Top 20 Mountain Passes around Lanzada

We started from Prato Valentino, a long but not demanding route. Very beautiful! Also, despite it being November, the temperatures were around 20 degrees

In winter there is hardly anyone there - you are wonderfully alone! With a bit of luck you will also be the first person to look for the snowy hiking trail 😊. An incredibly great region!

Lago Bianco is a reservoir near the Bernina Pass and lies within the municipalities of Pontresina and Poschiavo. The lake is located directly at the pass summit at 2,234 meters above sea level. Lago Bianco is bordered by two dams on its north and south sides and is approximately three kilometers long and about 800 meters wide. At its maximum depth, Lago Bianco is over 50 meters deep. The reservoir on the Bernina Pass is fed by various mountain streams and glacial water, with the Cavagliasch stream flowing through the lake the most. The whitish, somewhat milky Lago Bianco gets its name (in German, "White Lake") from the inflow of sand and glacial water. On the western shore of Lago Bianco is the Bernina Hospice (Ospizio Bernina), and the Rhaetian Railway's train line – the Bernina Express – also runs directly along the shore. The Bernina Pass road is also located on the west side, although not directly on the lakeshore. In cold winters, the lake can freeze over, and in some years, beautiful black ice forms. Once the reservoir is opened by the authorities, nothing stands in the way of ice skating on Lago Bianco. Text / Source: Schweizersee.ch https://www.schweizersee.ch/lago_bianco_pontresina/

Lago Bianco, Bernina Pass at 2234 meters The Lago Bianco is a reservoir at the Bernina Pass and is located in the area of the municipalities of Pontresina and Poschiavo. The lake is located directly at the pass at 2234 meters above sea level. The Lago Bianco is bordered by two dams on its north and south sides and is around three kilometers long and about 800m wide. When filled to its maximum, the depth of the Lago Bianco is over 50 meters. The reservoir on the Bernina Pass is fed by various mountain streams and glacier water, while the Cavagliasch in particular leaves the lake. The whitish, somewhat milky-looking Lago Bianco gets its name (in German "White Lake") from the inflow of sand and glacier water. The Bernina Hospice (Ospizio Bernina) is located on the western shore of Lago Bianco, and the Rhaetian Railway's train line - the Bernina Express - also runs directly along the shore. The Bernina Pass road is also located on the western side, but not directly on the lake shore. In cold winters, the lake can freeze over and in some years the beautiful black ice forms. When the reservoir is then opened by the authorities, nothing stands in the way of ice skating on Lago Bianco. Text / Source: Schweizersee.ch https://www.schweizersee.ch/lago_bianco_pontresina/

The train station at 2,256 m is located just above Lago Bianco. With a bit of luck, you can also see special rail vehicles parked here.

Reservoir at Bernina Pass between the Valposchiavo and the uppermost side valley of the Engadin. The reservoir at Bernina Pass is fed by glacial milk (silt-containing glacial water). This gives the lake its milky, whitish color. The Lago Bianco is also a watershed; the water flows eastward into the Black Sea and southward into the Adriatic Sea. The famous Bernina Express of the Rhaetian Railway, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, winds along the shore.

The flat pass of Colle d'Anzana offers a fantastic panorama and marks the border between Switzerland and Italy, uniting Valposchiavo with Teglio in Valtellina. It is one of the easiest steps to pass from Italy to Switzerland and has therefore always been linked to smuggling. During the Second World War, it was one of the most frequent escape routes chosen by Jews fleeing from Italy.

Col d'Anzana is the easiest pass that connects Valtellina to Val Saiento, marking the border between Italy and Switzerland. Despite the modest altitude of 2,224 metres, the pass offers extraordinary views. The best known route to reach the pass is the one from Tirano, with a vertical drop of 1,800 metres. On both sides, the terrain is non-technical but consistently steep, making it a demanding physical challenge, especially the climb. Running while you go down is a lot of fun.