Cima di Castello
3,379 m
Switzerland, Italy
Also known as ჩიმა-დი-კასტელო, пик КастеллоAlso known as
ჩიმა-დი-კასტელო · пик Кастелло
- Elevation
- 3,379 m
- Prominence
- 388 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 2
AdvisoryReported 7 Oct 2026 · until 16 Oct 2026
Albigna cable car 2026 season: daily from 13 June to 16 October 2026, 07:00–11:30 and 13:15–16:45; closing may vary with weather and operations.
bregaglia.chAdvisoryReported 2 Oct 2026 · until 11 Oct 2026
Capanna da l'Albigna is open for the 2026 season until Sunday 11 October 2026, around 14:00.
albigna.ch
Routes
2Showing From San Martino (Val di Mello) via Rifugio Allievi-Bonacossa: the ’s line is approximate.
Sources differ: PD- (SAC archive (Bündner Alpen 4, 2006): from Rifugio Allievi via W ridge, WS/2a) · F (Italian route summaries (escursionismo/redclimber))
The Italian normal route: a long walk up the Val di Mello and Val di Zocca to Rifugio Allievi-Bonacossa (2,385 m), then cairned slabs and boulders to the frontier ridge at about 2,973 m and easy, shrinking glacier slopes on the Vedretta di Castello Sud to the summit. About 2,450 m of ascent from San Martino over two days.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 12.6 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,505 m
- −54 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,379 m
- Time Up
- 10h 02m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 6h 46m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From San Martino Valmasino (about 925 m) walk into the flat Val di Mello past the Gatto Rosso, then take the signposted path left up the Val di Zocca, steeply through forest and over a bridge by the waterfall to the Casera di Zocca (1,725 m) and on via the Piano di Zocca (2,070 m) to Rifugio Allievi-Bonacossa (2,385 m), about 4 hours (E). The last section is slightly exposed. From the hut head north on thin grass and increasingly stony slopes into the hollow between the south ridge of Punta Allievi and point 3012. A barrier of rock and small gullies is crossed from left to right without difficulty (cairns) into a second, smaller hollow; climb it, keeping left where it steepens, over large blocks to the frontier ridge at its lowest point (about 2,973 m). Step onto the Vedretta di Castello Sud and follow gentle slopes with very few crevasses north-east, below Punta Allievi, past the Bocchetto Baroni (about 3,060 m). Steeper snow or scree, sometimes with bare ice, leads to the broad snowy WNW shoulder and the summit. Allow about 3 hours from the hut. Descend the same way. The route above the hut is unmarked and route-finding can be tricky in poor visibility; go only in settled weather.
Start
San Martino928 m
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Martino → Rifugio Bonacossa | 9.6 | 1,465 | 9 | 6h 07m |
| 2 | Rifugio Bonacossa → Cima di Castello | 3.0 | 1,040 | 45 | 3h 56m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: San Martino928 m
- Hut: Rifugio Bonacossa2,387 m
- Col: Bocchetto Baroni3,049 m
- Summit: Cima di Castello3,379 m
Key Passages
- Steep path above the Zocca waterfall
- Cairned rock barrier and boulder slope to the frontier ridge
- Vedretta di Castello Sud
- Steeper snow or bare ice below the WNW shoulder
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 65%Overview
The highest summit of the southern Bregaglia (3,379 m), on the Swiss–Italian border between the Albigna, Forno and Zocca valleys. Steep granite walls to the east and south, but a gentle glaciated west side gives one of the easiest 3,000 m summits in the range.
Cima di Castello stands on the main ridge between Switzerland's Val Bregaglia and Italy's Val Masino, at the meeting point of the Albigna, Forno and Zocca valleys. To the east and south it drops in steep granite faces that carry rarely repeated rock climbs; to the west, gentle firn slopes of the Vadrec dal Castel fall towards the Albigna basin. A small Madonna statue marks the top.
The normal routes exploit that western side. From the Swiss Albigna hut, reached by cable car and a short walk, the climb is a straightforward glacier tour over the Bocchetta dal Castel, with a short rocky finish. From Italy, a long approach up the Val di Zocca to Rifugio Allievi-Bonacossa leads to an even easier, mostly snow ascent. Neither is technically demanding, which makes Castello a common first big glacier summit in an area otherwise known for hard granite.
The glaciers are small and shrinking; by late summer the summit firn can melt out to scree and bare ice, and the moraines below the Vadrec dal Castel Nord are loose. The view takes in the Sciora, Cengalo and Badile group to the west and the Disgrazia to the south-east.
Climbing Notes
Requires basic glacier skills (roped travel, crevasse rescue) and crampon technique on moderate snow, plus fitness for a 1,200 m day from the hut (about 8–9 hours round trip). Altitude is modest. Parties without glacier experience should hire a guide.
Typical itinerary from Switzerland: cable car from Pranzaira to the Albigna dam and 45 minutes to the hut on day one; on day two leave around 05:00, summit late morning and return to the hut and the last cable car down (16:45). From Italy, walk up from San Martino to Rifugio Allievi-Bonacossa (about 4 hours) and climb next day (about 3 hours to the summit).
The best period is late June to September, when the huts are staffed. Early in the season the moraine above the stream is under steep snow, which makes the approach easier but may need crampons; in late summer expect more open crevasses, loose moraine and a melted-out summit cap, when the WNW ridge (3a) is often the better line up or down. The route above both huts is cairned at best, so carry a map or GPS track and avoid it in poor visibility.
History
The first ascent was made on 31 July 1866 by Douglas William Freshfield and Charles Comyns Tucker with the guides François Devouassoud and Alexander Flury, by the NNE ridge from the Forno valley. Christian Klucker, Émile Rey and Anton von Rydzewski climbed the ENE side on 12 June 1893. On 13 August 1896 Francesco Lurani, Francesco Allievi and the guide Antonio Baroni, with porters, climbed from the Bocchetto Baroni and the west side, the line of today's Italian normal route.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Not advisable
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; cable car closed; ski tours only for experienced parties
- Feb
- Winter; ski-mountaineering only
- Mar
- Ski tours over the Vadrec dal Castel for experienced parties; avalanche risk; huts unstaffed
- Apr
- Spring ski-touring season; Albigna hut staffed at Easter, cable car closed
- May
- Transition; long approach on foot with deep spring snow
- Jun
- Cable car and huts open in mid-June; snow on the moraine eases the approach
- Jul
- Main season; afternoon thunderstorms
- Aug
- Main season; crevasses more open and summit firn may melt out
- Sep
- Often stable; Rifugio Allievi-Bonacossa closes mid-September
- Oct
- Albigna hut open to about 10 October, cable car to mid-October; early snow and short days
- Nov
- Winter conditions; cable car closed
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Capanna da l'Albigna: online reservation through alpsonline.org (linked from albigna.ch) or by phone (+41 81 822 14 05). Rifugio Allievi-Bonacossa: phone the guardian (+39 0342 614200).
- Fees
- Albigna cable car: CHF 22 return, CHF 15 one way for adults (2026)
- Hut overnight fees, with discounts for alpine club members
- Rules
- The Albigna cable car is also a working lift for the ewz hydro plant; timetable can change at short notice with weather or operations, and the last trip down is at 16:45
- Getting There
Vicosoprano (Val Bregaglia, Switzerland); San Martino Valmasino (Italy)
Milan Bergamo (BGY) or Milan Malpensa (MXP); Zürich (ZRH)
- Switzerland: PostBus line 4 Chiavenna–St. Moritz to the stop Pranzaira, Albigna; free parking at the cable car valley station near Vicosoprano
- Cable car Pranzaira–Albigna, then about 45 minutes over the dam to the hut; on foot from Pranzaira about 3½ hours
- Italy: road up the Val Masino to San Martino; car park by the Gatto Rosso osteria at the entrance to the Val di Mello
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
2- 2,336 m
Capanna da l'Albigna CASHutStaffedBooking required
94 beds · Staffed mid-June to early/mid-October (to 11 October in 2026) and at Easter; winter room with 14 places
Book Capanna da l'Albigna CASWebsite of Capanna da l'Albigna CAS
- 2,385 m
Rifugio BonacossaRefugeStaffed
70 beds · Staffed daily mid-June to mid-September; the adjoining old Rifugio Allievi serves as a small emergency shelter