One late afternoon in Tirano, we hiked from town up the mountainside to the Santa Perpetua church. For me, I was more interested in hiking through the vineyards. This is the Valtellina wine region, and we saw lots of vineyards from the roads, but I wanted to see some up close. We started our hike from the Basilica of Tirano, and you can see the small Santa Perpetua church from there.

The vineyards look to be challenging to work. The mountainsides are not level and the rows go up and down. Some areas are terraced, but the rocks for the terracing are not super stable either. The rows are narrow, and the vines are high. I imagine these vineyard workers earn their pay.

We reached the small church which was documented in the 11th century. Santa Perpetua was at a crossroads of routes connecting the Rhine and Inn valleys with Valtellina. These ancient paths made a church a key stopping point for travelers. The church was locked up when we arrived. But the church was located on a natural balcony with spectacular panoramic views. We enjoyed the views before hiking back down to town.

As we hiked along the roads in the vineyards, the retaining walls were eight or ten feet high. I kept wondering how the workers managed to get into the vineyard to do their work. Before long, I figured it out. Steps were built into the terracing walls.