Begin of tour: Airolo station
End of tour: Osco Paese bus-stop
Access starting point: Trains from Basle, Lucerne, Zurich, Bellinzona, Lugano
Access point of arrival: Bus to Faido. From there trains to Basle, Lucerne, Zurich, Bellinzona, Lugano
Technical requirements: Medium difficulty
Physical fitness: Medium difficulty
Total altitude meters: Approx. 520 m
Hiking time: 5 hrs.
Season: May to November
Gastronomy: Airolo, Brugnasco, Altanca, Luregno, Osco
Overnight: Airolo, Osco
Various: Note: during school holidays the buses from Faido only operate a reduced service
Literature: www.karten-shop.ch
High above the Leventina valley
Airolo
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The 45 km walk along the Strada alta (old road) presents a very different picture of the traffic-plagued Leventina valley from that seen from one of the infamous queues for the St Gotthard Tunnel. Flower-strewn meadows, bubbling mountain streams and pretty villages are the main features of the steep left-hand side of the upper Leventina valley. From above, the gigantic man-made structures of the road and railway are fascinating. No less impressive is the mountain world of the Leventina. The first part of the Strada alta leads from Airolo via Luregno to Osco. The route is lined with churches , most of them snow white, with roofs made of huge granite slabs. While at the starting point in Airolo you are still well aware of the roar of the nearby Gotthard motorway, by the end of the walk in Osco you have reached a typically idyllic village of southern Switzerland. Wonderful.
Airolo - Madrano - Brugnasco - Altanca - Ronco - Deggio - Luregno - Osco
The Strada alta begins at the station in Airolo and first leads up into the village. From there the signs to Osco indicate where you have to go. The path takes you constantly up and down through the villages of Madrano, Brugnasco, Altanca, Ronco, Deggio and Luregno. After Luregno there is a steep descent through a wood before one last climb takes you up to Osco.
Pictures: www.tourenguide.ch
The Strada alta begins at the station in Airolo and first leads up into the village. From there the signs to Osco indicate where you have to go. The path takes you constantly up and down through the villages of Madrano, Brugnasco, Altanca, Ronco, Deggio and Luregno. After Luregno there is a steep descent through a wood before one last climb takes you up to Osco.
Pictures: www.tourenguide.ch
