If you have read the articles from our Italian roadtrip, you probably noticed that our return trip was through Switzerland. We only stayed for a short time, but I did incorporate a few interesting places into the itinerary. And since I think it's a shame to keep the splendor to myself, I decided to write one more short article.
Ticino is situated below the Alps at the southernmost tip of Switzerland and is largely surrounded by Italy, which has quite a big influence here. Italian is even the official language in Ticino, and especially on a trip to sunny Lake Lugano, lined with palm trees and gelato stands, you simply get the impression that you're really in Italy. And now let's get to the three fine places without which it would be a complete sin to leave.
1. Bellinzona
Bellinzona is the capital of the canton of Ticino, which in itself probably won't particularly impress you. More importantly, Bellinzona is home to three medieval castles, Castelgrande, Montebello, and Sasso Corbaro, which have earned it a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The area has been inhabited since the Neolithic period and later its strategic location on the Swiss passes tempted the Romans. In the Middle Ages, however, the Dukes of Milan gained power here and built these three impressive castles to defend the town. The largest and oldest of these is Castelgrande, located on a rock plateau right in Bellinzona. You can either walk up to it or take the lift from Piazza del Sole. If you're interested in a more comprehensive history of the castles, check out the official website here. There you will also find information on availability, opening times and admission fees.
We had planned to take a walk around all three castles, but the crossing from Italy took a lot of time (and frankly energy) and we just couldn't make it. So we at least walked through Castelgrande and enjoyed the view of the other two castles. Then we had a little rest picnic up by the walls, by the way there is also a "sensory trail" in these places. If you are interested in checking out the three castles via an 8.5 km hike, check out this blog - they have a very nice description and photos.
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2. Corippo
Welcome to the smallest village in Switzerland, which currently has a total of 11 permanent inhabitants! I can say that czech phrase "the dog is dying here" is very appropriate in Corippo. There's nothing here, and nobody really :), but I would still go here again. The whole village is made of slate - all houses, even the church is made of stone, roofs, doorsteps, everything. Moreover, the individual houses stand in a terraced layout, stacked on top of each other in various ways and connected by staircases, perfect for someone who loves to explore different corners.
During our visit, we noticed several signs offering accommodation or rental of entire stone houses. Now there is a restructuring project in play with the idea of creating an atypical rustic hotel scattered around the village, with a square and tavern at its heart, and instead of hotel corridors, guests would walk through open-air alleyways. The project is called Albergo Diffuso and you can follow its implementation
here, I'm quite curious to see how it turns out myself :)
Accessibility: Corippo is located in the Verzasca Valley, about three kilometres from the famous village of Lavartezzo, which will be mentioned later. In any case, it's easy to hit it, as there is only one road through the valley, from which you simply turn off according to the signs. The problem is that at the Ponte Bivio Corippo bridge there is a sign saying no non-residents. So we obediently left the car there and walked the rest, counting about a quarter of an hour walk. The other option would be to use the hiking trails in the valley - you can go from Lavartezzo or from Mergoscio, in any case I recommend checking maps.cz, where it is very clearly plotted.
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If you continue on from Corippo through the Valle Verzasca, you will arrive in the town of Lavartezzo. It's charming in itself! I think the traditional stone houses scattered around the banks of the Verzasca River will delight anyone.
But the main attraction here is the iconic double-arched Ponte dei Salti bridge. The water flowing underneath is breathtakingly clear and it's easy to tempt visitors to take a dip, or it's not unusual to come across groups in scuba gear. In general, beware of jumping off the bridge or the surrounding rocks, unfortunately rescue helicopters make regular trips here because of such fools.
Accessibility: there are several car parks in or near Lavartezzo, but even in the low season they were all full... and, of course, paid for. Or, if you have more time, it can be done as a walking tour on the local hiking trails (same as Corippo). There is a regular bus service through the valley, so even if it's a one-way walk, the eventual transfer back to the car shouldn't be a problem.
Where to stay?
In Ticino our Italian-Swiss vacation was over and we had only to cross back to the Czech Republic. We spent only one night in these places, namely in the pension
Ristorante Agarone-Romitaggio, which I found convenient both in price and distance from the three interesting places above. A
room for two here came to about €68, which is not that dramatic in Switzerland. The main advantage was the parking and the restaurant where you can have dinner (by the way, really yummy!) or just sit with a glass of wine. Other tips for accommodation in this area for me as follows:
Check out other articles from Switzerland:
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