Breggia

• Label holder: municipalities Breggia and Castel San Pietro
• Certification: 9 November 2024

The Breggia: an untamed river between woods and rocky gorges in southern Switzerland

Rising in Italy, the Breggia forms a unique landscape of natural beauty between the municipalities of Breggia and Castel San Pietro. Its headwaters flow through the wooded Muggiot Valley before opening into a deep gorge, known as the Breggia Gorge. The erosion caused by the water has exposed rock formations that cover the time between the Jurassic and the Tertiary periods and are 80 million years old. This led to the area being classified as a GeoPark in 2001. In addition to fossils that document life in prehistoric times, the river’s setting also contains a wealth of flora and fauna, including many protected or endangered species.

On 9 November 2024, large sections of the catchment area of the Breggia covering 57 km in length were awarded the “River Pearl PLUS” quality label.