Passo Forcola - le vie del Viandante

The route along the Passo della Forcola, a link between the Mesolcina Valley (Soazza) and the Valchiavenna (Gordona, Mese and Chiavenna) was known and practiced, since the Middle Ages (and probably even earlier), for military purposes. In 1600 and 1700 the mule track was then enlarged and frequented by merchants who, not being able to transit through the lands of the State of Milan, wanted to trade with the Swiss countries and the Republic of Venice. In this period the itinerary was called "via del sale" and used, for some time, as a natural continuation of the Strada Priula (the road that connected Bergamo to Morbegno and continued eastwards).

The Via della Forcola can also be traced back to rather macabre memories linked to the period of the plague of 1600: along the road, at the entrance of Chiavenna, there is still a drawing of a key carved in stone – the so-called "Key of the plague" – a place where, according to tradition, the guards prevented beggars, suspected of contagion, from accessing the city.