SONDRIO

city, capital of Sondrio provincia, Lombardia (Lombardy) regione, northern Italy; it is the chief town of the Valtellina (the upper Adda River valley), near the mouth of the Mallero River, and lies at an elevation of 1,017 feet (310 m), north of Bergamo. It has an archaeological museum, and its old castle, Castello Masegra, is now a barrack. The city, well-known for its wines (notably Sassella), is an agricultural and commercial centre and has cotton and silk textile industries. Sondrio is also a tourist base linked by cableways with nearby Alpine resorts, including Bormio and Santa Caterina Valfurva. It is connected by rail and road with Switzerland via Tirano and the Bernina Pass and by road with the Stelvio Pass and with Bolzano. Pop. (1991 prelim.) mun., 22,817.