64 Via Sett

Traders, armies, kings and emperors all crossed the Alps via the Septimer route. Its advantages were the convenient location with a direct north-south link and ideal topographical conditions. Finds of lead slingshot on the Septimer bear witness to the fact that the Roman army made early use of the pass. Above all in the High Middle Ages, the Septimerpass was one of the most important trading routes and brought wealth to the Bishop of Chur. Today, one of Switzerland's most diverse cultural and long-distance hiking routes travels over what was once an arduous Alpine crossing. From Chur to Chiavenna in Italy, it gradually traces a chequered history and leads through three different cultural regions. The natural setting is just as varied. There is plenty to discover, the open space of the high plateau in the Surses, the rocky landscape at the head of the Septimerpass and the Mediterranean mountain valleys of Bergell and Valchiavenna.