The etymology of the place appears to derive from the dialectal forms of “mut” or ”mott”, a reference perhaps to its particular geographical position. I have to say I prefer the version by Don Luigi Re, a Milanese priest whose initiatives during the ‘20’s transformed Motta from a simple mountain pasture into a popular tourist resort and who maintained that its name actually derives from a French general, a certain La Motte, who came down from Spluga in order to fight the Romans. Having stopped to rest his troops on the plateau, he was so taken by the beauty of the spot that he lingered long, before returning back to France without any engagement whatsoever. This is also documented in the book “Don Luigi Re nella leggenda” by Enrico Bertazzini. When considering Motta, an outpost which forms part of the Municipality of Campodolcino, situated at 1725m in upper Valley Spluga, the locality is invariably associated with three key existing features: the Casa Alpina, an “outdoor” Sanctuary dedicated to Our Lady of Europe and Lago Azzurro. The history of the Sanctuary, constructed on the Serenissima ridge at a height of 2000m is inextricably linked to that of the casa Alpina di Motta, built by don Re as a holiday home for young people. During the Second World War the priest was heavily involved in safeguarding both Jews and partisans, accommodating them before helping them to reach nearby Switzerland, and it was in that context that the idea of a Sanctuary named “Our Lady of Europe” was born.
Summer is my favourite season in which to enjoy our home in the mountains. Not only to take advantage of a warm climate and to breathe fresh air instead of the heat of the city, but also for the chance to spend time ...
In recent decades, the village of Piuro, sometimes referred to as the “Pompeii of the Alps”, buried under the landslide of 1618 along with its thousand inhabitants, is gradually re-emerging thanks to ...
In the Oltremera district of Chiavenna, not far from the church of San Bartolomeo,a building currently undergoing restoration has always attracted the attention of the more curious. Despite having widespread peeling ...
Informazioni ex art. 1, comma 125, della legge 4 agosto 2017 n. 124
Relativamente agli aiuti di Stato e aiuti de Minimis, si rimanda a quanto contenuto nel
“Registro nazionale degli aiuti di Stato” di cui all’articolo 52 L. 234/2012 (www.rna.gov.it).
