In the north of Lombardy 2,500 kilometres of dry stone walls on incredibly steep slopes trace the Valtellina wine region along the River Adda valley. These terraces are the result of a harmonious relationship between man and nature and clear examples of a primitive, but still relevant architecture known as “Rural Historic Landscape”, whose construction is included in the UNESCO Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage..
On the Rhaetian mountainside the history of Valtellina is rooted along these dry stone walls, true pieces of rural engineering which represent an historical model of anthropisation of the alpine landscape. They are an example of the affinity between man and mountain and the endless relationship between the wildness of nature and the determination of the people who live in it. There are 820 cultivated hectares along the rocky slopes, from West to East (from Buglio in Monte to Tirano), from the bottom to the top (rising from 200 metres up to nearly 800 metres altitude). The principal grape by far is Chiavennesca, the local name for Nebbiolo. This variety is also used to produce a local speciality called Sforzato or Sfursat di Valtellina, a full-bodied dry red wine made from grapes that have been left to dry on racks for three months and aged for at least 20 months.
