Where the Arunda Valley branches off, a delightful Alpine valley with the Clusio Mountain Hut, lies the small village of Clusio
Image gallery: Clusio
West of the main village of Malles, separated only by the expanses of the Malles Heath, you'll find the rural village of Clusio (Schleis). Like all other villages around Malles, Clusio is also generously endowed with churches and chapels, whose towers are visible above the rooftops.
Here, you'll find the Parish Church of St. Lawrence of Rome and St. Anthony's Chapel on the way to the main village. Nearby stands one of the abandoned military bunkers of the Vallo Alpino, an unfinished Italian fortification line in the Alps, which was started after the First World War. From the village, you can go directly into the Arunda Valley and thus into the Val Venosta mountains.
The small road ends where the Hours' Trail passes by, which once connected St. John in Müstair with the Monte Maria Abbey. The Swiss section is no longer accessible, but the Val Venosta stage is a popular tour with an impressive destination: the dazzling white Benedictine Abbey of Monte Maria with its crypt. A turning takes you a little further into the Arunda Valley to the Polsterhof farm, where excursions such as those to the Malga di Laudes and the Malga di Clusio huts begin. If you set off on foot from Clusio, you will reach the Slingia Valley via the Polsterhof farm.
In winter, this route becomes a popular winter hike, parts of which can be covered by the ski bus, which connects all the villages around Malles with the Watles Skiing Area. Ski tours lead to dizzying heights, to the summits of the Cima Arunda, Cima dei Greppi, Cima di Tella, and to the Punta Valdaschli peak. These are challenging tours with unique views.
