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Il Trenino Giallo di Tirano
It is easy to explore the delightful Northern Italian town of Tirano using their hop-on hop-off tourist train.
I’ve said it before – and probably more than once: I love Europe!
I love how you can wake up in Switzerland, explore and have lunch in Italy, and be back in Switzerland – and in a different region and city! – in time for dinner.
My husband and I were enjoying a long sight-seeing rail-loop around Switzerland with friends. Part of our trip included the fabulous UNESCO-listed Bernina Express train from Chur, Switzerland to Tirano in Italy (see: Railway Dreaming and Spirals to Tirano).
We had paused our circuit for an overnight stop in Poschiavo (see: Switzerland for Lunch) which meant we arrived in Tirano mid-morning, giving us a couple of hours to explore before rejoining our friends for lunch, and then boarding a bus for the drive to Lugano, Switzerland. Perhaps more commonly, this is where travellers can alight their Swiss Rhaetian Railway trains, transit the Piazzale Stazione (Station Square), and join an Italian State Railway train to Milan.
Only two kilometres from the Swiss border, Tirano is in the Valtellina – an alpine valley in the far north of Lombardy, Italy – and at the crossroads to Val Poschiavo – the valley of Poschiavo in the southern, Italian-speaking part of the Swiss canton of Graubünden. Historically, the Valtellina has been the subject of intense military and diplomatic struggle – especially during the catastrophic Thirty Years’ War – because it allowed access to the passes between Lombardy and the Danube watershed.
Today, the little town boasts relics of its heritage: medieval gates and ancient buildings blend with modern art installations. The centre-piece is the Pilgrimage Church of the Madonna di Tirano, built in the early 1500s on the site of a smaller church. According to the local history, in 1504 the Virgin Mary appeared to a local girl, Mario Omodei, and told her that she would end the plague in Tirano if the town built a shrine dedicated to her. The first stone was laid six months later, and the pestilence ended. The magnificent basilica was built in late Renaissance style, with later ornate Baroque interiors, and is still a major pilgrimage site.
The little yellow hop-on hop-off tourist train made exploring Tirano easy. For €5 each, we could save our feet, listen to commentary (which we promptly forgot!), and get out at various places of interest.
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Woman in the Piazzale Stazione
Tirano’s large Railway Square is home to two railway stations: the Swiss Rhaetian Railway (RhB) and the Italian Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RBI).
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Sanctuary of Madonna di Tirano
The centrepiece of the town is the Pilgrimage Church of the Madonna di Tirano.
Medieval Church of Santa Perpetua
High on a hill overlooking the Sanctuary, a little xenodochium – a medieval hostel or hospital – sits on a rocky outcrop.
Tirano Crest in Piazza Della Basilica
Piazza Della Basilica
The Basilica Madonna di Tirano is impressive with its colonnaded dome and lovely eight-level belltower.
Frieze over the Sanctuary Portal
Altar in the Basilica
The very ornate interior of the Sanctuary is decorated in elaborate Baroque style. The high altar is dark: carved in black marble from Varenna by Giobvanni Battista Galli di Clivio in 1748.
Chapel of the Apparition
The statue of the Madonna over the left-hand altar was carved between 1519-24 by Giovanni Antonio del Maino di Pavia. This shrine attracts pilgrims who leave votive candles and prayers.
Organ
Lucky is the traveller or pilgrim who hears this fill the church with sound! This magnificent 2,200-pipe organ – one of the biggest in Europe – was carved by Giuseppe Bulgarini between 1608-17.
Looking Down the Nave
Monk in the Piazza
Piazza Della Basilica
The large piazza outside the Sanctuary is bordered by little shops and large buildings, including the 18th century Palazzetto del Penitenziere, which now houses the Tiranese Ethnographic Museum.
Water Fountain – Piazza Della Basilica
An alcove across from the entrance to the Basilica features a fresco from 1513 depicting the appearance of the Blessed Virgin.
Arch out of the Piazza Della Basilica
An arch attached to the Palazzetto del Penitenziere leads out of the square on a tiled roadway.
Via XX Settembre
We jumped onto the next train, and crossed the river into the central part of town.
Largo Pretorio
There are winding roads and archways everywhere.
Courtyard Spaces
Modern art installations blend seamlessly with ancient frescos.
Across Adda River
The expanding town has swallowed its old city walls. One of the bridges over the Adda River leads through one of the three remaining gates: the Porta Poschiavina.
Bridge at Porta Poschiavina
Sculpted Space
Street Scene
Palazzo Pievani
In the shadow of the surrounding mountains, there are arches and nooks and crannies everywhere, leading into charming cobbled plazas.
Fountain Art
Old fountains have been reclaimed, …
Tiles in the Fountain
… and turned into colourful art.
Archway
Chiesa di San Martino
Sculpture at the Rooftops
A marble woman in a small square seems to float against the mountains.
Selfie in a Window
I couldn’t resist a shot of the reflections in a barred window …
Il Trenino Giallo di Tirano
… as we waited for our return train to roll into view.
It was a perfect Italian interlude.
After lunch, we hopped onto a red Bernina bus, and made our way back to Switzerland – all in time for dinner!
Happy Travels.
Pictures: 07August2014
[…] with Swiss friends (See: Railway Dreaming; Spirals from Poschiavo; Switzerland for Lunch; and The Crossroads of the Passes). We had arrived in Lugano on the red Bernina Express Bus from Tirano the night before, giving […]