients such as bay leaf, pepper, garlic, cloves, salt and cinnamon.
Then time for your lunch, I recommend to start as an entrant a platter of mixed cold cuts, among the first courses homemade Pizzoccheri Valtellina or Risotto with Four Cheeses while among the second courses a choice between Sciatt with a side of Salad or Mixed Grilled Meat with Rucola.
A visit to Grosotto is recommended for all those who love history, art, nature, enjoying the wonderful landscapes of the spectacular Valtellina and for gourmets who will discover an absolutely elite product such as the iconic Bresaola.
Link - https://comune.grosotto.so.it/
Where to Stay | Recommended Accommodation
Mortirolo - Imperial Rooms
Casa Vacanza l' antico molino
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