Allegra! – on the route from Rueun to Ilanz

Allegra! – on the route from Rueun to Ilanz

Difficulty: T2 / ✶✶✶
Distance: approx. 15 km
Duration: approx. 4 h 30
Ascent: 813 m
Descent: 845 m
Highest point: 1’494 m
Stations: Rueun – Rueun, Dacla – Siat – Mulin – Ruschein – Ilanz
Best time to hike: May – November

Let me start by explaining that the word ‘Allegra’ means ‘Good morning’ in the Rhaeto-Roman language. However, this language has as many as five dialects. Therefore, you may also hear other phrases, such as “Bien di”.

One thing is for sure, when hiking in the canton of Graubünden, you are bound to come across one of the Rhaeto-Romance dialects.

And there is no shortage of hiking trails

This time, the route I am proposing starts at the train station in Rueun, which in November was completely shrouded in freezing shade. Everything around was covered in frost.

Initially, the route goes up a tarmac road. Then, after the Rueun Dacla bus stop, turn right onto a sandy road where the trail continues through the forest. Here you no longer need to watch out for passing cars and can enjoy the walk and the views in peace.

Senda Sursilvana Trail

At the highest point on the route, the road converges with the well-known Senda Sursilvana trail (No. 85), which is 32 kilometres long. It runs from Andermatt through the Oberalp Pass and the Rhine Valley, and ends in the town of Chur.

The Senda Sursilvana is said to allow you to get to know the entire Surselva region and its natural and cultural treasures. The name in turn simply means “above the forest” in the local Rhaeto-Roman dialect.

A village with a rather peculiar name – Siat

Meanwhile, the first special point on the route is the village of Siat. It stands out not only for its sensational location on a sunny mountain terrace, but also for its traditional wooden buildings and narrow streets.

The gem of the place, however, is the chapel of St Lucius, built in 1656 on a small hill right next to the village.

After about two kilometres of walking, you pass the other small, charming villages of Ruschein and Tischinas.

Further on, the forest path leads quite steeply down to the first buildings in the village of Ilanz, where this route ends. On the way, you will still see the buildings of the monastery of the Dominican nuns, who have been giving their services all over the world for years.

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