Forcola Pass - the way of the Traveler

The route along the Forcola Pass, connecting the Mesolcina Valley (Soazza) and the Valchiavenna (Gordona, Mese, and Chiavenna), was known and used since the Middle Ages (and probably even before), for military purposes. In the 1600s and 1700s, the mule track was then expanded and frequented by merchants who, unable to pass through the lands of the State of Milan, wanted to trade with the Swiss countries and the Republic of Venice. During this period, the itinerary was called the “salt route” and was used for a long time as the natural continuation of the Strada Priula (the route connecting Bergamo to Morbegno and continuing east).

The Forcola route is also associated with rather macabre memories linked to the plague period of the 1600s: along the road, at the entrance to Chiavenna, there is still a key design carved into the rock – the so-called “Plague Key” – a place where, according to tradition, guards prevented beggars suspected of contagion from entering the city.