Casaccia
at the foot of two important passes
Casaccia (1458 m or 4783 ft) is located at the foot of two passes: the Maloja Pass, which leads to Engadin, and the Septimer Pass, an important route during Roman times. Thanks to its strategic position, Casaccia was an important trading crossroad already early on. The "Cunvent" (the convent), built in 1520, was used as an inn and horse changing station.
Casaccia has beautiful fields, meadows, birch and larch forests as well as spectacular views of the Albigna Dam. On a small hill above the village is the medieval watchtower "La Toracia". Legend has it that the men from the watchtower would visit the nuns via an underground tunnel that led beneath the village to the convent.
In 1740 a landslide buried the old chapel which stood exactly where the current Protestant church was then built in 1742. Another holy building, clearly of earlier origin, is nestled in the hillside towards Maloja. The late Gothic San Gaudenzio Church was once a frequently visited pilgrimage destination. Built in 1518, but already mentioned in 998, the church was profaned during the Reformation.
Casaccia is also the starting point for Bregaglia's Panorama Trail, also know as "Via Panoramica" and in winter the small Sur Cresta ski lift is very popular with those learning to ski.