Trip to Fraele’s towers along the Imperial Way

The Fraele’s Towers are located in Upper Valtellina. These are two very well-preserved medieval towers that deserve a visit to admire the architecture and, above all, the landscape of the underlying lakes. To reach them, departing from the municipality of Valdidentro, in the province of Sondrio, you can choose from several itineraries more or less difficult.

The path, ideal to share with the whole family and without the need of particular physical training, winds along the ancient Imperial Way of Alemagna. The road, built during World War I for war purposes, is still the only one that leads directly in the middle of the towers. During the summer season it is usually closed to car traffic (already low in itself), at least from 10am to 16pm, and therefore it is easily accessible by bicycle or on foot. The road, very wide, winds through dirt road and, along it, there are many points of refreshment, also ideal for short stops and for taking panoramic pictures to the valley below.

Originally the road coasting the precipice and allowed to climb to the towers thanks to tall wooden steps fixed in the stone, but, if necessary, they could be quickly removed. Today, the latter have been replaced by more easy bends and tunnels excavated directly in the rock. To deal with these stretches, however, it is necessary to have electric torches.
The road is passable at all times of the year except in the winter when it is covered by snow.