Including the Alps of Ticino & the Adula Alps
Of these sun-washed, comparatively little-known mountains, Walker summed up their appeal in a couple of sentences which, over 50 years on, still ring with the clarity of truth. He wrote:
The scenery is throughout of the highest order, the valleys ... are among the least visited in Switzerland, the weather according to climatic statistics may be relied upon more certainly than in any other part of Switzerland, and there is little of the commercialism which so often seems to accompany the development of a popular centre. Atmospheric effects and the richness of the vegetation provide colour; which each day’s journeyings, from villages round about 2,000 feet above sea-level to ridges ranging from 8,000 to 10,000 feet, will be ample tax on the energies of most people.
In a district famed for its sunshine and for the obvious appeal of lakes such as those of Maggiore, Lugano and Como, it comes as a surprise to discover that so few wanderers are enticed into the higher valleys that drain to them, or onto the plateaux ringed about by granite mountains at the heart of the range where tarns lie idle beneath the sun, where streams dash in spray and where a scattering of well-sited huts provide a welcome, for those who stray to them, in the most peaceful of surroundings. True, there are no peaks with household names, no major glacier systems nor extensive fields of snow to dazzle from afar. The Lepontines clearly lack routes of notoriety that would otherwise bring them to the fore in mountaineering journals. Nor do they have widely-known, classic walking tours such as the TMB, Alpine Pass Route or Walker’s Haute Route – although Walker himself claimed (perhaps with slight exaggeration excused by his understandable enthusiasm for the range) that ‘there is no single district of the whole Alpine chain better suited to a continuous walking-tour from valley to valley, from glen to glen, and there is scarcely a mountain in it whose summit cannot be reached by a rough uphill walk.’ There are no great resorts in their valleys nor on their hillsides, nor do they have winter playgrounds of renown for the skiing fraternity. Yet what they do have is simple grandeur in no small measure, and those who love mountains for what they are, and not what history or fashion has attached to them, who care more for solitude and untamed nature than for crowded familiarity, for the obscure rather than the famous, will find in the mountains and glens of the Lepontine Alps a veritable feast of adventure and beauty. ‘For the lover of pure mountain beauty,’ said Walker, ‘... this is the district.’
Walker was not alone in his enthusiasm for the Lepontines, for although comparatively few books have been written in English that devote more than a very brief passage to the region, D. W. Freshfield, one of the most respected and widely travelled of the Victorian mountain explorers, wrote in rapturous terms (in Italian Alps) of the appeal of Valle Maggia and its tributary glens, Val Lavizzara and Val Bavona especially, while Walter Larden, a contemporary of Freshfield’s, also sang its praises in his Recollections of an Old Mountaineer.
On the down-side it must be said that in comparison with many other Alpine districts accommodation is strictly limited in a number of valleys during the prime summer season, and may be found wanting in some of the finest walking areas. There are hotels and mountain inns, of course, and moderately-priced pensions in the main valleys, most of which are small, family-run businesses with just a few beds, but in those villages lodged in the most delectable of glens where it would be perfect to base oneself for a few days, there is often nowhere to stay. Happily mountain huts (here known as capanna or rifugio) will be found among the more secluded recesses for those of us who prefer to live as near to the heart of wild country as possible, but there are gaps in the chain, which tends to concentrate the mind when planning long expeditions. As for camping, official sites are not so numerous as in other regions of Switzerland, and of those that do exist here, most are outside the main areas of interest and are extremely busy during the summer months, occupied by holiday-makers who seldom stray far from their bungalow-style tents or caravans. Off-site camping is officially discouraged, although there are numerous idyllic corners of remote glens and high plateaux where a small tent could perhaps be discreetly pitched for an overnight stay during a multi-day tour – provided, of course, that those who do so take every precaution to protect the environment.
The range lies south of the main Alpine watershed, and therein lies some of its appeal, for the landscape has such rich colouring, what with the crystalline rocks, deep-blue of the tarns and dark blocks of forest, while mountain and glen alike are bathed in the soft pure light of Lombardy. Spring comes earlier here than over the watershed, and summers are consequently longer and more penetrating. The ridge of the watershed, dividing rivers that drain to the Po from those that flow north to the Rhône and the Rhine, marks the range’s northern limit. The western boundary is formed by the Simplon, and the eastern extent marked by the Lukmanier (or Lucomagno) Pass, but the adjacent Adula Alps that continue from the Lukmanier to the Splügen Pass, are generally considered to be an eastern extension of the Lepontines, and as such will be included here.
Largely confined to the pear-shaped Swiss canton of Ticino, the range also incorporates neighbouring ridges and valleys across the border in Italy. But whether Italian or Swiss, the language, culture, architecture, climate, the very flavour of the landscape, is that of mountain Italy. Warmth, sunshine and an almost liquid purity of light are among its characteristics. Another, which the first-time visitor will be quick to perceive, is the quality of the scenery which is in complete contrast to that of districts immediately to the north, east and west. It is a quality that will be judged by subtle measures – by detail, rather than by scale.
For example, the elevation of its mountain peaks is considerably more modest than that of the proud collection of 4000 metre summits of which the neighbouring Pennines can boast – the highest here being Monte Leone which straddles the watershed immediately above the Simplon at 3553 metres – while of the district’s few glaciers, only those of the Blinnenhorn (near the Nufenen Pass), and Rheinwaldhorn group in the Adula Alps offer much to write home about, and those of the latter group only because they are considered the birthplace of the great Rhine river. But Lepontine valleys plunge steeply southward; narrow valleys and glens with few level pastures, where the remnants of one-time alp hamlets are crumbling back to their origins; valleys with gaunt grey peaks thrusting from chestnut woods, seemingly unattainable, girdled as they are with dense vegetation – rampant shrubs, pine forest, walnut groves and spinneys of silver birch. Through those mostly uninhabited glens ancient trails and mule paths, sometimes paved with flagstones, weave their devious course. Some traverse unmarked cols, others edge their way through shadowed ravines, crossing here and there on romantic arched bridges. A few vanish in a bewilderment of scree and lichen-dashed boulders.
In the major valleys of Ticino, villages add their own dimension of colour. Many of these seem not to belong to this century, but have an air of simplicity and grace reminiscent of the Middle Ages, a timeless quality sung by the shrieking swifts that race of a summer evening when shadows lengthen. Distinctive as to architectural style and mode of decoration, Ticino villages consist in the main of grey stone houses with stone slabs on their roofs and brilliant flower boxes at their windows. Some are flamboyant in appearance, where external plasterwork has been painted with murals, religious motifs or family crests – outdoor art galleries in which stone and plaster replace canvas. Between the houses cobbled alleyways lead to churches graced with tall, slender campaniles, or to terraced garden plots, while vineyards and orchards create stairways up the hillside.
Fusio, a pastel-shaded village in Val Lavizzara
These villages inhabit landscapes that make direct appeal to the soul of an artist, and to the wanderer who prefers his mountains still a little rough and raw around the edges, not shorn with the trim perfection of more populous districts where cowbells clatter hour by hour. These are landscapes to wander day after day, from one glen to another, the whole district summarised so deftly by Walker that his words are worth repeating here:
Dividing the deeply cut valleys are mountain ranges, thrust out like spokes from the enclosing rim and trending from north to south on the whole and but little lower than it in height. These are dissected and dissected again by the many branches into which each main stream subdivides near its head – and by the innumerable lateral glens cutting back into the flanks of each dividing range. Hence it will be seen that by crossing from side glen to side glen over the projecting spurs in the flanks of an individual valley, and by crossing from valley to valley over the ridges between, there is an immense variety of routes available to the discriminating walker.
In order now to look at the range in detail, and to discuss opportunities for walking tours there, it is best to enumerate those valleys travelling from west to east, irrespective of their political allegiance. The first of these, through part of which traffic bound for the Simplon grinds its way, is that of the Toce, whose upper extent is known as Val Formazza, middle section Valle Antigorio, and the lower part below Domodossola, Valle d’Ossola which empties its river into Lago Maggiore, largest and deepest of all the Alpine lakes. Valle Antigorio has a feeder glen in the Valle Devero, while the larger Val Divedro is that which carries the Simplon road out of the main Ossola valley. Trails link the head of these glens, skirting below gaunt crags and leading to such pastureland gems as Alpe Veglia, described by Irving as ‘one of the loveliest green basins in the Alps.’ Other routes cross easy passes from the head of Val Formazza, leading past the Cascata del Toce (the Tosa Falls), to the Nufenen via the Gries Pass, and by way of Passo San Giacomo into the head of Val Bedretto. Some of the high lakes have been dammed for hydro purposes, their serpentine contractors’ roads intruding into country that was still virgin in Walker’s day. Other remote corries, however, retain a quality of wilderness to challenge the visitor with their rich choice of trails.
The next major valley system is that of the Swiss Valle Maggia whose river is deposited into Lago Maggiore at Locarno. This is perhaps the most important of all Lepontine valleys, so far as the walker is concerned, for its upper tributaries of Vals Lavizzara, Bavona and di Prato, each with its own sub-dividing glens, lead into wonderland, and from each one walkers’ passes connect with neighbouring valleys to east and west. These upper glens were much-loved by Hubert Walker: ‘All the way up,’ he wrote of Val Bavona, ‘the scenery has character, and is grand and striking in the extreme.’
To the east of Valle Maggia, and running parallel to it, Val Verzasca is also sub-divided by a number of glens, most of which are wild and uninhabited and which, by virtue of their narrowness, give to their walling mountains an impression of greater height than the map would otherwise indicate. In such leaf-strewn glens as Vals d’Agro, Pincascia or Carecchio above the village of Lavertezzo, it is possible to wander semi-abandoned trails in welcome solitude, and experience a degree of isolation virtually unknown in other Alpine regions. Further upstream at Brione Val Verzasca bifurcates, with Val d’Osura flowing in from the north-west. The main stem continues to Sonogno and forks again. Here the upper reaches of the Verzasca valley become known as Val Vegorness, while the shorter Val Redorta cuts back to the west. Again, walkers’ passes link neighbouring valleys and thereby extend possibilities for an assortment of outstanding tours.
At its lower, southern end the Verzasca feeds into the man-made reservoir of Lago di Vogorno. Below the dam its stream flows through a gorge and out to the eastern end of Lago Maggiore. A low-lying plain, the so-called Piano di Magadino, then eases back from the top end of the lake to Giubiasco and Bellinzona, while north of the latter town stretches the longest of all the Lepontine valleys. Valle Leventina, known as the Riviera in its lower third below Biasca, cuts right through the heart of canton Ticino, which takes its name from the river, and makes a natural highway that was adopted as a major transalpine route via the St Gotthard Pass in the 13th century.
At first glance the deep cleft of Valle Leventina has little to commend it to the lover of mountain scenery – there’s far too much intrusive engineering for that, what with a busy international railway, power lines, a motorway on stilts and the old valley road too. But this valley does have its own special appeal for those prepared to seek it out, and there are some exquisite, unspoilt villages and old stone hamlets lodged upon the hillsides where there’s welcome tranquillity to be found, and two or three charming glens well worth exploring, such as the little Val Canaria behind Airolo, Val Piora to the east of that, and Val Piumogna south of Faido which curves into a cradle of mountains topped by Piz Campo Tencia and Pizzo Campolungo. On the north-west side of the latter peak an easy pass invites walkers to cross from Valle Leventina to the upper Val Lavizzara.
Valle Leventina makes a long bow curve, a clockwise arc starting at 12 o’clock (Airolo) and reaching Bellinzona at five, at which point the arc is flattened by the Piano di Magadino mentioned above. Above Airolo the westerly extension of the curve is known as Val Bedretto. This is topped by the Nufenen, a road pass linking Ticino with the Rhône valley, constructed since the Second World War. Whereas Leventina rumbles with the sound of road and rail traffic, Val Bedretto is sparsely populated and surprisingly peaceful, and walkers intent on finding some wild country to explore need look no further than the southern wall of mountains which rises to the Cristallina massif, or to the Gries Pass, an old ‘wine pass’ on its western edge with lovely views to the Bernese Alps. This leads from Val Corno, the first tributary glen feeding into Val Bedretto, down into the head of Val Formazza.
Returning to Valle Leventina, another important tributary comes down to join it at Biasca. This is Valle di Blenio, shaped like a crooked letter Y and known locally as the valle del sole – the valley of the sun. The upper western arm of the Y is Valle Santa Maria which carries the Lukmanier road over this ancient pass (crossed as early as AD700) and down to Disentis in the valley of the Vorder Rhine. As was noted earlier, the Lukmanier Pass is the boundary, not only between cantons Ticino and Graubunden, but also between the main Lepontines and the Adula Alps.
The eastern arm of the Y is Val Camadra, a secluded inner glen partially divorced from the main stem by a narrow ravine above the village of Olivone. At its head trails entice through little-travelled country to valleys north, east and, by way of further cols, to the south, while high pastoral country to the west has its own appeal with routes crossing to Valle Santa Maria. Topping the eastern wall of Valle di Blenio is the 3402 metre Rheinwaldhorn, first climbed in 1789 by Father Placidus à Spescha from the Benedictine monastery in Disentis, a mountain whose modest glacial armoury catches the eye of walkers from passes off to the west, and whose summit is the highest of the Adula Alps. Apart from the glen of Val Malvaglia which flows into the lower Valle di Blenio, the main valleys draining south out of the Adula Alps are, from west to east, Val Calanca, Valle Mesolcina which carries traffic over the San Bernardino, and finally Valle San Giacomo with the Splügen Pass at its head. While the first two drain their waters into Lago Maggiore by way of Bellinzona, streams from San Giacomo swell the Mera on its way out of the Bregaglia before emptying into Lago di Como.
So much for the Lepontine valleys en masse, it is now time to study the potential of selected valleys and glens so far as the walker is concerned, then look at options for making a multi-day tour of a large part of the district.
The first and most obvious centre of attention must be Valle Maggia and its many subsidiary glens, for a vast array of outings stretch from it. Within its boundaries sufficient expeditions may be attempted to last any discerning mountain walker a full and active fortnight’s holiday, and still leave enough plans unfulfilled to demand a return visit.
Unless the visitor enters on foot across one of the northern passes among the Cristallina mountains, say from Val Bedretto, and then descends through those delightful upper glens, the normal route of approach will be from the south, from the lakeside towns of Locarno and Ascona. Locarno is served by rail via Bellinzona, and buses work through the valley from there to Bignasco and the upper glens, thereby providing the non-motorised visitor with reliable access.
Although the Maggia region includes all the upper glens which begin under peaks of the Cristallina massif and covers an area of 568 square kilometres, the first point to note about the main stem of Valle Maggia itself is that it does not appear to be Alpine in any real sense. It’s a broad, flat-bottomed trench with a barely-perceptible fall in the 28 kilometres that lie between Bignasco, where the tributaries of Val Bavona and Val Lavizzara join the main valley stem, and Locarno on the north shore of Lago Maggiore. Its mountains are largely forested and only in a few cases do they rise above 2300 metres. In this flat trench of a valley the river is little more than a lazy blue stream in summer sifting through a wide bed of stones. On its banks holiday-makers spread themselves as though on a Mediterranean beach, ignorant of, or uninterested in, the scenic delights to be found by delving into higher country upvalley. There are campsites at Gordevio and Avegno, and small hotels at Gordevio, Maggia, Cevio and Bignasco. But other than Bignasco these villages are situated a little too far from the main country of interest to walkers, unless our visitor be motorised. The valley in these lower levels then, is of primary value in reaching wilder, less-tamed landscapes, and those neat tributary glens that flow from the west down to Cevio.
At Cevio a side road climbs a sinuous route among houses built on terraces they share with vines above the Rovana torrent. Beyond these the way leads through chestnut woods, passes through Linescio, Collinasco, and then Cerentino where the road forks. The way ahead goes deeper into Valle di Campo, while the right-hand option rises through more woods into the smaller glen of Valle di Bosco – both of which are served by Postbus from Cevio.
Valle di Campo opens as a green, pastoral swathe closed at its western end by a north-south ridge topped by Piz del Forno, on the far side of which runs Valle Antigorio. Along this ridge one might expect to find the Swiss–Italian border which hereabouts makes its sharp kink to enclose the ‘pear’ of Ticino. Not so. In fact the border slopes down from the north wall of the valley via a spur projecting from Piz Quadro, several peaks short of del Forno, cuts directly across the pastures and up the southern wall to the arête of Tramalitt, which is itself separated from Piz del Forno by Valle di Campo’s cirque headwall. One or two small alp huts are dotted about the Italian slopes at the head of the Campo glen, while a handful of villages and hamlets inhabit the Swiss side of the frontier, most important of which is Campo itself where there is limited accommodation. In Ticino it is unusual for a village to be spaced across a hillside in the way that Campo is, for by far the majority huddle in tight clusters of houses as if to offer mutual protection against a hostile environment, or to conserve valuable farmland. But Campo is different, for it sprawls in the sunshine on the south-facing hillside high above the river. From it trails climb over the ridge which divides the glen from Valle di Bosco. Other trails visit lonely alps, or fight a way up to a high point from which to make a traverse of hillside before descending steeply to other villages. One particularly enjoyable outing leads to the alp of Corte Nuovo, then crosses the hillside among alpenrose, juniper and clumps of bilberry to Alpe di Quadrella, from where one option climbs again over the Quadrella Pass (2137m) to Grossalp at the head of the Bosco glen, while another descends to Fontanella, Cimalmotto and thence back to Campo.
The walker deciding to settle for a few days in Valle di Campo will find virtually empty footpaths to explore. There are few waymarks, and in some cases the trails are not always evident on the ground. But the scenery is quite lovely, if undramatic, and there will be rewards enough for those who have eyes to see and, perhaps most of all, an inquisitive nature that is not deterred by trails that disappear. Whilst sufficient single-day outings will be found to justify a short holiday based in the glen, perhaps Valle di Campo has more to offer those whose delight it is to move on day after day, conjuring a round of unsung mountains. A study of the map reveals a number of possibilities, which include crossing Passo della Fria (2499m) and the Forcoletta (2359m) in the valley headwall, and descent from there into Valle Antigorio; or via those same passes into Valle dell’Isorno which gives into Valle d’Ossola; or across Passo della Cavegna in the southern wall of the Campo glen which leads into the Vergletto valley – a two-day circuit could be made here which would return you to Campo by way of an alternative pass – or, indeed, by one of two possible crossings of the north wall above Campo into the neighbouring Bosco glen.
As for Valle di Bosco itself, this is a much shorter, more intimate glen whose sole village, Bosco-Gurin, is the highest in all Ticino at 1503 metres; a curiosity in that its inhabitants speak a form of Schwyzerdütsch, rather than Italian, and its architecture reflects the origins of the Valaisians who first settled there in the 13th century. There’s limited accommodation in the village, while a mountain hut owned by the UTOE (Unione Ticinese Operai Excursionisti) is reached in a little over an hour’s walk from the roadhead. Capanna Grossalp is located on the partially-deserted alp of the same name, a collection of rough stone huts overrun by goats. Above Grossalp the U-shaped pass of Guriner Furka (2323m) in the headwall south of Piz Stella makes an obvious destination for a walk, while if linked with another pass (Hendar Furggu) on the north side of the same mountain and below the impressive Wandfluhhorn, a fine day’s circuit could be achieved. Alternatively, if one were eager to make a long tour, and the traverse of Valle di Bosco were but one section of it, the crossing of the Guriner Furka, otherwise known as Passo di Bosco, would lead to a trail descending into Valle Antigorio. From there an assortment of routes upstream would suggest ways of regaining Valle Maggia by one of its higher tributary glens.
Returning now to Valle Maggia proper we move upstream from Cevio towards Bignasco, gateway to the promised land of Vals Bavona, Lavizzara and their tributary glens. As far as Cevio the valley was not especially remarkable, but as Freshfield noted, beyond it ‘the landscape takes a more romantic character. The valley-walls close in and bend, and huge knobs of ruddy-grey rock thrust themselves forward.’ Bignasco has been planted at the junction of two of the loveliest of Ticino glens, where the Bavona stream flowing from the north-west joins that of the Maggia, emerging from the narrows of Val Lavizzara. Served by bus from Locarno, and with two one-star hotels, three restaurants, a bakery, post office and bank, there can be few finer places in the district to choose as a base for a walking holiday. ‘As we draw near the first scattered houses of Bignasco, the mountains suddenly break open, and reveal a vision of the most exquisite and harmonious beauty, one of the masterpieces of nature which defy the efforts of the subtlest word-painters,’ said Freshfield again. Gazing up Val Bavona from a nearby hillside, through a framework of chestnut woods and huge boulders, mountains fill the horizon. ‘In the distance the snows of the Basodino seen through the sunny haze gleam, like a golden halo, on the far-off head of the mountain.’
Not unnaturally it is to Val Bavona that we are drawn first, for it is in this valley, which Freshfield described with such exuberance, that ‘the strength of granite is clothed in the grace of southern foliage, in a rich mantle of chestnuts and beeches, fringed with maize and vines, and embroidered about the skirts with delicate traceries of ferns and cyclamen.’ He should have mentioned the walnuts too, the sumptuous waterfalls, secluded glens, hidden tarns, deserted alp hamlets (though these were probably inhabited in Freshfield’s day), and streams of astonishing clarity that wash through gravel beds sparkling with crystals. The tiny villages too, settled for centuries in their brief woodland glades, represent at their best prime examples of Ticinese vernacular architecture; sturdy stone walls bathed in the delicate light of the south, their chapels adorned with frescoes, while sunken windows look out on nature’s artistry. The Bavona road snakes through the glen beneath vast slab walls of granite as far as San Carlo, a hamlet that looks up to the Basodino, and down onto the forests of the lower valley. It’s a little over 10 kilometres from Bignasco to San Carlo, and throughout that distance the valley is full of character, the juxtaposition of soaring cliff and luxuriant woods providing scenery that is ‘grand and striking in the extreme.’ Linking footpaths that cross and recross the valley stream give the walker an opportunity to absorb that scenery at leisure all the way to San Carlo and beyond.
Foroglio is one of the finest villages set among stands of chestnut, linden and beech trees, and is noteworthy for the powerful cascade that bursts from the lip of a hidden glen 200 metres above. Standing back from the road from which it is protected by the Bavona stream, it’s a crammed huddle of stone dwellings with narrow pathways inching between them. One of these pathways climbs above the village and arrives at the top of the Froda di Foroglio cascade to discover the V-shaped Val Calnegia stretching ahead, brightened with spinneys of silver birch. Inside this glen the few buildings of Puntid are set in a rough meadowland, and a picturesque hump-backed bridge crosses the Calnegia stream where a footpath entices upvalley.
Val Calnegia is a tangled tributary glen that feeds into Val Bavona
One full day of a holiday based on Bignasco should be spent exploring Val Calnegia. Within that glen there’s a semi-deserted hamlet (Gerra), and a fully deserted one (Calnegia) near its head, whose handful of stone houses, stables and granaries are being strangled by a rampant vegetation. Val Calnegia must once have been a productive glen, but that productivity has ceased and wild nature is taking over, leaving the walker, at least, with delicious raspberries to feed on in summer. A thousand metres above the uppermost deserted hamlet the tarns of Laghi della Crosa lie in a high corrie formed by the linking ridges of Piz Solögna, Piz Forera and Madone di Formazzöö, and though it’s a stiff climb to reach them, there is a trail, and the distant outlook won from the corrie entrance provides a splendid overview of the main Val Bavona cutting across one’s field of vision.
At the Bavona roadhead San Carlo has a large car park for customers using the Robiei cableway, an out-of-place construction that is a legacy of the Robiei dam and hydro-electricity project that has partially scarred some of the high corries of the Cristallina massif. The existence of the cable-car has, of course, opened up parts of this former wild landscape to tourists. But there remains much empty country to wander in solitude for those who seek it.
To the west of San Carlo, for example, the little glen of Val d’Antabia has a pair of tarns caught in stony hollows more than 1000 metres above the Bavona stream. These tarns, the Laghetti d’Antabia, lie in a mountain cradle a little south of the impressive slab walls of Basodino (3272m). A trail climbs to them, through the alp hamlet of Corte Grande above which the Tamier Pass (2772m) is one of the crossings recommended by Walker in order to reach the Tosa Falls in Val Formazza, the Italian valley which runs roughly parallel to Val Bavona on the far side of the mountains. In pastures a little below the tarns stands Rifugio Piano delle Creste. Owned by the SAV (Società Alpinistica Valmaggese), a member group of the Federazione Alpinistica Ticinese, this is one of three mountain huts accessible from San Carlo, the others being Capannas Cristallina and Basodino.
The Basodino and Cristallina huts are separated from each other by some wonderful wild mountain country overlooked by Basodino and its glacier, and the mountain which lends its name to the area, Cristallina (2912m) itself. That the hydro engineers have been busy taming some of the high corries, building their dams and creating additional lakes, is a sad and undeniable fact. In truth, some of these man-made lakes don’t look entirely out of place now, except when their concrete walls are on show. But the presence of a contractor’s road is truly a cause for regret. Happily there are plenty of opportunities to explore mountainscapes within the Cristallina massif where that road and those dams are not in view.
The Robiei cableway swings above the upper Val Bavona and passes close to the Basodino hut. Apart from the incongruity of this cableway’s close presence, the hut has a fine situation, set as it is on a hillside perch overlooking the glen that plunges away in screes and steep grass slopes from its door. But it also has a grandstand view of the handsome, glacier-draped mountain after which it is named – one of the most prominent and attractive of Lepontine peaks brooding off to the south-west.
Rather than take the cableway from San Carlo, it is preferable to walk up to Capanna Basodino on a track that takes you initially through forest, then by footpath to the alp hamlet of Campo, beyond which the way enters a rocky defile and at last climbs through the short upper glen at the head of which the hut can be seen. Owned by the SAC, it can sleep 60 and has a guardian in residence from mid-June to early October. It is, of course, used as a base for climbs on the Basodino and numerous other peaks, as well as serving walkers who plan to explore the stony, tarn-littered region that spreads from it.
The other hut in the vicinity is the new Capanna Cristallina. This is much larger than the Basodino (120 places), reflecting its popularity, and is also owned by the Swiss Alpine Club. Standing at 2575 metres on the northern slopes of Cristallina itself, it’s reached by one of two cross-country routes from Capanna Basodino. The first of these is by way of Lago Sfundau and the easy Passo di Cristallina (2568m), passing below the Cristallina’s west flank, while the alternative route is not quite so straightforward, and for a large part is only guided by a tenuous line of cairns. In poor visibility this route demands some care, but in good conditions the wilderness quality of the area is an endearing feature. It makes a circuitous arc via Lago Nero, the Bochetta del Lago Nero (2563m), Passo del Sasso Nero (2420m) and Passo del Naret (2438m) – a rough and sometimes lonely route, it is however, a most rewarding one. By combining these two contrasting ways a longish full-day circular walk could be achieved which would provide an excellent series of mountain views and serve as a first-rate introduction to the massif.
The Cristallina massif is clearly seen from the shores of Lago di Mognola
There are mountains to climb here, many of which should be within the capabilities of those with a degree of scrambling experience, but who otherwise would not consider themselves Alpine mountaineers. Cristallina is one such, from whose summit the full extent of upper Ticino is revealed. Basodino is another, though on this there is a glacier to negotiate, and standard precautions should therefore be taken.
In good weather any mountain walker with common sense and map-reading skills could spend days wandering from lake to lake, corrie to corrie and across ridge after ridge in an orgy of exploration, spending the nights in either of the huts or in Albergo Robiei at the upper terminus of the cableway from San Carlo. But there will come a time when one must move on, and here again the walker is spoilt for choice. If he has commitments to fulfill down in Val Bavona or the lower Valle Maggia, the most obvious way will be to descend directly to San Carlo and continue down valley from there. But the choice may be to head north, in which case a clear mule-path goes down through Val Torta from the Cristallina hut to Val Bedretto. Another trail climbs from that hut to cross the 2562 metre Folcra Pass just to the west, then descends through the Cassinello glen to Bedretto, while yet another goes west by way of Lago Sfundau and Passo Grandinagia (2698m) to San Giacomo, from where it is easy to head south across the Giacomo Pass to Rifugio Val Toggia at the head of Val Formazza. Next day would be a short descent to the Tosa Falls (considered by Baedeker to be ‘the grandest in the Alps, especially when the river is high’) and from there either continue down valley, or find one of several alternative routes back to Val Bavona.
Yet another option for leaving the Cristallina mountains would be to cut across country from either the Basodino or Cristallina huts to Sasso Nero, and from there descend to Valle di Peccia, another lovely glen that spills out into Val Lavizzara midway between Bignasco and Fusio.
Back in Bignasco, having spent time getting to know Val Bavona, there comes an opportunity to study the second of our main tributaries of Valle Maggia, Val Lavizzara and its side glens. Lavizzara, like Val Bavona, has true Alpine stature, for although there are no great glaciers, nor much in the way of permanent snow, its mountains rise in towering walls of rock to cast morning and evening shadows over the valley, while the side glens, with their tumultuous cascades and fast-running streams, provide enchantment for all who are drawn into their embrace.
Upstream of Bignasco there are six small villages whose architectural style and grouping are so characteristic of Ticino. Brontallo and Menzonio reside upon terraces above the river and are connected to the highway by snaking access roads. Broglio nestles in the valley bed beside a slender strip of pasture. Then comes Prato, a handsome village with direct access to the glen which takes its name, at the head of which stands Piz Campo Tencia (3072m). Beyond Prato is Peccia, and this too has a tributary glen cutting back from it with more fine walking country to explore. And finally there’s Fusio, a popular and attractive place with pastel-coloured houses built steeply above the river. Fusio is served by Postbus. The village has accommodation, restaurants and a foodstore useful for walkers and climbers taking to the hills, while above it to the north-east there’s a direct way over the mountains to Rodi-Fiesso in Valle Leventina. Beyond Fusio the valley curves north-westward to the edge of the Cristallina massif, and is known as Val Sambuco.
Assuming our walker, based on Bignasco, has not exhausted all his holiday entitlement within Val Bavona, there will be much to do in Val Lavizzara. First there are the immediate glens to explore. Of these the steep little Val Chignolasc scoops the mountainside to the south-east, and is accessible directly from the village. Freshfield wandered a trail through this glen after finding one that linked it with Giumaglio down in Valle Maggia. This he reckoned to be ‘... probably the most beautiful path to Bignasco.’ Next is Val Serenello with a few isolated alp hutments in it, and then comes Val Cocco, the third glen on the eastern side of the valley, with Passo del Cocco at its head providing a way over the ridge system emanating from Monte Zucchero, and down to Val d’Osura which in turn feeds into Val Verzasca. Walker recommended this crossing (though he called Val d’Osura the Val d’Osola) as part of a short tour returning to Val Lavizzara by way of the Forcarella di Redorta and Val di Pertüs to Prato.
Between Broglio and Prato two further glens drain the eastern wall of mountains. The first of these is Val Tomè which leads to the west face of Monte Zucchero. Under that face in a stony, steep-sided basin brightened with alpenrose and a few stands of larch, lies the little Lago di Tomè at 1692 metres – almost 1000 metres higher than Broglio, although it’s only four kilometres by footpath from that village. This tarn makes an interesting destination for a walk, and the map shows a trail climbing beyond it to cross a shoulder of mountain into the neighbouring Val di Pertüs, although I have no personal experience of this route. If this trail is still usable – and not all those shown on Lepontine maps exist in reality – a fine day’s circuit could be achieved with a return to Broglio through the lower Val di Prato.
Val di Prato is one of the jewels of the Maggia region, a glen of immense charm whose beauties are evident as soon as you begin to penetrate its rather secretive heart. Travellers journeying along the Lavizzara by road have little more than a brief glimpse of this glen, and a glimpse is not enough. One must leave the valley and wander into it, to be seduced by its warm fragrance and the promise of chestnut woods, its misted mountains, stone-built huts, its sun-kissed hamlets. And its waterfalls. In less than an hour from Prato you come to the little hamlet of Monte di San Carlo, which is shown as Monte di Predee on the LS map. San Carlo is set at a junction of glens with cascades tipping over rock slabs above and below. To the south is Val di Pertüs, to the north-east the continuing Val di Prato.
It’s easy to appreciate Hubert Walker’s enthusiasm for Monte di San Carlo, which he called ‘one of the loveliest alps I know’. It can hardly have changed in the 50 odd years since he was there, for when I visited, I found it just as he described it: ‘The alp occupies an angle between two tremendous waterfalls, and from its green lawns whichever way you look you see glittering cascades backed by forests of chestnut and ringed by graceful peaks.’ If you delve deeper into Val di Prato the way follows the true left bank of the stream amid beautiful mountain scenery, then climbs a veritable staircase of stone in a tight little gorge from which another waterfall thunders, to emerge by the most enchanting of rock-girt pools. The walls of the glen open out a little to allow sunlight to pour onto yet more waterfalls and deep green pools, with tufts of alpenrose, bilberry and juniper, and a few stands of trees artistically placed, it would seem, by the hand of a landscape gardener. After exploring the upper reaches of this magical glen, out of which soars Piz Campo Tencia, a return to Prato should be made by cutting back along the eastern hillside by way of a broad grassland shelf occupied by a small goatherder’s hut with more fine views across the valley, then descend by another stepped path to the main trail which is rejoined below the gorge.
The southern glen, at whose mouth sits Monte di San Carlo, is the choice of those who plan to visit Val Verzasca. Val di Pertüs is another lovely forested glen whose walls rise abruptly and curve at the southern end to create a little cirque topped by Monte Zucchero (or rather its subsidiary peak, Triangolino) and Corona di Redorta. The Forcarella, or Passo, di Redorta (2181m) provides a way over this cirque headwall with a descent through Val Redorta, yet another charming glen, to Sonogno (seven hours or so from Prato). With Sonogno as a base there will then be plenty to enjoy in both Val Vegorness and Verzasca. But more of those valleys later.
Continuing a short distance upstream through Val Lavizzara from Prato, we come to Peccia where again the valley forks. The left branch here is Valle di Peccia, the central of three valleys that drain the south and eastern flanks of the Cristallina massif. Within this glen there are a few small villages and hamlets – Cortignelli, another San Carlo and Piano di Peccia among them. High quality marble is extracted from a quarry reached by a dirt track that extends the paved road beyond Piano di Peccia. High on the western hillside half-forgotten alps are crumbling into decline, and the trails that once linked them are in danger of becoming overgrown and lost. It is still possible, though, to enjoy a day’s walking along that hillside visiting Alpe Srodan and Corte di Fondo, during which the landscape value of productive alps will become evident, and lessons learned how nature’s grip on vegetated hillsides is not always benevolent unless kept in check.
Waterfalls are a major feature of Val di Prato
In Alpe Masnaro above Alpe Srodan, at an altitude of 2003 metres, stands the tiny unmanned Rifugio di Braga, owned by the UTOE. From the head of Valle di Peccia a trail climbs to Passo del Sasso Nero in the Cristallina mountains, from which point a choice of cross-country routes leads to Capanna Basodino, Capanna Cristallina or, via Lago di Naret, down Val Sambuco to Fusio at the head of Val Lavizzara.
Fusio offers itself as a base for walkers to challenge that of Bignasco – although, of course, it does not have ready access to Val Bavona. But what it does have is Val Sambuco and the outer rim of the Cristallina massif nearby, the possibility of crossing into Valle di Peccia to the west, and some high routes to tackle on the eastern mountain wall. Of these, one of the best climbs through larch forest and past a few chalets to reach the alp of Corte Mognola, an open pasture with cascades spraying from a hillside shelf behind it. Arriving here one lovely cloudless summer’s day we found goats basking on the rooftops, ignoring the lush sweet pasture all around. The continuing trail climbs to the left of the waterfall and emerges half an hour later beside Lago di Mognola at 2003 metres, a splendid tarn to bathe in. This tarn is locked in an almost complete bowl formed by ridges and arêtes of outlying peaks thrust from the crown of Piz Campo Tencia, and its outlet stream is the source of the waterfall seen earlier cascading onto the alp below.
From the north shore of the tarn another trail climbs to a grassy saddle that affords superb views, then continues on an undulating traverse, more or less following the 2050 metre contour, to cross a shallow cirque with the solitary alp hut of Cana at its entrance. Beyond this you round a spur descending from Cima di Sassalto to be confronted by a huge panorama in which the glacier-clad Basodino draws one’s attention, impressive in the distance with a great cluster of peaks representing the Cristallina massif to the fore, and the man-made lake of Sambuco apparently filling the valley some 600 metres below. From this airy position the trail suddenly descends to the alp of Corte Vacarisc, and later passes through more larch forests on the way back to Fusio.
A little further north along the same hillside is the route to Passo Campolungo (2318m), a route that descends on the far side to Lago Tremorgio and the bed of Valle Leventina. This is a classic crossing amid very fine mountain scenery, the pass itself spoilt only by a pylon carrying high-voltage power lines. From the pass magnificent views include the mountains of eastern Ticino and the Adula Alps, while not far from Alpe Campolungo, 250 metres below, overnight accommodation is possible in the SAC’s Capanna Leit. Not that it’s necessary to break the crossing here (six hours should be sufficient to get from Fusio to Rodi-Fiesso), but by so doing an opportunity then arises to explore other possibilities on that side of the mountain. These will be discussed when we come to study Valle Leventina.
Val Sambuco above Fusio leads, as we have seen, to the eastern rim of the Cristallina massif, green and pastoral below, gaunt and stony above. Lakes on this eastern rim have been harnessed for electricity, and a road winds painfully through the valley and up to the lakes of Scuro and Naret caught in the granitelands that promise so much. A trail cuts away from the road about a kilometre or so north-west of Lago Sambuco and climbs through the upper glen known as Campo la Torba, to reach the barrage at Lago del Naret about three and a half hours from Fusio. From this lake Capanna Cristallina is only an hour and a half away via Passo del Naret, while Capanna Basodino is about four hours from the lake shore by way of Passo del Sasso Nero and Bochetta del Lago Nero. From these huts, as we have already seen, there are numerous possibilities for exploratory tours to be made in and around this core of bare stone mountains.
A high trail near Lago di Mognola gives views onto Lago di Sambuco far below
This valley flows in parallel fashion to the east of Valle Maggia, though it begins further south than either Maggia’s tributary of Val Lavizzara, or Valle Leventina its eastern neighbour. Through it winds one of the loveliest of Ticino’s streams. Dazzlingly pure, it either glides in deep boulder-girt pools, or dashes through narrow defiles with a boisterous flash of spray. Its bed has been moulded and scoured into patterned whorls, and here and there bleached ribs and grooves reveal strips of grey, black or blue like the grain of well-seasoned timber. Verzasca has few hotels, no official campsites, and access to just four unmanned huts. But for the walker there’s a wonderland to explore.
About 10 kilometres from the valley’s southern entrance, the village of Lavertezzo is a honeypot for day-visitors on account of the beautiful medieval stone bridge that spans the river there. It has two small hotels with a total of just 30 beds: Osteria Vittoria and Ristorante-Garni Posse. The valley road is invariably crowded with parked cars and coaches in summer when the river bank takes on an atmosphere not unlike that of a Mediterranean beach. But cutting behind the village on the eastern side, three small glens offer tranquillity to those prepared to walk. Streams that drain these three glens, Vals Carecchio, Pincascia and d’Agro, unite a short distance from Lavertezzo among wooded narrows, and it is through the broad-leaved woods that an old mule trail provides access to these semi-deserted back-of-beyonds. A narrow road also projects a short way through the narrows, but for the needs of the walker the mule trail makes a preferable alternative. At the hamlet of Cugnera the way forks, with one option descending to the stream. This then cuts into the easternmost glen (Val Carecchio) which is blocked by a lovely cirque not properly appreciated until you’re within its curving arms. The main trail curves northward and passes a number of stone buildings, most of which are deserted and falling apart. Remaining high above the stream you come to Forno, a one-time alp hamlet at the junction of Val Pincascia (branching north-east) and Val d’Agro which veers north-west. Across a hump-backed bridge below Forno the trail forks again. The right-hand option leads to Alpe Fumegna at the head of the Pincascia glen, the alternative plunges into dense hazel thickets and climbs steeply through a defile into Val d’Agro. In this glen there’s a cluster of deserted alp hutments (Arai) to visit, as well as the partially restored hamlet of Agro, and the higher alps of Corte Nuovo, Mazer and Cremenze lodged high on the western hillside, or those of Alpe Lignase and Pianca to the north-east of Agro. There is enough in this glen alone to keep any mountain wanderer happy for a day or two.
The picturesque bridge at Lavertezzo in Val Verzasca
Upvalley at Brione the Val Verzasca bifurcates. Branching north-west here Val d’Osura (or Osola) is one of the major tributary glens from which the valley gains its true character. Rising in the Sambuco cirque under the south face of Monte Zucchero we have already seen that it provides access to Bignasco by way of Passo del Cocco, but even without climbing high and crossing ridges it is still worth wandering into. A century ago Baedeker sniffily referred to the path through the glen as ‘uninteresting’. It is not. Neither is the glen it explores. Gently pastoral in its lower reaches, it becomes more rugged in the enclosing cirque where at 1418 metres the little unmanned Capanna Alpe d’Osola has sleeping quarters for 18. A narrow surfaced lane travels into the glen for just over three kilometres from Brione to serve the hamlet of Bolastro, beyond which a track continues a little further past the old buildings of Daghei. Thereafter footpaths explore the head of the valley as well as one or two higher alps.
The simple hut at Alpe d’Osola (or Osura) conjures an atmosphere reminiscent of that enjoyed by the Victorian pioneers, and it’s interesting to consider those who came here a century and more ago. The glen will have changed very little since then. From the hut a route climbs to Alpe Sambuco, and continues steeply from there to the pass of Bochetta di Mugaia (2518m) on the south ridge of Monte Zucchero. From the pass a short and easy scramble up the ridge leads to the summit where views are extensive and well worth the effort. But on the east side of the ridge the way descends into Val Redorta, at whose entrance sits one of Verzasca’s most handsome villages, Sonogno. This classic route from Brione to Sonogno via the Bocchetta will take about nine and a half hours, or about seven if starting from Capanna Alpe d’Osola.
Travelling through Val Verzasca from Brione to Sonogno a footpath takes the east side of the river while the road follows the west bank most of the way. The road passes through Gerra, but then crosses to the east bank just before reaching Frasco. Cutting into the mountains to the east of Frasco the little Val d’Efra is topped by jagged peaks and long ridges that form a deep and wild mountain bowl containing Lago d’Efra. This is a mysterious glen that repays a day’s exploration, while above the tarn two possible ridge crossings lead to Val Gagnone, a minor feeder glen that drains via Val d’Ambra into the Leventina near Biasca.
Sonogno has unquestionable appeal. Reached by the ubiquitous Postbus it stands at the northern extent of Val Verzasca where Val Redorta breaks away westward, and the upper valley, known as Val Vegorness, veers a little north-east before later making a westward curve. Attractive buildings line the few streets where cottage industries have been encouraged to arrest migration away from the mountains. Accommodation is limited, and there’s brisk competition for a bed in summer. But there are foodstores within the village and two unmanned huts accessible from it; Capannas Alpe Barone and Cognora, both of which have simple self-catering facilities.
Val Redorta is less than five kilometres in extent. Its southern wall runs from Monte Zucchero across Rasiva (2684m) to Cima di Cazzai and Poncione della Marcia, whose south-east spur descends to Brione, while the north boundary wall spreads east from Corona di Redorta (2804m) and remains above 2500 metres as far as Cima di Cagnoi, effectively separating the Redorta glen from that of Vegorness. A paved road goes through the glen as far as Fraced, passing a number of stone barns in trim valley meadows on the way, then a trail climbs a short distance to cross two footbridges before splitting. Both options lead to the Forcarella, or Passo, di Redorta, the right-hand trail being the more direct, the left-hand option first visiting the little semi-deserted hamlet of Püscen Negro. The Redorta Pass is that which leads walkers down through Val di Pertüs to Prato in Val Lavizzara, and is a magnificent route, if somewhat rough under foot.
By using the Redorta Pass here, and Passo del Cocco at the head of the Cocco glen near Bignasco, an entertaining circuit could be achieved, as suggested by Walker. This is outlined as follows: from Sonogno walk through Val Redorta and over Forcarella di Redorta, then descend through Val di Pertüs and the lower Prato glen to Val Lavizzara. There spend a night in Prato-Sornico and next day wander down valley towards Bignasco. Before reaching Bignasco, however, turn into Val Cocco and cross the pass at its head, then descend to Val d’Osura. Either spend a night in Capanna Alpe d’Osola and next day walk to Sonogno via the Bochetta di Mugaia, or descend through Val d’Osura to Brione and find a bed there (Ristorante Ai Piee has just six beds), before taking a short valley walk to Sonogno, thus completing the round in three days.
Val Vegorness, stretching beyond Sonogno, is quite twice as long as Val Redorta and rewards with some lovely Alpine views. The Verzasca stream that flows through it is wild in places, a gentle meandering brook in others. At one point it forms a series of cascades above which an inner basin is lush with alpenroses while rugged mountains soar overhead. Capanna Alpe Barone sits up here at 2172 metres on the southern flank of Piz Barone, with a tarn another 600 metres above that, while above the tarn Passo Barone is a walker’s route over the mountain wall to Chironico in Valle Leventina. West of the hut another pass, Bochetta della Campala, suggests an alternative way to regain Val di Prato and Val Lavizzara.
An enterprising walker, then, will appreciate that within the Maggia-Verzasca complex of valleys and glens, an almost unlimited bounty of walks are available. Day walks and multi-day mountain tours provide vast scope for an active holiday spent in a most enchanting yet surprisingly ‘undiscovered’ country. These valleys may be the pick of the bunch, however in turning from them we have not finished with the Lepontines, for there are yet more valleys to discuss, including Bedretto and di Blenio. But first we will study that underrated and much-abused channel of access, Valle Leventina.
Whether you approach this important transalpine artery from north or south, first impressions are bound to be unfavourable. Major highways, an international rail link, silver marching pylons – all these are unwelcome visual intrusions, and the first-time visitor would be excused for scurrying through in search of less-troubled landscapes. But surprising though it may seem, there are glories to behold, peaceful glens to explore where tarns of brilliant hue lie untroubled in the lap of the mountains, stony saddles to cross, pastures starred with flowers, and a handful of rifugios on which to base active days ‘away from it all’.
From the little Efra glen in Val Verzasca it was noted that a cross-country route exists between that valley and the Leventina by way of Val d’Ambra, one of the lower tributaries draining the west flank of the Leventina near its junction with that of Valle di Blenio. Val d’Ambra is, however, but one of a series of short glens, each joined by linking trails that either cross the ridges that divide them, or cut across their entrances while alternative paths project through their centres. From Val d’Ambra heading north, these glens are: Val Marcri, Val Nedro, Val Cramosino, Val d’Usedi and the larger Val Chironico that curves delightfully beneath rugged walls that plunge at right-angles from ridges extending south and east from Piz Campo Tencia.
The village of Chironico nestles at the entrance to this latter glen on a hillside shelf above the Leventina with which it is joined by a twisting access road. The road extends beyond the village and pushes further into the glen, but thereafter footpaths accept the challenge of steep hillsides to visit a number of small alp hamlets, a tarn at 1763 metres, and a choice of routes over the southern mountain wall into Val Vegorness. The higher of these crossings is by way of Passo Barone (2582m), the other being Passo di Piatto (2108m) directly above the Laghetto tarn.
The east ridge extending from Piz Campo Tencia remains above 2700 metres as far as Piz Forno (2907m), from which crooked spurs project down to Valle Leventina, effectively curving that valley, and at the same time creating the important Val Piumogna. This glen twists like an upturned comma, its upper reaches cupped within a cirque created by a ridge system running from Pizzo Campolungo across Campo Tencia to Piz Forno, its lower forested narrows facing north and with the village of Dalpe at its entrance. In common with Chironico Dalpe is also divorced from the main Leventina by occupying a terrace nearly 500 metres above the Ticino river, and hidden from it by a convenient wooded bluff. This hillside terrace is spacious enough to host two other villages in addition to Dalpe. These are Prato Leventina and Cornone, and the Postbus offers a convenient link with all three from Rodi-Fiesso.
Val Piumogna, and country to the north, provides plenty of good walking opportunites on an assortment of trails, and with three huts offering overnight accommodation (two of which have permanent summer guardians), those who prefer a hint of remoteness to more sophisticated and upmarket hotels, are well-catered for here. Of these the first is Capanna Campo Tencia, an SAC hut of modern design set at mid-height on the face of the cirque enclosing the Piumogna glen at 2140 metres. Reached by a three-hour walk from Dalpe there’s usually a guardian in residence from mid-June to mid-October. An interesting route links the Campo Tencia hut with Capanna Leit in a little over two hours by crossing Passo Morghirola (2420m), which is found on a spur of the east ridge of Pizzo Campolungo. Capanna Leit (2257m) is ideally situated in a stony landscape below the pinnacle of Pizzo del Prévat, and with easy access to the Campolungo Pass, by which Fusio at the head of Val Lavizzara is reached in three hours. The hut is owned by the SAT (Socièta Alpinistica Ticinese) and can sleep more than 60 in its dormitories. It’s open from June to October, has no permanent resident guardian, and may be gained in a lovely walk of three to four hours from Dalpe via Alpe Cadonighino and Passo Venett, the latter a saddle of grass and stone in a ridge of glistening white rock, from which a splendid view shows the glaciated Rheinwaldhorn off to the east. Below Capanna Leit lies the grassland basin of Alpe Campolungo, and below that Lago Tremorgio, on whose north-east shore stands Capanna Tremorgio. This is owned by the Ticinese electrical company which operates a pumped hydro scheme from the lake, and also controls a cable-car that rises from Rodi-Fiesso. Capanna Tremorgio has a resident guardian from July to September, and offers a full meals service.
Lago Cadagno and Val Piora, above Valle Leventina
To the north of Tremorgio, on the opposite side of Valle Leventina, Val Piora is one of the finest of Leventina’s glens. Completely hidden from the main valley, this upland of lake and pasture fills the high country between Valle Leventina and Valle Santa Maria, one of the tributaries of Valle di Blenio. Access from the south is by way of either a serpentine road which climbs out of the valley from Piotta, or by funicular, also starting from Piotta. The upper terminus of this funicular is beside the road just short of the dammed Lago Ritom where there’s a convenient restaurant. With such ease of access it comes as no surprise to find parts of Val Piora are extremely popular during the high summer. This popularity, however, is usually confined to the period mid-morning to late-afternoon. By the time twilight settles over the pastures most visitors have drifted back to the valley, leaving the glen to those who spend their summers in the alps there, and walkers booked for the night at Capanna Cadagno.
Apart from the road and funicular access, walkers keen to make their own way from the Leventina will find linking trails from Airolo that cross the entrance to Val Canaria and eventually gain Lago Ritom at its south-western end – or a longer approach which goes all the way through Val Canaria to the Bocchetta, or Passo, di Cadlimo (with Capanna Cadlimo nearby), then south past Lago Scuro and Lago di Tom into Val Piora proper.
The Piora glen is a gentle tilt of grassland with a mean altitude of nearly 2000 metres. Lago Ritom lies at 1850 metres, while the upper pastures are around the 2200 metre contour. Marking its upper eastern limits stands Piz dell’Uomo (2663m), on either side of which easy walkers’ passes lead to the Valle Santa Maria. These are Passo dell’Uomo which takes a trail through Val Termine to the Lukmanier Pass, Passo Colombe between Piz dell’Uomo and Pizzo Colombe, and to the south of the latter peak, Passo Sole. From these last two, major peaks of the Adula Alps show themselves in snowy splendour, while the walks they encourage down into Valle Santa Maria are very pleasant indeed. Linked with the Lukmanier Pass and Passo dell’Uomo a fine day’s circuit can be achieved.
The north wall of Val Piora effectively hides Val Cadlimo, whose character is quite different to that of Piora’s. A trail cuts all the way through this glen, and when combined with that through Val Termine at the eastern end, and one cutting south from Capanna Cadlimo at its western extent, yet another rewarding, though fairly short, walking tour is possible. Both the Cadagno and Cadlimo huts are wardened throughout the summer. The first is owned by the Ritom Section of the SAT and can accommodate 60, while Capanna Cadlimo belongs to the Uto Section (Zürich) of the SAC. Larger than its neighbour, it can sleep more than 80, and is a useful base for several walking tours in the immediate tarn-littered countryside, and for the ascent of such peaks as Piz Rondadura, Piz Curnera and Piz Ravetsch whose linking ridges form part of the Alpine watershed that runs along the north side of the Cadlimo glen, before dipping to the lake on the Lukmanier Pass.
Before discussing walking possibilities in and around Valle Santa Maria which descends southward from the Lukmanier into Valle di Blenio, we will briefly visit the upper extension of Valle Leventina where, beyond Airolo, it is known as Val Bedretto.
From Airolo Val Bedretto arcs to the south-west. North of this the watershed ridge forms an impressive wall, while to the south outliers of the Cristallina massif drain numerous streams into the Ticino river. At its head the Nufenen Pass carries a road which squirms its way from the Valais, while the older and busier St Gotthard Pass and tunnel filters traffic from Central Switzerland out to the Leventina at Airolo. One would be forgiven for thinking that caught between the two Val Bedretto would be unbearable with the constant laboured sound of the internal combustion engine. Happily the reality is not quite like that. Off the main valley road tiny villages slumber quietly, paths edge their pastures. Other trails sneak through forests that clothe the ankles of the mountains, while still more wander from alp to alp on mid-height flanks on both sides of the valley.
The main interest for walkers here, though, lies in Val Corno, the subsidiary glen that hangs at the south-western limit of the valley, and from whose head the ancient Gries Pass provides access to Valle di Morasco and several other glens in the upper Val Formazza. There’s also Passo San Giacomo to the east of the Gries Pass and reached by footpath from All Acqua, which similarly leads into Val Formazza and the Tosa Falls. Both of these passes, by the way, carry the Italian frontier before it swings south to Basodino and all along the ridge which divides Val Formazza in Italy from the Cristallina massif in Swiss Ticino. And the third point of interest from Val Bedretto lies in its usefulness as a means of getting into the Cristallina mountains through Val Torta, a neat little glen cutting south of Ossasco.
The final selection of valleys to come under scrutiny here begins with the valle del sole which, as we have seen, runs roughly north to south along the borders of the Lepontine and Adula Alps immediately to the east of Valle Leventina. In its lower reaches Biasca is the main town and prime point of access, since it has rail connections on the Airolo-Bellinzona line, and from which buses serve the rest of the valley. Just to the north of Biasca the village of Loderio is the start of a long high route for walkers known as the Sentiero Alto di Blenio, a series of footpaths that leads eventually to Lago Ritom at the western end of Val Piora.
A few kilometres north of Loderio Val Malvaglia cuts away to the right behind the village after which it is named. This tributary glen curves north-east then north towards the Rheinwaldhorn. Along the north and west slopes many alp hamlets and collections of old haybarns catch the sunshine. Paths and trackways go from one to another, while yet another route leads to the very foot of the Rheinwaldhorn where the buildings of Alpe di Quarnei provide an excuse and a destination for an interesting day’s outing.
Streams draining the west face of the Rheinwaldhorn flow down into a small, well-contained glen to the east of Dangio and Torre, neighbouring villages situated three quarters of the way up Valle di Blenio. Val Soi not only drains the Rheinwaldhorn, but also serves as a useful access ramp to Val di Carassino, a north-sloping trench caught between the main ridge of the Adula Alps and a smaller block of mountains extending from Cima di Pinadee. At the southern end of Val di Carassino the Swiss Alpine Club has a small manned hut, Capanna Adula (2012m), while the larger Rifugio Adula (2393m) stands about an hour’s walk above it on the slopes of the Rheinwaldhorn, and is owned by the UTOE. At the northern end of Val di Carassino its stream twists sharply to the south-west and spills down to the Blenio just above the village of Olivone. A circuit of Cima di Pinadee, starting and ending at Olivone, is possible by following a trail that climbs into the glen at its northern end and wandering all the way through it to Capanna Adula, then descending steeply to Val Soi. Instead of taking the trail out of Val Soi to Torre, follow an alternative path heading roughly northward at mid-height along the west flank of the Pinadee block. This leads directly to Olivone.
At Olivone the valley forks. Off to the left the road twists in long loops up the hillside to gain Valle Santa Maria and the Lukmanier Pass, while straight ahead a tight little defile hides from view the delights of Val Camadra. A road tunnels through the western slopes of this defile, while a mule trail squeezes between rock walls and the river to join the road where it emerges from the tunnel just short of Campo Blenio. This little village spills onto pastures at a junction of streams. Served by bus it has two modest hotels, dormitory accommodation for groups, and some fine walking country on its doorstep.
The glen continues ahead through Ghirone, beyond which rough pastures lead towards the watershed mountains. At the head of the glen is the SAT’s Capanna Scaletta which could serve as a useful base for walkers exploring this seemingly remote corner of the Alps. Above the hut to the east Passo della Greina (2357m) provides a way into some very empty country overlooked by peaks whose names mean little to any but the most dedicated of alpinists in search of unsung places in which to practise their sport. Various cols too suggest a rich assortment of tours for the inquisitive walker; tours that lead to the Vorder Rhine, or deeper into the Adula Alps, or south across Crap la Crusch from Plaun la Greina on a walk that passes below Piz Terri to the dammed Lago di Luzzone and finally back to Campo Blenio.
West of Campo a splendid high pastureland invites walkers on a crossing that slopes down to the Lukmanier Pass at the head of Valle Santa Maria. This Val di Campo is broad and featureless in places, and in thick mist can be quite eery. But in fine weather views are lovely, and the high point of Passo di Gana Negra (2401m) offers a wide panorama over a landscape that inspires dreams for more lengthy walking tours. This may not be bold, dramatic country as will be found in the Western Alps, but it’s certainly not short of charm. It is, indeed, a walker’s landscape, and on the eastern slopes a little over two hours from Campo Blenio, Capanna Boverina (owned by the Bellinzona Section of the UTOE) makes a useful temporary base. From the hut an easy trail heading north leads to Lago Retico (2372m), an attractive little tarn from which the crossing of Pass Cristallina involves a climb of little more than 20 metres. On the north side of this pass Piz Cristallina (not to be confused with the Cristallina mountains south of Val Bedretto) is one in a group of peaks that overlook Disentis in the valley of the Vorder Rhine. Trails from the pass eventually lead down to Disentis via Val Cristallina which disgorges into Val Medel below the Lukmanier.
Most walkers drawn to Val di Campo will, no doubt, cross from one side to the other via the Gana Negra Pass. If starting from Campo Blenio in Val Camadra one’s destination will invariably be the final valley in this selected survey of the Lepontine Alps, namely Valle Santa Maria. Unlike so many other valleys and glens in the Lepontines, Santa Maria is broad and pastoral, an open scoop of hill country where cattle graze, and open meadows dotted with pine trees give the air of a neat tended parkland. There is no tourist infrastructure, no shops, ski tows or cableways, and in Acquacalda there’s just one hotel, with modest camping facilities behind it, although there’s also accommodation at the Lukmanier Pass.
Gentle valley walks abound, as do options for crossing ridges to north and south. Favoured trails head west of Acquacalda via Passo Sole or Passo Colombe in order to gain the tarn-bright pastureland of Val Piora. Another breaks away from the Passo Sole route and heading south climbs to Passo Predelp (2452m), on whose southern side the way descends steeply to Predelp and a string of lovely villages perched high above Valle Leventina. Yet another trail accessible from Acquacalda goes south-east over high grassland to cross Passo Bareta on a shoulder of mountain that effectively divides Valle Santa Maria from Valle di Blenio, and thereafter goes from alp to alp heading south, our walker squinting into the sunshine, being reminded full well why it is called the valley of the sun.
A Tour of Ticino
Hubert Walker’s recommendations for a circuit of the Lepontines, and what he called the Alps of Ticino, ignored the splendours of Valle di Blenio and Val Piora, and concentrated heavily on the western valleys. By contrast the tour outlined below provides a broader view of the district and is based upon a circuit I devised a few summers ago on behalf of friends who had already tackled several of the well-known Alpine classics, but who came to regard this particular tour as one of their all-time favourites. It has several short and easy stages allowing plenty of time to explore neighbourhood glens, to laze beside a tarn or two, to scramble upon a nearby peak, or simply to amble through green pastures without constant reference to one’s watch. Some Alpine trips should be treated to a leisurely approach. This is one such.
Valle di Blenio to Val Piora
The tour begins in Valle di Blenio for the approach is easy by public transport; there’s a railway station at its junction with Valle Leventina, and bus service north from there. Take the bus from Biasca to Torre or Dangio and start by walking into Val Soi on the path which climbs to Capanna Adula at the southern end of Val Carassino. With about 1200 metres of height to gain from the road, this will be quite enough for a first day, so one would spend a night there in the shadow of the Rheinwaldhorn, enjoying at once a high Alpine atmosphere.
The second day leads north-west through Val Carassino on a gentle descent to the small dammed lake at its northern end, then swings left on a downhill trail leading to Olivone, from where you resume northwards on the mule-track which squeezes through the defile hiding Val Camadra. On reaching Campo Blenio bear left to work up the western hillside to the alp hamlet of Ronco di Gualdo, from where a path goes directly to Capanna Boverina. Views east from the hut, and from the trail leading to it, show the fine granite peaks of the Adula Alps, and the barrage at the end of Lago di Luzzone blocking a cirque topped by Piz Terri (3149m) across the Camadra glen, while to the south-east the upper reaches of the Rheinwaldhorn gleam with snow and ice.
From the Boverina hut the next stage heads roughly westward to Capanna Cadagno and Val Piora. There are two ways of achieving this, both of which begin by wandering over the broad open pastures to Passo di Gana Negra. On the western side of this the trail forks. The right-hand option goes to the Lukmanier Pass, whence one would walk through Val Termine, cross the easy Passo dell’Uomo and descend to the Cadagno hut. The left-hand choice drops to the Lukmanier road a short distance upstream of Acquacalda, then crosses the valley on a steady ascent of some 560 metres to gain Passo Colombe in the walling ridge between Piz dell’Uomo and Pizzo Colombe. From this pass an enjoyable downhill stretch leads into Val Piora where Capanna Cadagno sits in pastureland not far from the south-eastern end of the lovely Lago Cadagno.
Since Val Piora and its neighbourhood has such delightful walking potential it is worth spending at least two nights at the Cadagno refuge. A rewarding day could be achieved by going initially from Lago Cadagno to Lago di Tom, not by the trail marked on the LS map, but by another (waymarked to Alpe di Tom) which crosses a shoulder of hillside between the two lakes, then veers north high above the eastern shore of Lago di Tom. At the far end of this tarn cut left into a grassy bowl to find a crossing path. Bear right then, climbing north again to Lago Scuro and Capanna Cadlimo. Here another trail breaks away south-eastward to descend the Cadlimo glen. When it forks just beyond the alp buildings of Stabbio Nuovo, cross the stream and follow a path cutting round the hillside spur at the eastern end of the glen, and continue through Val Termine, over Passo dell’Uomo and back to Capanna Cadagno. This is a pleasant circuit, not too demanding, but visual rewards are in abundant supply.
The view east from Passo Colombe, a walker’s pass linking Val Piora and Valle Santa Maria
Val Piora to Capanna Basodino
The fifth stage of our tour is a short one. It retraces part of yesterday’s route to the Cadlimo hut, then crosses Bocchetta di Cadlimo to Pian Bornengo at the head of Val Canaria. A trail then follows the stream all the way down through this glen to Airolo, a small resort at the foot of the St Gotthard Pass, with several hotels in the one-, two- and three-star categories.
Stage six takes us into the northern corries of the Cristallina massif on a day of contrasts. Airolo, of course, looks onto major transalpine road and rail routes, and the day begins with a crossing of the Leventina with its busy highway complex, but finishes in the stony silence of Val Torta beneath the north face of Cristallina itself. In between these two extremes there’s an interesting belvedere path known as the Strada degli alpi Bedretto to follow, which runs along the hillside high above Val Bedretto and visits a series of alps as well as providing good views of the watershed ridge forming the north wall of the valley opposite.
South-west of Airolo the Sasso della Boggia cableway provides a quick and painless alternative to the 600 metre climb to Alpe di Pesciüm where the Strada degli alpi trail is joined. The uphill trail to Pesciüm will add a little over an hour and a half to the walk, but since the route is not overlong anyway, this should be quite acceptable. Those who choose to ride the cableway, however, are warned that it’s an unmanned service, and to alight at Pesciüm (the midway point) involves stepping out onto a pylon with a landing stage, and descending an iron stairway. From Pesciüm the walk heads roughly westward among alpenrose and bilberry, crossing two minor glens and passing huddled alp hutments before coming to Piano di Pescia at the mouth of Val Torta. From here a track goes to Alpe Cristallina where a footpath then heads upvalley on the west bank of the stream initially drawn by Pizzo del Naret, but as the glen curves into its upper cirque, so Cristallina looms overhead. Capanna Cristallina is found below Passo di Cristallina, following a walk of about five or six hours from Airolo.
The next stage makes a north to south crossing of the Cristallina massif to the Basodino hut. There are two ways of achieving this. The first is the standard direct route by way of Passo di Cristallina; a very fine walk but a short one of less than three hours, and since the longer alternative is recommended here, it would be worth taking a stroll over this pass after arrival at Capanna Cristallina, and descending to the eastern shore of Lago Sfundau in its scree-walled well, then continue to the little rocky saddle at the southern end of the tarn from where some lovely views are won across folding ridges to Basodino. But the route to Capanna Basodino recommended here is that which makes a devious curve round the eastern side of the main Cristallina mass by way of Passo del Naret. Over this a minor trail is then taken round to Lago del Naret, up and over a saddle a little west of Passo del Sasso Nero, then guided by cairns across a rugged landscape of boulder tips and wild depressions before gaining a col overlooking Lago Nero. Turning this above its northern shore (fixed cables in exposed places) a trail now leads to a more welcoming and better-trod corner of the mountains, with Capanna Basodino on its perch above a tight little glen.
Capanna Basodino to Valle Leventina
As has already been suggested, the Cristallina massif has plenty of opportunities for day-long walking tours and scrambles, but in order to fulfill our circuit of the Ticinese mountains within a two-week holiday it is necessary to move on after just one night at the Basodino hut. Stage eight then involves an easy downhill walk through the woods and little pasturelands of Val Bavona to Bignasco. If you make an early start it would be worth making a diversion at Foroglio to climb a short way into the mouth of Val Calnegia merely to sample the character of this little glen.
Leaving Bignasco we follow in Walker’s footsteps by wandering through Val Cocco to cross Passo del Cocco at its head, and from there descend as far as Capanna Alpe d’Osola to spend a night in this remote and simple lodging. Next day cross Bochetta di Mugaia in the south ridge of Monte Zucchero, and then descend 1600 metres by way of Alpe di Mugaia, Cortign and Val Redorta to reach Sonogno at a junction of valleys.
Day 11 of our tour involves the crossing of Passo di Redorta, that classic 2181 metre link between Val Verzasca and Val Lavizzara. Starting from Sonogno retrace part of yesterday’s route along the Redorta glen before climbing through its upper reaches beneath the south face of Corona di Redorta. On the west side of the pass the trail is rough for a while, but it’s a magical place where the walls of Val di Pertüs are steep and, in the words of Walker, ‘sweep down grandly to the depths of the gorge below.’ When eventually you come to the little alp of Monte di San Carlo where the Pertüs enters Val di Prato, continue downstream to the main trench of Val Lavizzara where overnight lodging may be found in Prato-Sornico at the end of a full but very rewarding day’s trek.
Linking trails enable you to avoid much of the road between Prato and Fusio where the next night will be spent, and as this is a short journey that will confine you to the bed of the valley and be somewhat restricting so far as mountain views are concerned, the suggestion is offered here to make a diversion to Mogno, two kilometres or so short of Fusio. From Mogno a forest trail climbs steeply to Lago di Mognola, from whose northern shore a continuing path leads on an airy hillside traverse before descending once more to the valley at Fusio itself.
Nei Pini near Alpe di Chiera, Valle Leventina
The final day’s walk is designed to get you back to Valle Leventina in readiness for the homebound journey. The obvious way to achieve this is via Passo Campolungo, a pass more than 1000 metres above Fusio to the north-east, whose crossing involves a descent on the eastern side of some 1300 metres to Rodi-Fiesso. It’s a popular route, albeit a tiring one, on mostly good paths, and with consistently fine views on both ascent and descent. There are various alternative ways down to Valle Leventina. The first option comes at a trail junction at Alpe Campolungo where the right-hand branch leads to Dalpe (with a way from there to either Faido or Chiggiogna). Another alternative is offered at Lago Tremorgio from whose north shore a route leads by way of Pian Mott to Ambri or Piotta, while the main descent to Valle Leventina is that which twists steeply through forest to Rodi-Fiesso. Finally, should you find yourself short of time, or excessively weary on arrival at Lago Tremorgio, there’s temptation to ride the cable-car down to the valley. But at the tail end of a fortnight’s walking tour that option, surely, is for emergencies only!
A Tour of Ticino – Route Summary | |
| Day 1: | Torre (or Dangio) – Val Soi – Capanna Adula |
| Day 2: | Capanna Adula – Campo Blenio – Capanna Boverina |
| Day 3: | Capanna Boverina – Passo di Gana Negra – Lukmanier Pass – Val Termine – Capanna Cadagno |
| or: | Capanna Boverina – Passo di Gana Negra – Passo Colombe – Capanna Cadagno |
| Day 4: | Capanna Cadagno – Capanna Cadlimo – Val Cadlimo – Capanna Cadagno |
| Day 5: | Capanna Cadagno – Bochetta di Cadlimo – Airolo |
| Day 6: | Airolo – Pesciüm – Capanna Cristallina |
| Day 7: | Capanna Cristallina – Passo del Naret – Bochetta del Lago Nero – Capanna Basodino |
| Day 8: | Capanna Basodino – Foroglio – Bignasco |
| Day 9: | Bignasco – Passo del Cocco – Capanna Alpe d’Osola |
| Day 10: | Capanna Alpe d’Osola – Bochetta di Mugaia – Sonogno |
| Day 11: | Sonogno – Passo di Redorta – Prato-Sornico |
| Day 12: | Prato-Sornico – Lago di Mognola – Fusio |
| Day 13: | Fusio – Passo Campolungo – Lago Tremorgio – Rodi-Fiesso |
The Lepontine Alps
Location:
Immediately to the east of the Pennine Alps. The Lepontines proper stretch from the Simplon to the Lukmanier Passes, but the adjacent Adula Alps extend as far as the Splügen Pass and are generally considered to be part of this range. Most of the Lepontines lie within the Swiss canton of Ticino.
Principal valleys:
Val Formazza and Valle Antigorio in the west. Then Valle Maggia and Val Verzasca with their many tributary glens. Valle Leventina and its upper feeder, Val Bedretto. Valle di Blenio whose tributaries of Valle Santa Maria and Val Camadra are also important. Those that drain the Adula Alps are Val Calanca, Valle Mesolcina and Valle San Giacomo.
Principal peaks:
Monte Leone (3553m), Rheinwaldhorn (3402m), Basodino (3272m), Piz Medel (3211m), Piz Terri (3149m), Piz Campo Tencia (3072m), Cristallina (2912m)
Centres:
There are no real centres as one knows them in the Western Alps, but the following villages are located on the edge of good walking country, and have limited accommodation: Cevio, Bignasco, Lavertezzo, Sonogno, Fusio, Airolo, Biasca, Campo Blenio
Huts:
A number of huts (known here as capanna or rifugio) will be found in assorted districts. A few belong to the Swiss or Italian Alpine Clubs, but the majority are provided by local Ticinese organisations. Many are unmanned. Consult the guidebook for details.
Access:
The Zürich-Milan route provides access by rail, with the towns of Airolo, Bellinzona or Locarno being the best places to aim for. Also by train the Trans-European Express serves Bern–Brig–Domodossola–Milan via the Simplon tunnel. Nearest international airports are Zürich and Milan. Road passes are the Simplon, Nufenen, St Gotthard, Lukmanier, San Bernardino and Splügen.
Maps:
The 1:50,000 series published by the Swiss survey (Landeskarte der Schweiz or Carta nazionale della Svizzera) provide the best coverage for walkers. Principal sheets are, from west to east: 265 Nufenenpass, 275 Valle Antigorio, 256 Disentis, 266 Valle Leventina, 276 Val Verzasca, 267 San Bernadino
The Kümmerly & Frey 1:120,000 sheet Tessin/Ticino provides a good overview of the region.
Guidebooks:
Walking in Ticino by Kev Reynolds (Cicerone Press) details 75 routes in the Swiss Lepontines. All the main valleys are covered, and the book also contains accommodation and public transport information.
Walking in Switzerland by Clem Lindenmayer (Lonely Planet) includes several routes and walk suggestions.
The Swiss publisher, Kümmerly & Frey of Bern, produces a series of walking guides to Switzerland. Coverage for the Lepontines will be found in two volumes, Locarno and Tre Valli. Both are published in Italian and German editions (no English language translation).
Walking Switzerland the Swiss Way by Marcia Lieberman (Cordee/The Mountaineers) includes a small section on Ticino, with the Strada Alta Leventina described, plus two walks in Val Verzasca.
Other reading:
Walking in the Alps by J. Hubert Walker (Oliver & Boyd). Walker’s enthusiasm for the Lepontines is contagious, and his chapter on these mountains remains one of the best things in his book.
Italian Alps by D. W. Freshfield (Longmans, 1875 – latest edition published by Blackwell, 1937). This is one of Freshfield’s earliest books, in which his travels among the Lepontine Alps (among others) are well described.
Recollections of an Old Mountaineer by Walter Larden (Arnold, 1910) includes some of the Lepontines in this climbing autobiography.
The Outdoor Traveler’s Guide to The Alps by Marcia R. Lieberman (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, New York, 1991) contains basic detail of selected valleys.
Walking and Climbing in the Alps by Stefano Ardito (Swan Hill Press, 1995) describes a multi-day route from Airolo to Davos, the first few stages in the Lepontine Alps.