Five days together on hiking trails through valleys in Ticino: how wonderful! Terrific was only the weather some days before, real rain shower, but we were lucky and had fantastic meteorology apart from the fog hours in Robiei and Cimetta. Our trek began in Bignasco, the last village of the Maggia Valley, located at the fork of Lavizzara valley and Bavona valley. We walked through a bridge with two asymmetric arches of the 17th century to join the oldest nucleus at the foot of a cliff, with narrow streets and cobblestone pathways. There we saw an old Walser hayhouse called "torba", a fountain made of one piece of granit and many 16th century dated stone houses. And also the waterfall, the animal barn and the cellar under the boulder so as the "lüera", the wolf trap. In the evening Nicole and Nunzio welcomed us with a wonderfull dinner in our tiny hotel. The second day we went with the postoffice-bus to Foroglio, met two new nice participants of our day trek, streched our muscles on the bridge and walked along the waterfall in a side valley. At the end of the valley we had our fantastic lunch inbetween vertical granitstone walls. Many thanks to whom brought us all the goods. We learned some about "massi coppellari", special rocks with bowls done by the humans in the past, about the "transumanza", the outing with the animals until the alp, and we saw a big "splüi", a barnhouse under a boulder where the farmer lived with his animals during the good seasons. We walked back and descended on granit stairs constructed along the vertical stonewall of the valley. Day three received us with some fog on the top of the Bavona valley, so we could not see the glacier, but on our road to the Cavagnoli dam, we saw the "white lake" and lots of wonderful flowers and had a surprise: we could try the fantastic "Genepì" done by a lovely italian man of the Formazza Valley. At the Cavagnoli dam, top of the street, expected us a little wine bar with some regional food tasting, but some of our group did not believe the existing of a wine bar by the dam and, tired and hungry, decieded to walk back to the restaurant at the top of the cablecar… They did'nt know what they have missed… Our third hiking day ended with an interesting visit and walk into the dam. The fourth day was a sunny day and entirely dedicated to the alpine Walser population of Germanic origin. In fact our hike began in Bosco Gurin, the only Walser settlement in Ticino. A "steep" path brought us to the hut, where some of us had a "minestrone" for lunch. After this, nobody wantet to walk until the Guriner Furggu, the pas from where the Guriner originally came to settle down. So we decieded for the round walk, and the trek continued through the prairie where we had to cross lots of nice little rivers until we joined a larch forest… Ugh! These little rivers gave us some hard work… but at the end we had a fabulous "apple delicious" with lot of whipped cream! Before leaving Bosco Gurin, we were delighted by the visit of the beautiful Walser museum with his tiny garden. At the morning of the fifth day we had to leave our fantastic Hotel Turisti and say good by to Nicole, many many thanks to her lovely homeyness, we had a really good staying. From the Maggia valley we had to join Locarno, from where, first with a funicular, than with a cablecar designed by the famous architect Mario Botta, than whith a chair lift, finally arrived at Cimetta. From there we should have had a wonderful view to the Maggiore lake and all over the Alps in Ticino until the Alps in the Wallis with the famous Mount Rosa but… some fog joined us at the top and we had to play with our imagination. Although a little group came with me to the top of the mountain called Trosa, there we tryed a fantastic Merlot wine brought on the top by a smart participant of our little group. Thanks so much for the surprise! Our day ended with a dinner in Locarno togheter with the creators of this "Terrific Ticino" trek! Thank you so much for this fantastic "terrific" idea! I think it was a great idea! Thank you so much for your participation at the trek these days in my valleys in Ticino. You were a marvellous group, enjoyable, patient, nice and full of enthusiasm… By by and hope to see you soon on others paths in Ticino! |