The wonders of the Canton Ticino, between Valle Verzasca and Vallemaggia

Giulia Pacciardi

An adventure always begins with a departure planned just enough to let the unexpected take you to a sudden deviation. The discovery is also made of maps looking backwards and curious eyes that what to find out what’s going to be beyond a mountain, a lake, a river and beyond an asphalt road.

For our short two-day trip for this fifth episode of The Wander Playlist, we had had little time to look for the perfect place but an overwhelming desire for escape because summer is not made for cities.
The northern destination, between Ascona and Locarno and the valleys of the Canton Ticino.

Lumix ready to capture every beauty through Andy, Buddy, Gabe and Giorgia lens.

We leave on Saturday morning. The sun and a clear sky run fast over us, through the open roof of our faithful Mini. The first stop is the Valle Verzasca and the bridge over the river Lavertezzo.

Green, close among fascinating peaks, wildly at times, is a must-see destination for those who love nature and quiet. The river and the numerous water jumps offer a thousand places to swim and sunbathe. Emerald waters and clear wells as pools. The Lavertezzo Bridge is probably the most photographed spot in the Val Verzasca. From here passes the famous “Sentierone”, the hiking trail that goes all the way down to Sonogno.

We spend here few hours, then we move to the Contra Dam, one of the highest dams in Europe for bungee jumping. We arrive in time to look at the last jumps and we decide not to try. A leap of 220m into the void, made famous by James Bond’s movie GoldenEye.

Le meraviglie del Canton Ticino, Valle Verzasca e Vallemaggia | Collater.al — Giorgia

On the second day, we let the way choose for us. We leave the Lake Maggiore’ shores and we enter into Vallemaggia. The destination is Robièi at the foot of the Basodin Glacier.

But the road is not without stops. The first is by accident, drawn by the old Brolla Bridge, an old railway bridge between Locarno-Bignasco, which seems to have come out of the movie Stand By Me. Under a canyon of gray rocks excavated by the creek.

We still stop at Sabbione in Val Bavona. Few rock houses crouching at the foot of a giant monolith, become a meeting place for artists: the Spring nomadic camp, which offers creative and animation activities with periodic recurrence, recalling the cyclical return to the valley of nomadic transhumance.

A short stop under the Foroglio waterfall, a hundred meters of stingy fall between the rocks, and we continue to San Carlo. From here the cable car leads us to the top to Robièi, 15 minutes suspended above woods and paths. The top is amazing. The glacier wrapped in clouds, in the midst of granite masses, silence and wind in the ears. We stop at lunch that is already afternoon. We make a short ride, just in time to take the last ride on the cable car and go downhill.

Our house waits for us before it gets dark.