The Bregaglia Range (commonly the Bregaglia) is a small group of mostly

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

mountains A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher th ...

in Graubünden,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and the

Province of Sondrio The Province of Sondrio ( it, provincia di Sondrio) is in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. Its provincial capital is the city of Sondrio. As of 2017, it has a population of 181,403. History The Province was established in 1815, within ...

northern Italy Northern Italy ( it, Italia settentrionale, it, Nord Italia, label=none, it, Alta Italia, label=none or just it, Nord, label=none) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. It consists of eight administrative regions ...

. It derives its name from the partly Swiss, partly Italian valley, the ''

Val Bregaglia The Val Bregaglia ( lmo, Val Bregaja; german: Bergell, ; rm, ) is an alpine valley of Switzerland and Italy at the base of which runs the river Mera ( lmo, Maira in Switzerland). Most of the valley falls within the Swiss district of Maloja i ...

'', and is known as ''Bergell'' in German. Other names which are applied to the range include the

Val Masino Val Masino (Western Lombard dialect, Western Lombard: ''Val Màsen'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sondrio in the Italy, Italian region Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about northwest of Sondrio, on the border ...

Alps and, to describe the main ridge, Masino-Bregaglia-Disgrazia.

Vicosoprano Vicosoprano is a former municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden and is the largest village in the Val Bregaglia. It's now part of the municipality of Bregaglia. History Vicosoprano is first mentioned in 1096 as ...

(1,067 m) is the main settlement in the Swiss part of the range. The range is a popular mountaineering destination, and includes such peaks as

Monte Disgrazia Monte Disgrazia or Munt Des'giascia (3,678 m) is a mountain in the Bregaglia range in the Italian Alps. It is the highest peak in the Val Masino group, situated south of the Bernina Range. It has five glaciers and five wild ridges and is a dema ...

, Piz Cengalo and

Piz Badile Piz Badile (3,308 m) is a mountain of the Bregaglia range in the Swiss canton of Graubünden and the Italian region of Lombardy. The border between the two countries runs along the summit ridge. Its north-east face, overlooking the Swiss Val Bre ...

. Well-known mountaineers who are associated with the area and have made significant first ascents in the range include

Leslie Stephen Sir Leslie Stephen (28 November 1832 – 22 February 1904) was an English author, critic, historian, biographer, and mountaineer, and the father of Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell. Life Sir Leslie Stephen came from a distinguished intellectua ...

, D. W. Freshfield, W. A. B. Coolidge,

Christian Klucker Christian Klucker (28 September 1853 – 21 December 1928) was a Swiss mountain guide who made many first ascents in the Alps, particularly in the Bernina Range, the Bregaglia and the Pennine Alps. Amongst his first ascents were: :*''Gurgel'' ...

Paul Güssfeldt Dr Paul Güssfeldt (spelled Güßfeldt in German) (14 October 1840 – 18 January 1920) was a German geologist, mountaineer and explorer. Biography Güssfeldt was born in Berlin, where he also died almost 80 years later. After attending the C ...

and

Riccardo Cassin Riccardo Cassin (2 January 19096 August 2009) was an Italian mountaineer, developer of mountaineering equipment and author, and an important figure in the history of rock climbing. Life Born into a peasant family at San Vito al Tagliamento in Fr ...

. A cable-car service runs from Pranzaira to the Albigna lake, and the Albigna hut (2,331 m) is a further 30–45-minute walk up the east side of the barrage.

Significant peaks

Glaciers

Main

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

s : *

Forno Glacier The Forno Glacier ( Romansh: ''Vadrec del Forno'') is a 6 km long glacier (2005) situated in the Bregaglia Range in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. In 1973 it had an area of 8.72 km2. See also *List of glaciers in Switzerlan ...

* Albigna Glacier

Photo gallery

Image:Badile.jpg,

above the Val Bondasca Image:Pizzo Badile and Capanna Giannetti - Val Masino - Italy.jpg, Piz Badile from the south Image:Soglio.jpg, Soglio Image:Vicosoprano.jpg,

Image:CimaCastello.jpg, Cima di Castello Image:Albigna01.PNG, Albigna lake Image:Forno.PNG, Forno Glacier Image:CapannaForno.PNG, Forno hut

References

*Collomb, Robin G., ''Bregaglia East'', Goring: West Col Productions, 1971 *Collomb, Robin G., ''Bregaglia West'', Goring: West Col Productions, 1984

External links

The Bregaglia on SummitPostBregaglia Tourist Promotion BoardItinerary of the Via Bregaglia
{{Authority control Rhaetian Alps Mountain ranges of the Alps Mountain ranges of Graubünden Mountain ranges of Italy Val Bregaglia