• Active & Green
    • Mountains

Sassersa Valley and its Small Lakes

Automatically translated
Where
Val Sassersa (SO)

The Sassersa Valley is seemingly off the beaten track, not difficult to reach, but for experienced hikers with good training. The trails are mostly accessible and sure-footedness is required.

Wandering among debris dunes are the tunnels of some ancient quarries for the extraction of copper-containing material. Tradition has it that gold was mined, but more likely it was just ordinary chalcopyrite, an important copper ore.

The Sassersa Lakes are located in the valley of the same name, nestled in Valmalenco, and are three small alpine lakes of natural origin a short distance from each other, between an altitude of 2300 and 2400 meters. To reach them and admire the unspoiled nature that surrounds them-a rocky, high mountain, almost lunar landscape-you travel part of the Alta Via della Valmalenco, starting from the Pradaccio alpine meadow, which can be reached in turn from Primolo, just above Chiesa in Valmalenco.

 

The legend of the Sassersa lakes.

Two young brothers from the Malenco Valley, Giacomo and Giuseppe, used to take their herds to graze on the high pastures above Chiesa and Primolo in the summer. They often descended to the valley to bring products from the alpine pastures and to stock up on food and provisions. During their descents into the village, the two had met and fallen in love with Alma (or Alina), the daughter of a wealthy local notable, who was as beautiful as she was capricious. Whenever she met the two brothers, the cruel maiden made fun of them, taunted and humiliated them by subjecting them to impossible tests of love, with the excuse that whoever won would have her as his wife.

One day the girl invented that she would marry whichever of the two brothers managed to reach the most daring peak in the upper Sassersa Valley. Full of hope Giacomo and Giuseppe fell into yet another trap and set out for the summit but from it they never returned. Friends and relatives searched for them for days on end; it seemed as if the mountain had swallowed them up. However belatedly even in Alma's insensitive heart, a breach opened and, gripped by remorse, the girl decided to join the search, for hours and hours she called them in vain. Feeling guilty of her cruel whim Alma began to cry profusely and fell exhausted with grief.

From that day, three small lakes of different colors remained in the places where Alma had stood, pleaded and wept. The first lake is black like mourning, the second, is green, as green were Alma's eyes, and the third, is blue like the sky in which her repentance melted. The rock in the area also took on a deep red color perhaps in memory of the blood of the two fallen brothers. In front of Pizzo Cassandra, where Giacomo and Giuseppe are presumed to have disappeared, is a peak with two peaks, which in the Malenco Valley they called the Giumelin (the Little Twins) now Pizzo Giumellino. ed. *Ermanno Sagliani, in the work "Tutto Valmalenco" (Edizioni Press, Milan)

Take me here: Sassersa Valley and its Small Lakes

Places

Sanctuary in Primolo

  • Art & Culture
Sanctuary in Primolo
2.61 km

Church of Saint Emily

  • Art & Culture
Church of Saint Emily
2.85 km

Rhaetian Alps

Valmalenco is embraced by majestic peaks, such as Mount Disgrazia, Piz Bernina, Piz Scalino
  • Mountains
Rhaetian Alps
2.94 km

The ancient "Giovello"

  • Parks
The ancient "Giovello"
2.98 km

"Bambi's House" Ass. Ecofauna V.co.

  • Mountains
"Bambi's House" Ass. Ecofauna V.co.
2.99 km

The cavallera road of the Muretto

  • Mountains
The cavallera road of the Muretto
2.99 km

Bike rental - Rent Bike Palù

  • Active & Green
Bike rental - Rent Bike Palù
3.42 km

Valmalenco Infopoint

Loc. Vassalini
  • Infopoint
Valmalenco Infopoint
3.57 km

The thousand-year-old larch in Valmalenco

  • Mountains
The thousand-year-old larch in Valmalenco
3.62 km

Rif. Ventina 1960m

Alpe Ventina
  • Mountains
Rif. Ventina 1960m
3.66 km

Rif. Gerli Porro 1960 m

Alpe Ventina
  • Mountains
Riproduzione riservata
3.85 km

Valmalenco Bernina Ski Resort

Raggiungi l’Alpe Palù a bordo della funivia più grande del mondo, tra esperienze romantiche e adrenalina pura.
  • Sport
Valmalenco Bernina Ski Resort
3.85 km

Lake Palù

  • Active & Green
Lake Palù
3.85 km

Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Alpini

  • Art & Culture
Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Alpini
3.85 km

The thousand-year-old larch

The thousand-year-old larch still is the oldest tree, of ascertained age, present in Italy.
  • Active & Green
The thousand-year-old larch
3.85 km

Rif. Tartaglione Crispo 1800m

Forbicina
  • Mountains
Rifugio Tartaglione
3.85 km

The shelters

  • Mountains
The shelters
3.85 km

Church of St. Anthony

  • Art & Culture
Church of St. Anthony
3.85 km

Church of Saint Elizabeth

  • Art & Culture
Church of Saint Elizabeth
4.03 km

Rural cores of Lanzada

Alpe Prabello - Bridge
  • Art & Culture
Alpe Prabello
4.41 km

Events

VUT

Alta via della Valmalenco
24/07/2026 - 25/07/2026
  • Sport
VUT
3.25 km

Apple and grape festival

Villa di Tirano
Sondrio
10/10/2025 - 12/10/2025
  • Food & Wine
inLombardia@adobestock
12.08 km

Sondrio wine city - Wine trail family

Piazza Garibaldi, Sondrio
07/11/2025 - 09/11/2025
  • Mountains
Sondrio wine city - Wine trail family
12.13 km

Valtellina Wine Trail 2025

Sondrio e dintorni
piazza garibaldi sondrio
08/11/2025
  • Active & Green
Valtellina Wine Trail 2025
12.13 km

Activities

Hydrospeed Fun

  • Active & Green
Hydrospeed Fun
10.96 km

River Sup - Superhero

  • Active & Green
River Sup - Superhero
10.96 km

River Sup - Superman

  • Active & Green
River Sup - Superman
10.96 km

Kayak Fun - Boater Xtreme

  • Active & Green
Kayak Fun - Boater Xtreme
10.96 km

Kayak Fun - Survival X

  • Active & Green
Kayak Fun - Survival X
10.96 km

Kayak Fun - Into the Wild

  • Active & Green
Kayak Fun - Into the Wild
10.96 km

Hydrospeed Extreme: Are You Ready For a True Challenge?

  • Active & Green
Hydrospeed Extreme: Are You Ready For a True Challenge?
10.96 km

Hydrospeed Adrenaline: Upgrade to The Next Level

  • Active & Green
Hydrospeed Adrenaline: Upgrade to The Next Level
10.96 km

2RunDoubleFun: The Best Rafting Experience

  • Active & Green
2RunDoubleFun: The Best Rafting Experience
10.96 km

Adrenaline Rafting: Master the Waters

  • Active & Green
Adrenaline Rafting: Master the Waters
10.96 km

ExtremeFun Rafting Adventure

  • Active & Green
ExtremeFun Rafting Adventure
10.96 km

Where to sleep

Terre Aromatiche

Chiesa in Valmalenco
Terre Aromatiche
2.91 km

LA LANTERNA

Chiesa in Valmalenco
LA LANTERNA
2.98 km

PIZZO SCALINO

Chiesa in Valmalenco
PIZZO SCALINO
3 km

B&B La Coturnice

Chiesa in Valmalenco
B&B La Coturnice
3.02 km

MOTTA

Chiesa in Valmalenco
MOTTA
3.09 km

PIGNA D'ORO

Chiesa in Valmalenco
PIGNA D'ORO
3.09 km

ROSEG

Chiesa in Valmalenco
ROSEG
3.09 km

Albergo Paù

Chiesa in Valmalenco
Albergo Paù
3.09 km

LA BETULLA

Chiesa in Valmalenco
LA BETULLA
3.12 km

TREMOGGIA

Chiesa in Valmalenco
TREMOGGIA
3.13 km

MIRAMONTI

Chiesa in Valmalenco
MIRAMONTI
3.13 km

Miravalle Chiesa

Chiesa in Valmalenco
Miravalle Chiesa
3.19 km

B&B La Cadula

Chiesa in Valmalenco
B&B La Cadula
3.19 km

Genzianella Chiesa

Chiesa in Valmalenco
Genzianella Chiesa
3.25 km

SAN GIUSEPPE

Chiesa in Valmalenco
SAN GIUSEPPE
3.46 km

RIFUGIO VENTINA

Chiesa in Valmalenco
RIFUGIO VENTINA
3.64 km

Ca Erminia Bed & Breakfast

CHIESA IN VALMALENCO
Ca Erminia Bed & Breakfast
3.85 km

RIFUGIO GERLI PORRO

Chiesa in Valmalenco
RIFUGIO GERLI PORRO
3.92 km

KENNEDY

Caspoggio
KENNEDY
3.98 km

FIOR DI MONTE

Caspoggio
FIOR DI MONTE
4.15 km