Val Bedretto / Bedrettotal
Intro
The Val Bedretto (Bedrettotal) in the northern Ticino extends from Airolo at the foot of the Gotthard Pass up to the Nufenen Pass, where it crosses into Valais. In the long valley between the Gotthard and the Cristallina massifs there is always lots of snow. In summer, the Bedrettotal is a varied area for hiking and mountain biking.
The Bedrettotal, the highest branch of the Leventina valley, is bounded to the north by the chain of the Gotthard massif with the Pizzo Rotondo and to the south by the Cristallina massif. For hundreds of years, there was only cattle farming in the unspoilt Bedrettotal, but because the villages are so high, the yields were poor, and the inhabitants of the valley were often obliged to seek work elsewhere. Today, however, they are returning, mostly thanks to holidaymakers and the Nufenen Pass into the valley, which was only opened in 1964.
