Kolumbansweg Schweiz - 20. Etappe Bivio - Vicosporano

At the top of the pass we notice the Kolumban plaque on the right, slightly above the path, embedded in a boulder. This plaque was installed in Luxeuil by the French Association of Friends of Columban.

From the watershed, 3 rivers flow into 3 seas: the Inn (via Danube) into the Black Sea, the Mera (via Po) into the Adriatic Sea and the Julia (via Rhine) into the North Sea. From the Septimer Pass, two more passes can be crossed: to the west the Forcellina (2672 m) into the Avers Valley, to the east the Lunghin Pass (2645 m) into the Upper Engadine.

The Septimer Pass has been one of the most important transit axes since Roman times. Its location, as well as a favorable terrain, did not put any major obstacles in the way of the path builders.

From Casaccia there are 2 possibilities of hiking: the Via Sett trail or alternatively the Panoramic Trail (marked on the map to Vicosoprano) that leads along the mountainside to Solio and Castasegna.

We leave Bivio and follow the signs to the Septimer Pass or Via Sett (No. 64). Hiking over beautiful Alps we enjoy wonderful views of the surrounding mountains. At the exit of the village of Bivio, a signpost points to the Leg Columban (Lake Columban), an indication that Kolumban and his companions have most likely taken this path.

On a slightly ascending path we overcome the altitude difference of almost 550 m to the pass height at 2310 m above sea level.

Excavations directly above the pass path revealed a still clearly recognizable Roman camp from the imperial period of Augustus. It can be assumed that the camp was built in preparation for the Alpine campaign of 15 BC and was then occupied in the summer months. The soldiers had the task of securing and maintaining the Septimer Pass as an important supply route for the Roman army operating north of the Alps. In 16/17 AD, the conquest of Germania on the right bank of the Rhine was abandoned and the Rhine was accepted as a border, which led to the army camp on the Septimer Pass becoming superfluous.

The ownership and customs revenues of the entire Septimer route from Chur to Chiavenna formed the power base of the Bishop of Chur since 960. Merchants and armies, kings and emperors, Otto the Great and Frederick Barbarossa moved over the pass – in the High Middle Ages next to the Great Saint Bernard and Brenner, the most important transalpine transit connection.

From 1938, the Swiss Army created the Septimer barrier just south of the pass. It consisted of four machine gun positions housed in caverns. The barrier was intended to prevent the advance of infantry units from the Bergell to the north and thus a bypass of the Julier and Maloja barriers. The barrier was abandoned in the 1990s.

The descent from the Septimer Pass leads in several steep serpentines on Roman roads down to the Bergell. Some sections of the path lead directly into the valley on the Roman road.

Casaccia at 1450 m above sea level was first mentioned in 1160. Due to its location at the junction of the Maloja and Septimer passes, Casaccia was an important transit station until the 19th century. This function is commemorated by the ruins of the medieval turraccia tower above the village. The former hospice stood near the ruins of the former pilgrimage church of San Gaudenzio above the village on the pass road. It is mentioned in a document in 1336, but is likely to be much older.

Since we descend on the panoramic path at Pungel about 200 meters in altitude to Vicosoprano, the place of overnight stay, and the next day have to climb a similar number of meters, this path is a bit exhausting, but the hiker is richly compensated by a great landscape with a view of imposing mountain massifs.

Near the church of S. Cassian in Vicosoprano, a Roman mercury altar from the second half of the 4th century was found. Until 960, the inhabitants of Como were subordinated, then to the Bishop of Chur. Vicosoprano was then the capital of the valley municipality of Bergell, transport center, seat of the Bergeller Port and the important families Castelmur and Prevost. The Vogt of the Bishop of Chur held court in the Senwelenturm (including the gallows), the only surviving medieval round tower in Graubünden, which dates back to the 13th century, was first mentioned in 1314 and also served as an episcopal street customs office.