The best family-friendly hikes and walks around Lai da Marmorera

A village goes underwater - Marmorera The flooding (1954): 29 residential buildings, 52 stables, and a church sank beneath the waves. A new Marmorera was built slightly above on the slope for the resettled inhabitants. On September 14, 1955, the Marmorera Castiletto dam was inaugurated. Among those present were, in addition to the Mayor of Zurich, Emil Landolt, local politicians such as Gion Not Spegnas, District President of Oberhalbstein, as well as involved entrepreneurs and officials. While the illustrious guests attended the ceremony in the high-alpine valley basin, the plant further down in Tinizong, one of the three power plant stages, was already generating electricity for Zurich. The reservoir looked like a natural mountain lake with a smooth water surface, in which the sunlight glittered. But the supposed mountain idyll holds a secret. On the dark bottom lie the ruins of the village of Marmorera – once a flourishing community that benefited from coach traffic over the Julier Pass before the construction of the Albula Tunnel, but whose citizens had been living off agriculture with great difficulty since the Second World War. Text / Source: Swiss National Museum, Landesmuseum Zürich, Museumstrasse 2, Zurich https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/2022/09/staudamm-marmorera/

Lai da Marmorera / Marmorera Lake since 1954 Sunken village and lost homeland – The story of Marmorera The story of Marmorera is a story of change and loss. In the 1950s, as Zurich's demand for electricity grew, a reservoir was built on the Ova da Marmorera river. This led to the flooding of the village of Marmorera, which then sank into the reservoir. The residents were relocated, and the old village disappeared into the waters of the new Marmorera Lake. The Marmorera Castiletto dam was completed in 1954, and the old municipality of Marmorera was replaced by the new Marmorera. Today, only a few houses remain on the shores of the lake, and the story of Marmorera remains a fascinating testament to a turbulent past. Text / Source: wikipedia.org https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lai_da_Marmorera

Bivio - Access to the Septimer and Julier Alpine Passes Bivio (German and officially Stalla until 1902, Romansh Beiva). It lies at the foot of the Julier and Septimer Alpine Passes. Bivio, along with Tarvis and Luwin, is the only officially Italian-speaking village north of the Alpine watershed and is considered the one in Switzerland with the greatest linguistic diversity. Bivio is located in the heart of one of Switzerland's most beautiful holiday regions: at 1,769 meters, with direct access to the Septimer and Julier Alpine Passes. Historic paths lead through the highest village in Surses - the Romans already transported their goods here. Today, holidaymakers in summer enjoy the Alpine landscape with its magnificent views, healthy climate, and the interplay of colors of rich green and colorful flora. In addition, there are diverse opportunities for families and other guests. After all, Bivio is located in the middle of Parc Ela, Switzerland's largest nature park. This is appreciated by children eager for experiences and bike holidaymakers just as much as by all those who find relaxation on extensive hikes in the Alps. Text / Source: Graubünden Ferien, Alexanderstrasse 24, Chur https://www.graubuenden.ch/de/ausflugsziele/bivio

Passdorf Bivio (rom. Beiva) - around 840 AD Bivio was mentioned as a place of accommodation for travellers The pass village Bivio (rom. Beiva) is located at an altitude of almost 1800 m above sea level on the Julier road. The name Bivio means crossroads and refers to its location at the foot of the Julier and Septimer passes. Already in the "Reichsguturbar" around 840 AD, Bivio was mentioned as a place of accommodation for travellers. Besides the main settlement, there are several hamlets. Bivio was partly settled from the Bergell valley. The Italian-speaking inhabitants maintained lively contact with the German-speaking Avers, with the Romance-speaking neighbours down the valley and, via the Julier, with the Engadin. For this reason, Bivio was considered the only trilingual municipality for a very long time. Ecclesiastically too, Bivio holds a special position, as the municipality has been considered paritary since the Reformation. This is reflected in the sacred buildings in the village: the Catholic Church of St. Gallus dates from 1518 and houses an important Gothic altarpiece; the Reformed Church was built in 1675. In the "Gotteshausbund", Stalla (Bivio and Marmorera) formed the judicial community Avers-Stalla with Avers, and with the distant court of Upper Engadin, Remüs (Ramosch), the high court Remüs-Stalla-Avers. Due to the great distances and linguistic differences, these structures were extremely difficult. At the beginning of the 20th century, numerous Bivians found employment in the flourishing tourism of the nearby Engadin. In 1959, the first ski lift was built in Bivio. With the rise of tourism, more jobs could be created in the construction industry and the tertiary sector. In 1980, the village had 237 inhabitants. Since then, this number has been declining and fell below 200 people in 2013. Text / Source: Municipal administration, Veia Cantunala 57, Tinizong https://surses.ch/DE/willkommen/ortschaften/bivio.html

There are no longer any overnight accommodations or catering options here. It's just a regular alpine pasture and a stop for the Alpine Bus.

Beautiful snowshoe trail through the quiet, white forest up to Alp Natons.

You can take a break at the hut, which is well worth seeing, and fortify yourself with a snack you've brought with you. From here you have a great view of the Lai da Marmorera reservoir.

Beautifully located and starting point for wonderful hikes