Val Calanca
The Val Calanca is a valley of the Swiss Alps, located in the Lepontine Alps. The valley is drained by the Calancasca, a tributary of the Moesa (Ticino basin), at Roveredo. The highest mountains surrounding the Val Calanca are the Puntone dei Fraciòn (3,202 m / 10,505 ft) and the Zapporthorn (3,152 m / 10,341 ft).
Geography
[edit]The valley extends 26 kilometres (16 mi) from North to south.[1] The valleys main river is the Calancasca. The Lago de Calvaresc is located within the Natural park, east of Rossa.[2] The highest mountains are the Puntone dei Fraciòn (3,202 m / 10,505 ft) at the border to Ticino, and the Zapporthorn (3,152 m / 10,341 ft). Several mountain passes exist connecting the Val Calanca to the neighbouring valleys.
Human geography
[edit]The valley belongs to the Moesa District, in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The main villages are (from north to south): Rossa, Cauco, Selma, Arvigo, Buseno and Santa Maria in Calanca.[3]
Due to migration out of the valley there were about 800 inhabitants in 2021.[1] Castaneda, Switzerland was formerly surrounded by chestnut trees, threatened by overgrowth of taller trees. Landarenca is a car-free village[4] that can only be visited on foot, its 10 inhabitants live of tourism. The only major industry in the Val Calanca is a quarry, producing 10,000 cubic metres (350,000 cu ft) of Gneiss per year. In Rossa, archeologists discovered 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) of dry stone walls of a settlement called scatta from the 16th century. The British painter David Tremlett painted the exterior of 3 historic churches. Braggio is the highest situated village and also can only be reached by foot or gondola. Avalanche barriers from stone are being replaced with 4 m (13 ft) high steel constructions anchored up to 8 m (26 ft) in the ground there. At the Alp di Stabveder, a grey goat typical for the valley was preserved.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Doku Natur: Wilde Schweiz: Das Calancatal (2/4)". ARD Mediathek (in German). 1 August 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ "Lagh de Calvaresc · 6548 Rossa, Schweiz". Google Maps (in German). Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ "Siedlungen - Parco Val Calanca". www.parcovalcalanca.swiss. n.d. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ "Exploring Val Calanca: A Hidden Gem in the Swiss Alps". Together in Switzerland. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
External links
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