4.0
(1)
56
runners
Chiavenna – Balbiani Palace loop from Chiavenna
01:06
7.84km
310m
Running
Hard run. Very good fitness required. Sure-footedness, sturdy shoes and alpine experience required. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.
Last updated: May 10, 2026
Tips
Your route passes through protected areas
Please check local regulations for:
Riserva Naturale Marmitte dei Giganti
Waypoints
Start point
Parking
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181 m
View of the Mera River in Chiavenna
Highlight • River
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377 m
Chiavenna Historic Center
Highlight • Historical Site
Chiavenna was already a town in 1030. In the 12th century, it cleverly used its friendship with Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa to negotiate benefits and privileges for itself. Chiavenna was also the place where the emperor asked his cousin Henry the Lion, Duke of Bavaria and Saxony, for military help before the Battle of Legnano, but to no avail. During this time, the Bishop of Chur first claimed the area around Chiavenna, which was under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Como, and in 1178 advanced over the Alps to Plurs. In 1335, Chiavenna and the territory of the Diocese of Como passed to the Visconti of Milan. Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian and ten years later King Charles IV decreed that the County of Chiavenna should be under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Chur, but their order was ineffective. Throughout the 15th century, the valleys of Chiavenna were the fiefdom of the Balbiani from Varenna. In 1477, the nearby municipality of Plurs paid the ground rents that they had to pay to the Lords of Werdenberg-Sargans for the pastures in the Valle di Lei. In June 1486, an army of Graubünden took advantage of Pope Innocent VIII's call to fight the Sforza, who had replaced the Visconti in Milan, to advance into the Val San Giacomo and as far as Plurs. They only retreated after Chiavenna had been set on fire and livestock and farm equipment had been captured. In mid-February 1487, 600 Graubünden troops again tried to advance from the Splügen Pass and from Bergell, as well as from Piattamala in the Valtellina; they were repulsed. However, they managed to break through from Livigno, defeating the Valtellina at Sondrio. Then Louis the Moor, Duke of Milan, rushed to help and had fortification walls built around Chiavenna and the main centres of the Valtellina. They were built between 1488 and 1492 with financial help from the various municipalities of the county, but were no longer needed by 1512 when, after twelve years of French rule, Chiavenna and the valley were annexed by the Three Leagues: while the Swiss cantons supported Pope Julius II and the Holy League, the army of the Church League under Conrad von Planta attacked Chiavenna on 22 May 1512; the other two leagues advanced into the Valtellina.
Text / Source: Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (HLS)
hls-dhs-dss.ch/de/articles/007043/2015-05-07
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537 m
Chiavenna
Highlight • Settlement
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839 m
Paradiso Botanical-Archaeological Park
Highlight • Historical Site
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5.59 km
Prosto Village and Clock Tower
Highlight • Settlement
5.81 km
Grotto Belvedere
Highlight • Restaurant
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7.06 km
Balbiani Palace
Highlight • Castle
Translated by Google •
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7.84 km
End point
Parking
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
2.36 km
2.20 km
1.96 km
657 m
657 m
Surfaces
3.52 km
3.06 km
511 m
352 m
331 m
< 100 m
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Elevation
Highest point (520 m)
Lowest point (330 m)
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Weather
Powered by Foreca
Tuesday 30 June
27°C
18°C
91 %
Additional weather tips
Max wind speed: 13.0 km/h
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Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.
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