This Italian Town Is Surrounded by Vineyards That Climb the Mountains

Would you expect to find vineyards on the slopes of a mountain? In Valtellina, the answer is yes — and the sight is as fascinating as it is unusual. 

Around Sondrio, entire mountainsides have been transformed into a series of cultivated terraces, supported by dry-stone walls and shaped by generations of winegrowers. This is known as “heroic viticulture”, a tradition that defies the steep terrain and, harvest after harvest, produces wines that capture its most authentic character.

The terraced vineyards are an integral part of the valley’s history and identity, and discovering them is an experience open to everyone, even those with little knowledge of wine. All it takes is a walk along the trails, a chance to take in the breathtaking views and, of course, a taste of the local wines!

Looking at the vineyards surrounding Sondrio, it’s hard not to wonder how anyone can grow grapevines on such steep slopes. The truth is that these striking mountainsides tell a story that goes far beyond hard work and ingenuity: they’re the gateway to a unique region just waiting to be explored.

Heroic viticulture is the perfect starting point for discovering Valtellina from a different perspective. Here, growing grapes is a real challenge, tackled through painstaking work that includes placing stones one by one to create the terraces.

What makes this area so special is how easily you can go from downtown Sondrio to the terraced vineyards in just a few minutes, following scenic trails along the mountain slopes. Just a short walk from the town’s streets brings you among the vines, where you can take in spectacular views up close.

And that’s just the beginning. From the Percorso DiVino to the Via dei Terrazzamenti, here are the routes you don’t want to miss before rounding off the day with the delicious flavors of Valtellina’s local cuisine.

On flat land, a tractor can do much of the work in a vineyard. In the mountains of Valtellina, things get a lot more complicated. The terraces are narrow, the slopes are steep, and farm equipment can’t reach every corner. Even a routine task between the rows of grapevines can require plenty of time, careful footing, and a lot of hands-on work.

That’s when the true meaning of heroic viticulture becomes clear. Planting grapevines and waiting for them to grow isn’t enough. They need to be tended and harvested in challenging conditions that call for skill, experience, and plenty of hard work. Much of the work takes place on steep, hard-to-reach slopes.

Harvest season, in particular, is a challenge in its own right. Grapes must be picked and carried along the terraces, often without the help of machinery. The result? Wines that capture the true character of the region and the passion of the people who tend its vineyards. And when it’s time for a tasting, knowing the effort behind every bottle makes that first sip all the more rewarding.

Beautiful to look at and essential to winemaking, dry-stone walls are a defining feature of Sondrio’s terraced vineyards. They make it possible to create usable strips of farmland on steep mountain slopes.

What’s their secret? The stones are carefully fitted together without mortar, creating sturdy structures that hold the soil in place while allowing water to drain through. It’s far from a simple matter of stacking rocks. Building walls that can withstand heavy rain and temperature swings takes attention and considerable skill.

As you walk among the vineyards, take a moment to look at these walls up close. Each one reflects generations of work and ingenuity, showing how local growers found a way to cultivate grapevines even where the mountain seemed to make it nearly impossible.

To really understand how grapes are grown on Valtellina’s steep mountain slopes, there’s a simple way to find out: explore the Via dei Terrazzamenti. This roughly 43-mile route connects Morbegno and Tirano, winding through a landscape where vineyards alternate with historic villages and other picturesque corners of the valley.

The scenic trail follows the mountainside, passing terraced vineyards and dry-stone walls. Along the way, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to stop, explore the surrounding area, and take a closer look at this one-of-a-kind landscape.

You don’t have to tackle the entire route. Simply choose a section to explore on foot or, where the trail is suitable, by bike, and spend a few hours discovering the area at your own pace.

In Sondrio, winegrowing meets history, art, and spirituality along the Percorso DiVino, a roughly 8-mile route that starts in the town center, leads to the Santuario della Madonna della Sassella, and continues toward Castione Andevenno.

This scenic trail winds through terraced vineyards and passes places that reflect the local community’s long-standing tradition of grape growing. Along the way, you’ll come across chapels, churches, and historic wine presses once used to crush grapes.

One of the highlights is the Santuario della Madonna della Sassella, a worthwhile stop for anyone looking to combine a walk with a bit of cultural sightseeing, all set against a spectacular panoramic backdrop.

The full route takes around three and a half hours, but you can also explore just one section and enjoy the walk at your own pace, depending on how much time you have available.

The terraced vineyards tell the story of just how challenging it is to grow grapes in the mountains. But there’s another side to Valtellina’s wine heritage, and it can be discovered right in the heart of Sondrio.

To understand how local wines began making their way beyond the valley, let’s rewind to 1872. That’s when the Società Enologica Valtellinese was founded with an ambitious goal: to bring winemaking, storage, and sales under one roof, giving local grape growers new opportunities to market their wines.

The headquarters was a large building in central Sondrio, with cellars holding over 15,000 hectoliters of wine, about one-tenth of Valtellina’s production at the time. It also housed Noè, a monumental barrel once described as the world’s largest, dismantled in the 1960s. Today, the building houses Le Volte Center (Centro Le Volte), a venue for food and wine events and the promotion of local products.

The story of the Società Enologica Valtellinese shows that heroic viticulture involves more than growing grapes on steep, terraced slopes. After the demanding work in the vineyards came another challenge: turning the harvest into wine, storing it, and getting it to market. Less visible than the work among the vines, these efforts played a crucial role in shaping Sondrio and Valtellina’s winemaking tradition.

After walking among the terraced vineyards and discovering the secrets of local grape growing, it’s time to savor Sondrio’s authentic flavors, starting with a glass of local red wine.

The star of the area is Nebbiolo delle Alpi, locally known as Chiavennasca. It’s the grape behind Valtellina Superiore DOCG Sassella, produced in the vineyards around Sondrio. You can also try Rosso di Valtellina DOC or, if you prefer a fuller-bodied wine, Sforzato di Valtellina DOCG.

At the table, these wines pair beautifully with local specialties such as pizzoccheri, buckwheat noodles cooked with potatoes, cabbage, and melted cheese, or sciatt, crispy fritters with a gooey Casera cheese center.

To get an even better sense of the connection between wine and the land, order a glass of Sassella and enjoy it with a traditional dish. After seeing the vineyards clinging to the mountainsides, you’ll find that each sip captures something of this remarkable winemaking tradition.