This is the Italian side of the border, about twenty-five kilometres south of Poschiavo, in the lower Valtellina near Teglio and the Aprica Pass. It is the long, wide valley of the Adda river, running east to west between the Rhaetian Alps to the north and the Orobie Alps to the south, and the hillsides are stitched into terraces, held up by dry-stone walls, that grow the Nebbiolo grapes known here as Chiavennasca. Wines from the Sassella and Inferno zones are strong, mineral and underrated.
Teglio gives its name, or so the people there insist, to pizzoccheri, the dark buckwheat noodles tossed with cabbage, potato, butter, garlic and slices of local Casera cheese, a dish designed for cold mountain evenings and capable of ending any argument about dinner. There is also an old palace in town, Palazzo Besta, with a Renaissance courtyard and painted rooms that make a surprisingly grand stop for a village of this size.
Aprica, a few kilometres on, sits on a gentle pass at around 1,170 metres that links the Valtellina with the Val Camonica. The climb from the valley floor is a series of wide, easy bends through chestnut and spruce, and the descent on the far side is rapid and enjoyable. The ski resort here is more a family affair than a glamour spot, and in summer it is quiet, with hotels half-empty and cafes keen to see a motorcycle. A little to the east lies the Mortirolo, a brutally steep climb beloved of cyclists, and a good road for riders who like narrow tarmac and hairpins that tighten without warning.
For fuel and food you are in good hands. Aprica has stations and supermarkets, and Tirano, the larger town down the valley, has everything, along with the station where the Bernina Express begins its climb into Switzerland. It is the natural place to cross the border toward Poschiavo, by way of the old customs post at Campocologno, and to ride up the Brusio spiral on the way.
Weather in the Valtellina is generally mild and dry, with warm afternoons from May through September, while the high passes take longer to clear in spring. Autumn is the time for grape harvest, when the terraces turn gold and red and the smell of crushed fruit drifts from the cellars.