Sentiero Verzasca: Ticino, Southern Switzerland
Ticino, in the Italian area of Southern Switzerland, is another world completely.
The language turns melodic, the foliage grows lush, the train chatter becomes louder, the vibe warms with the weather. One of Ticino’s most famous hikes is the Sentiero Verzasca, 32 kilometers through the truly idyllic Verzasca valley from Sognono to Locarno. Hiking the full trail is a bit too long for a day trip from Zurich, so Raunaq and I created our own mash-up. The first section, from Tenero to Mergoscia, is pretty tough. The first hour was a seemingly never-ending series stone steps up to the top of the valley, through the quaint Ticinese neighborhoods. And then, another hour up a winding mountain path to the village of Mergoscia. After two hours, we stopped for lunch outside of the Mergoscia chapel, eating under the shade of palm trees and with a view of the Verzasca dam and Lago Maggiore.
At Mergosica, we linked up with the official Sentiero Verzasca trail (route 74). The hike follows an old mule trail, and ancient stone buildings, chapels, little bridges, waterfalls and vineyards all slowly unraveled before us, echoing an old but not forgotten way of life. The whole valley is steeped in history and beauty, but this section of the trail, from Mergosica to Corippa, is truly extraordinary. The tiny town of Corippa emerges out of the forests, just a handful of slate gray houses perched on a hill, and it so picturesque is hurts. The trail finally begins to descend down to the valley floor, and ambles along the emerald Verzasca river. We ended in Lavertezzo, at the double-arched Roman bridge known as the “Ponti di Salti.” The color of this water is unbelievable. It’s perfectly clear and glacially cold, the best way to end a 5 hour sweaty hike.
Start: Tenero Stanzione (to shorten the hike, take the Post bus from Tenero to Mergoscia)
End: Lavertezzo Paese, then a Post Bus back to Tenero Stazione. *Note: The late afternoon bus from Lavertezzo tends to get VERY crowded. I’d recommend lining up about 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a seat on the bus.
Basic Route: Tenero - Contra - Mergoscia (start of official Sentiero Verzasca trail, #74) - Corippa - Lavertezzo
Length and Rating: Moderately difficult. While the “grade” of the trail is easy, the fitness level is difficult. 15km, 5 hours.
