Sentiero Verzasca

There’s no question about it: it’s well worth hiking through the Val Verzasca. It’s best to stay over night in Sonogno and savour morning peace. The crystal-clear emerald-green water, smoothly polished cliffs warmed by the sun, the scent of shrubs, risotto from the grotti by the wayside... the hike through the valley heightens all your senses. One optical highlight is undoubtedly the 17th-century Ponte dei Salti bridge spanning the Verzasca at Lavertezzo in two filigree stone arches.

But the valley has more to offer than merely an idyll. Observant hikers on the carefully-made mountain trail from Corippo to Mergoscia, will notice that a few decades ago, life in this valley was anything but idyllic. The unkempt alps on tiny terraces are evidence of the tough struggle for survival that ruled here a century ago. Thus this part of the stage is just as worthy of being under a conservation order as the mountain village of Corippo and also Mergoscia, which has become a target for holiday homes in recent years.