Suspended in time, reachable only on foot, abandoned and uninhabited since the 1960s this village seems to come straight out of the film Laputa by Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki you know that animated film I just mentioned of the ruined city floating in the sky that despite its abandonment has kept its architectural and environmental aspect intact? If you don’t know it I recommend you go see it, it is truly magical, like all his films, Howl’s Wandering Castle, The Enchanted City, Porco Rosso and others.
The village in question is Savogno, a village in the province of Sondrio, in the municipality of Piuro, about 2 good hours from Milan.
The village suspended in Time 2 hours from Milan
But let’s take a closer look at why Savogno is a village suspended in time:
- First of all, it has been uninhabited since the 1960s. For this reason it has maintained a still atmosphere, almost “frozen” in the past.
- It can only be reached on foot by climbing a mule track of almost 3,000 steps. Already by itself the path seems to lead to a distant world.
- Uninhabited and hard to reach, it has kept its architecture intact as if modernity had never arrived. It is also surrounded by lush, unspoiled nature perfect for those who love to immerse themselves in the green.
- Then it is located on a rocky terrace at an altitude of 900 meters and more, so it is also physically “suspended” above the valley overlooking the beautiful Acquaraggia Falls.
The impression one gets when arriving at Savogno is of a place suspended between land, water and sky, where time seems to stand still.
How to reach Savogno
As you can imagine, the car is the best means of getting close to Savogno, which you will then ditch to climb on foot. From Milan it is about 127km for a total of 2 hours and 10. The route involves Milan – Sondrio – Piuro – Borgonuovo di Piuro.
In Borgonuovo di Piuro you can park your car near the central square of Borgonuovo where the main access of the mule track is located. Signposts can also be found, hard to miss. The climb is long and challenging, the mule track starts immediately with steep steps that you can feel right away, so hiking shoes, courage, stamina, good will and water are essential. Also because you have some for about 2,886 steps.
Acquafraggia Falls
Deserving of a stop are the Waterfalls. Immense, and unmissable. You must see them. These waterfalls are special because they are not limited to a single fall: the Acqua Fraggia stream, which originates from Pizzo di Lago at 3,050 meters, falls several times along its course. The most famous ones-and visible even from the road-are the last ones, with an impressive double drop that provides spectacular scenery in every season.
For nature lovers, you should know that the power of the water does more than just enchant the eye: the continuous misting has created a special, almost subtropical microclimate that allows the growth of plants unusual for the Alps. Prominent among them is Pteris cretica, a fern that finds its northernmost station in Europe here. There is no shortage of other botanical rarities, such as Oplismennus undulatifolia,arboreal heather and carpets of Allium ursinum that scent the surrounding chestnut groves.