Looking to spend time in Tirano before or after your bucket list trip on the Bernina Express? I was in exactly this position when I arrived in this small Lombardian town after a few days in Turin. My onward journey to Chur was the following morning.
My best piece of advice is to pick up a free map at the tourist information office, which is conveniently located next to the train station. It includes a suggested walking route that takes in Tirano’s main attractions. The town is so compact that three hours is all you’ll need, or two for the old town alone.
Here are the best things to do in Tirano.
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Tirano in a Hurry
💡 If you have limited time in Tirano (under two hours), choose either the Basilica or the old town, not both. The Basilica is the more singular sight; the old town is more atmospheric but requires a little wandering to get the best of it. Two hours isn’t enough to do both properly and get back to the station without rushing.
Best Things to Do in Tirano
Basilica della Madonna di Tirano
Most of Tirano’s must-see sights are in its pretty old town on the opposite side of the Adda river from the train station. This splendid church is the exception. It’s a 15-minute walk in the opposite direction, but well worth the detour.
The Basilica della Madonna di Tirano was built in 1505 following a reported apparition of the Virgin Mary to a local man named Mario Omodei. According to tradition, she promised to end a plague ravaging the area if a church was built on the exact spot where she appeared. The result is the most important example of Renaissance architecture in the whole of Valtellina.
The exterior is handsome but restrained, and that understatement makes stepping inside such a jolt. Once my eyes adjusted to the slightly gloomy interior, I could see why this church is on people’s must-see lists.
It is extravagantly decorated with stucco work, gilded altars and sculpture. The showpiece is the 17th-century wooden organ, commissioned in 1608 and one of the largest in Europe, with more than 2,200 pipes (when I arrived, an organist was playing Bach).
The Basilica also contains the Chapel of the Apparition, marking the spot where the Virgin is said to have appeared.
Allow 15 to 30 minutes, and make sure your shoulders and knees are covered. Entry is free.
💡 The Bernina Express tracks run directly past the Basilica facade. If you’re taking the train and want that iconic shot, grab a seat on the left-hand side heading north (towards St. Moritz).
Tirano Old Town
The Basilica’s organ still ringing in my ears, and I retraced my steps past the train station, stopping for at a bar to have a coffee the Italian way, and crossed the iron footbridge over the Adda River.
The old town is a compact warren of pastel-coloured buildings, crumbling stone palazzi and small squares. It was historically an important trading point on the route between northern Europe and Italy, and the wealth that generated is still visible in the number of aristocratic residences packed into a town of barely 9,000 people.
The city gates
You enter the old town through Porta Poschiavina, the best-preserved of the three original medieval gates. Built at the end of the 15th century under Ludovico il Moro, it still has traces of 16th-century fresco decoration on the arch, including a figure of Justice holding scales. It’s easy to miss if you’re not looking up.
The other gates, Porta Bormina and Porta Milanese, are also worth tracking down on the tourist office map.
Piazza Cavour and the palaces
Piazza Cavour is the Tirano’s main square, overlooked by Palazzo Marinoni (now the town hall), which incorporates a former Augustinian convent from the 15th century.
At the centre of the square is a fountain topped by a statue representing History, which the locals have nicknamed La Maria Luisa.
The surrounding streets are lined with the noble residences of Tirano’s most powerful families. Palazzo Salis is the grandest, built by the powerful Salis family from Graubünden in the 17th Century. It is open from May to September (Monday to Saturday, 10 am until 5pm).
Palazzo Merizzi and the Casa Museo d’Oro Lambertenghi are also notable.
The churches
On Piazza San Martino you’ll find Collegiata di San Martino, the town’s main parish church, dedicated to its patron saint. Like the Basilica, its interior features ornate plasterwork.
I loved the small Chiesa del Mariano Spasmo, another example of the local love of ornate interiors squeezed into an unassuming exterior.
A Walk Along the Adda
Before leaving the old town, take a short stroll along the river. The combination of the fast-flowing Adda, the terraced Valtellina vineyards rising sharply on both banks and the Alpine peaks beyond is the kind of view you’d normally have to hike for.
Where to Eat in Tirano
The Valtellina is one of Italy’s most distinctive regional food cultures.
Pizzoccheri is a local favourite: short ribbons of buckwheat pasta baked with potatoes, Savoy cabbage, butter, garlic and melted Casera and Bitto cheese. It wouldn’t be my favourite pasta dish, but its unlike anything else in Italian cuisine.
Also worth trying are sciatt, small fried fritters with a melted Bitto cheese centre, and bresaola della Valtellina, the local air-dried beef, typically served paper-thin with olive oil and lemon. I tucked into all of these at Parravinci Restaurant, an elegant eatery in the old town (they accept on-line reservations).
A word on logistics: Italian restaurants generally close between lunch and dinner service – roughly 2:30pm to 7pm – so time your meal accordingly. Restaurants closest to the train station tend to be more tourist-oriented. A ten-minute walk towards the old town will get you better food at better prices.
Where to Stay in Tirano
Most visitors to Tirano are in transit, which means accommodation is limited but perfectly adequate for a night. The most practical option is a hotel within walking distance of the station area, which puts both the Bernina Express departure point and the old town within easy reach.
I enjoyed my stay at the friendly, riverside Hotel Stelvio, on the edge of the old town, a ten-minute walk from the train station. As a solo traveller, I appreciated having somewhere friendly and central.
Moving On: Train Connections from Tirano
Tirano’s Italian Trenitalia station and the Swiss Rhätische Bahn (RhB) station (where the Bernina Express departs) are next door neighbours.
To Switzerland: The Bernina Express (reservation required) runs from the RhB station through Poschiavo, Alp Grüm and over the Bernina Pass to St. Moritz, then onwards to Chur. Book the Bernina Express well in advance, especially in summer. Seats sell out.
Regional trains on the same route don’t require a reservation. I’ve written a separate guide to travelling the Bernina route on local trains.
To Italy: Trenitalia runs regular services south through the valley to Sondrio and then down to Milan. The journey to Milan Centrale takes around two and a half hours (regional train; no reservation needed). Sit on the right-hand side of the train for Lake Como views.
Check Trenitalia for current timetables, as engineering works occasionally replace sections with bus services.
The Bernina Express Bus: Between March and October, the Bernina Express Bus service runs from Tirano to Lugano, via the western shore of Lake Como. It’s an excellent option if you’re heading to Lugano or Ticino rather than continuing into Switzerland by train.
Tirano won’t take up much of your time, but it’s a good place to spend a night, far more so than its transit-town reputation suggests. If you want to learn more about this trip, check out my other guides before you leave:
- How to Do the Bernina Express Route on Local Trains
- Glacier Express vs Bernina Express: Which Panoramic Train is Right for You?
- What to Do in Chur, Switzerland
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About Bridget
Bridget Coleman has been a passionate traveller for more than 30 years. She has visited 70+ countries, most as a solo traveller.
Articles on this site reflect her first-hand experiences.
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