The San Bernardino Tunnel was closed when we drove along the Highway A13. We were pushed to the older road surrounded by the beautiful mountains and lakes. The nature views are stunning during our road trip.
San Bernardino Pass
As we were driving towards Meride in Switzerland, we realized that the San Bernardino Tunnel was closed. Thus, we chose to pass through the old road of the San Bernardino Pass, reaching 2,065 meters above sea level. The road from Hinterrhein to San Bernardino stretches to 16 km. We climbed the magnificent hairpin turns that lead below the peak of the Pizzo Uccello mountain.
In 1818, the authorities decided to open the San Bernardino Pass to substitute the older Via Mala (Bad Street), already used by the ancient Romans. Via Mala lost its importance when Roman time ended. In 1473, the passage between the gorges of the Via Mala was restored. Finally, Via Mala was definitively surpassed by the opening of the San Bernardino Pass.
On the top of the San Bernardino Pass, you will find the Moesola lake that is about 300 meters long and 150 meters wide alongside the road. Inside the lake, there is an islet. Here the 46 km long Moesa river is born. Moesa river crosses the Mesoncina valley before flowing into the Ticino river.
Next to the lake, you can see the building of ristorante ospizio San Bernardino (San Bernardino hospice restaurant). Like the entire street, the restaurant is open only in summer. The restaurant serves local dishes, mostly cold dishes with cured meats.
Why is Highway A13 so important in Switzerland?
We drove toward Meride because we want to reach Fossil Museum of Monte San Giorgio in the canton of Ticino. We started right after finishing our trip to St. Moritz along the Albula railway in the canton of Grison. The drive from Thusis to the village of Meride runs almost entirely on the A13 motorway.
The A13 cuts western Switzerland from north to south. The road begins in the municipality of Sankt Margrethen that is near Lake Constance on the border with Austria. After initially skirting the Principality of Liechtenstein, the highway ends in Bellinzona, the capital of the Canton of Ticino. In Bellinzona, the A13 merges into the A2 motorway that continues towards the border with Italy. The A2 motorway ends in Chiasso near Como.
What are the two different languages speaking villages that San Bernardino Tunnel connects?
The A13 is called the San Bernardino motorway because the main work is the San Bernardino tunnel. The street was in fact inaugurated in 1970, a few years after the completion of the tunnel. The 6.6 km long tunnel is located in the canton of Grisons, approximately 1,600 meters above sea level.
Three of the four official languages of the Swiss Confederation are spoken in the Grisons. On one side of the tunnel is the German speaking village of Hinterrein and on the other side of the tunnel is the Italian speaking village of San Bernardino.
The Italian-speaking village takes its name from San Bernardino da Siena because a chapel dedicated to the saint was erected here in the 15th century. Bernardino was born in the Tuscan village of Massa Marittima and soon moved to Siena to study. Here he became a Franciscan friar and theologian.
Thanks to his profound spirituality, the friar contributed to renewing the Franciscan religious movement which preached the poverty of the church. Pope Nicholas V named Bernardino a saint just 6 years after his death.
Written by Enrico, Translated by Hua and Photo from Hua
