From Piedmont to Valtellina: 10 destinations featuring autumn colours, walking trails and traditions
From Val Zebrù to the dinosaur footprints: the other Alta Valtellina
In the Upper Valtellina, the splendour of autumn is celebrated in the Stelvio National Park, with the warm hues of the larch trees. Resorts renowned for the winter season, such as Bormio and Santa Caterina Valfurva, offer a range of opportunities for travel at this time of year, combining nature walks, trails dedicated to Alpine geology and cultural visits. In Val Zebrù, one of the park’s most picturesque valleys, the autumn foliage accompanies walkers as they make their way through woods and past traditional mountain huts, offering a chance to experience the bellowing of the stag – a call that can be heard until the end of October, during the rutting season. For those wishing to interpret the landscape from a scientific perspective, the Val Zebrù Geological Trail, opened in 2025, comprises seven stages that recount the formation of these mountains, the movements of tectonic plates and the effects of the ice ages. Weather permitting, the route can continue towards the Quinto Alpini Mountain Hut and the Zebrù Pass, in a high-altitude setting. A different but equally historic excursion is the walk through the Fraele Valley, along the road that runs alongside the Cancano Lakes. Tens of thousands of dinosaur footprints dating back over 210 million years have been identified on the Dolomite cliffs of the Cime di Plator and Cima Doscopa. The surfaces bearing the tracks are not directly accessible, but certain vantage points allow you to observe the area through a telescope and understand how the rocks preserve the memory of environments and life forms that disappeared millions of years ago. On days when the weather is bad, for those who do not wish to treat themselves to a relaxing break in the warm waters of the Terme Bagni Nuovi, the Bormio Mineralogical and Natural History Museum is the ideal complement to this journey through the history of the Earth, with a collection of over 14,000 crystals and minerals. Finally, in Santa Caterina Valfurva, 31 October marks the first taste of snow with the reopening of the Valtellina cross-country ski trail, a 1.8-kilometre loop prepared using the ‘snowfarming’ preservation technique.
